Pests are a considerable threat to all gardens, kitchen gardens, and just indoor plants. This is especially true for such a tireless and difficult to remove their representative as a spider mite, the symptoms of damage from which are not always definable even for experienced summer residents. The tick is a real scourge for plants, after the invasion of which, they die irrevocably. In order to successfully fight and counteract a tick, one should timely determine its appearance, know its nature and behavior, as well as effective folk methods fight him.
What does a spider mite look like and how does it spoil plants
Tetranychus urticae is an insect so small that you can’t just see it, the size is only 0.5 mm. To see the pest, you need a magnifying glass, through which you can see an oval body covered with sparse bristles, as well as several pairs of legs, with which he deftly runs through the plants and moves from them to the neighboring ones.
The color of the spider mite can be different - green, yellow, red, orange, it largely depends on the environment in which it lives and on which plants. But most often it has green color.
The plant chosen by the tick becomes his home, and he begins to braid it with his thin cobweb. It is one of the signs (symptoms) of the presence of a spider mite on the culture. Food for the pest is the juice of the plant, so it bites into the leaf, and can bite into the petals of the flowers. Thereby inner side leaves after the attack of the spider mite is covered with small white dots, and this is the second sign of the presence of an insect on the plant.
After the leaf is damaged, the plant fails in the work of such a process as photosynthesis. Culture doesn't get all those nutrients, which should accumulate, as a result of which it weakens, starts to hurt, and then may die. As for the flowers, the mite inexorably spoils the entire flower, destroying it from the inside, naturally, there is no longer any aesthetic appearance and cannot be. It is worth noting that the tick, leaving the already “gutted” plant, and moving to another, also transfers various diseases.
The difficulty of identifying a pest by symptoms is further complicated by the fact that when the piebald surfaces of the leaves begin to gradually turn yellow and the foliage falls off, inexperienced growers think that this is a manifestation of fungal diseases, and spend precious time on fungicide treatments. But we emphasize once again: on lemons, roses, sweet potatoes and cucumbers, spots first appear where the tick has stuck.
Here is a wonderful video where we managed to show the symptoms of the lesion in close-up spider mite(to speed up the view, click on the gear and set the view speed to 1.5):
Reproduction of the pest occurs almost instantly - in one, maximum two weeks, an adult appears from the egg. Only low temperatures and sufficient humidity can restrain this process - in these cases, reproduction occurs rather slowly. But in return, a little later, when a favorable atmosphere is established, you can get an abnormal outbreak of tick fertility, and then it will simply be everywhere. It is noteworthy that in room conditions the pest occupies the territory more quickly, and if one plant gets sick, then the entire flower corner can get sick very soon.
Features of the behavior of the spider mite
Fighting a tick is quite difficult, for this you need to know the features of its behavior. For example, in a strong heat, the pest leaves the garden, heading for dark places, and freezes there, or, in other words, falls into short-term hibernation (diapause). Most of these places are rooms. After the downturn of abnormal heat, the spider mite returns to its activities.
Similar behavior in insects can be observed in autumn period. With the onset of cold weather, the female also falls asleep, and not all individuals seek refuge for themselves, some remain to winter right on the flowers.
During these periods - when the pest "leaves" - it is useless to treat the plants with some preparations, because the tick will return safe and sound.
Folk and preventive measures against spider mites for indoor plants
As you know, it is easier to prevent a disease than to cure, and in this case, this saying is 100% valid. When growing indoor plants, preventive measures should be taken so that the flowers do not experience the invasion of the spider mite:
Folk remedies how to get rid of a spider mite if it has already appeared?
If the tick has already begun to "nibble" indoor flowers, then it is necessary to apply emergency measures, and in a complex, so as not to lose the entire flower corner.
- First you need to wash the plant (its aerial part). Wash each leaf thoroughly. warm water, with the obligatory addition of laundry soap to it. Washing should also be subjected to - a pot, saucers, surfaces on which the flower lives. These measures, of course, will not get rid of the spider mite, but they will greatly reduce its number.
- As you know, the tick is afraid high humidity, so you need to arrange for him just such an atmosphere. To do this, the plants are watered abundantly, sprayed, and then covered from above. plastic bag, creating the greenhouse effect to kill the pest. Only here you should be careful - do not expose the plant in this form in the sun, otherwise there is a threat to burn the leaves. It is enough to leave such a greenhouse for 3 days.
- Medical alcohol. They process pots, coasters for pots, surfaces on which flowers stand. For example, if the plant is on the windowsill, then it is necessary to process the top, side, and bottom of the structure. The soil is also sprayed with alcohol.
- Folk methods of dealing with spider mites:
- A decoction of cyclamen tubers is detrimental to ticks. The tubers are cut and boiled for 30-40 minutes. The resulting broth is cooled, and then the plants are treated with it. Carry out such treatments once a week;
- Squeeze 250 g of garlic into 10 liters of water, leave for a day, strain and spray each leaf from the underside, spray with another tincture every other day - pour 1 kg of celandine tops with 3 liters of boiling water, and after a day dilute to 10 liters, strain and spray and alternate such processing every other day, it is enough to carry out three sprays of each tincture;
- An excellent result is obtained by processing with tincture onion peel- winter stocks of onion shells are stuffed into a liter jar, poured with boiling water and allowed to stand for a day. Add 200-300 ml of the resulting solution to a 10-liter sprayer. Processing is carried out every 3 days in the evening, abundantly wetting the reverse side of the sheet.
Low-toxic purchased remedies for spider mites
- Treatment with insect-acaricides of biological origin. These are substances such as "Fitoverma", "Aktofit" and "Vermitek". They are safe for humans and animals, but for spider mites they are detrimental. But, unfortunately, as for the whitefly, such spraying has absolutely no effect on dormant individuals, eggs and larvae, so treatments must be carried out regularly. If the room temperature fluctuates around 20 degrees, then you need to process it once every 10 days, and if it is much higher, then the treatment takes place twice a week. But for these drugs there is one caveat - if the room is colder than 18 degrees, they are useless, they have no effect on the pest.
- Hormonal drug"Apollo" contact action. It has minimal toxicity, but it destroys oviposition and prevents adult mites from multiplying. Use according to instructions.
That's pretty detailed video with an overview of preparations for protection against spider mites:
Biological methods of protection against spider mites
From biological means of control in greenhouses and winter gardens mainly predatory insects-entomophages are used - lacewings, phytoseiulus, western metaseiulus and amblyseius (Mackenzie and Californian). It is more convenient to use phytoseiulus, as they multiply rapidly and are happy to destroy another sap-sucking pest - the whitefly.
In conclusion, I would like to note that although it is difficult to identify the presence of a tick in a timely manner by symptoms - the cobwebs are poorly visible, and the tick itself is too small - but it is much easier to deal with it than with the whitefly. So the use of any of the above measures to combat the spider mite will definitely give a result, and quite quickly - just pay due attention to this, since a single treatment due to the presence of oviposition is not enough.
Now the time of the year has come when even a tick can easily be blown into the apartment by the wind from open window. Those who have trees next to the window / balcony are especially susceptible to this. Also, ticks can be "stray" from neighbors from above, because they are so light that they are carried by the wind like dust particles. The most a big problem- fight with a tick, therefore, of course, it is better to prevent this matter.
I haven't had a tick problem in years since we moved to new apartment, but this year I found a cobweb on a rose, and upon a detailed examination of the plants adjacent to it, I also noticed disgusting living creatures.
What is a spider mite and how does it reproduce? The life cycle of a spider mite.
Spider mite - small insect, the size of which does not exceed 0.5 mm. It is very difficult to notice it on a plant because with a small number of individuals, they rarely give themselves away, because they are very small and sit on the opposite side of the leaf. And even if we notice some dark grains, we most likely attribute them to inaccurate watering and the ingress of grains of soil on the leaf. As a rule, the characteristic appearance of a cobweb means only one thing - there are too many ticks and they need to be dealt with immediately.
The tick reproduces very quickly: favorable conditions the female lays up to 250-300 eggs in 2-3 weeks, after which she dies. Favorable conditions for the development of spider mites are dryness and heat. The development cycle of a spider mite includes such stages as: egg, larva, protonymph, deutronymph (in females), adult. As a rule, from the very first stage (egg) to an adult, it takes from 10 to 20 days, all other things being equal. So how does a mite harm a plant?
Why is a spider mite harmful to a plant?
The spider mite is a living being, it is natural for it not only to reproduce, but also to feed. What does a spider mite eat? Everything is very simple, it feeds on the sap of the plant, piercing the leaf with its proboscis and letting in enzymes that destroy the chloroplasts of the cells.
As a result, the leaf is covered with brown dots, which soon merge into one large area, then the leaf dries up and falls off. From all this we can make an unambiguous conclusion that in the end the plant loses leaves and dies. And ticks will safely migrate to another neighboring plant.
Important! Do not think that the tick will sit only on the bottom of the plant until it is completely exhausted. With a probability of 99% - if you find a tick on one plant, then it has already spread throughout the windowsill.
How to understand that a plant is infected with a spider mite? Spider mite symptoms.
Let's look at the so-called symptoms of a spider mite infection. Unfortunately, the initial symptoms are non-specific, so the tick is detected already when an obvious web appears.
- Appearance on leaves brown spots as if the leaves were pierced with a thin needle.
- The presence of drying leaves in the plant, falling buds.
- Slowing down the development of the plant and its growth.
- Black or red dots on reverse side leaves that move.
- A web that wraps around the parts of the plant and the back of the leaves.
- The accumulation of individuals on the web (with a huge population).\
How to treat a plant for spider mites? Means of combating spider mites.
Of course, there are a large number of drugs that guarantee almost complete disposal of the spider mite - these are the so-called acaricides and insectoacaricides. Immediately make a reservation that they are effective not only against ticks, but also against other insect pests.
These drugs are both chemical (for example, Actellik and Fufanon) and biological (for example, Fitoverm and Akarin). Preparations of a chemical and biological nature have different active substances, but the principle of action is the same.
Both drugs are applied three times, with a break of 5-10 days, because, during the initial treatment, the poison kills adults, however, the eggs are resistant to the substance and after a while hatch from the eggs and continue to exist on the plant.
It is interesting! There is also a very serious point that should not be forgotten - even adult ticks become resistant to any drug over time, so it is advised to do a control treatment with another drug, and not treat the plants more than once a year.
Important! You must be aware that chemicals undesirable to use in the apartment, because they have negative impact on human health and have a very sharp specific smell, the vapors of which are very harmful to inhale.
But what to do, because we are talking about indoor plants how then to process the plants if the tick still wound up on them?
Fighting spider mites in the apartment.
Since I try to write absolutely objective articles, it should be said that many flower growers used chemicals in the apartment as well. For example, in summer time years - on a balcony or loggia, which were then aired, and in winter time years - in the bathroom, which was locked at night to prevent contact with vapors of poisons. But keep in mind the fact that when spraying plants, the poison will inevitably get on walls, hygiene items, and clothes. Yes, and the whole night the bathroom will be inaccessible to you, but if you have it combined and you do not live alone in the apartment? A balcony or a loggia can at least be ventilated without problems, but with a bath in this case it is much more difficult.
For me personally, this is not an option, since I do not want my family to suffer from my manipulations, and I have only one health. But with all this, I love my collection too much and giving up was not part of my plans.
Therefore, I prepared for myself such an action plan, which, in my opinion, is not inferior in effectiveness to chemical treatment, but at the same time it is absolutely safe for health.
Folk remedies in the fight against spider mites. My processing scheme.
Those who, like me, were looking for other ways to fight, I think I have seen recipes against spider mites based on laundry soap, onion peel, garlic, or even dandelion more than once.
Do not be skeptical about these methods, because they help many people quite well, and my scheme is based on one of the above components.
Important! If you have a fairly impressive collection of plants (150 or more specimens), most likely my method will not suit you. And if you need to process only 1-2 window sills, then the result will pleasantly surprise you.
Let me remind you that chemistry is not an option for me at all, and I was ready for anything, just not to poison myself and my household with her. Therefore, at first, I tried to act on the advice from the forums and, having treated the plants with a soap solution, wrapped them in a bag for several days (so that the solution worked), but after such treatment, the mites crawled out again. It was foolish to hope that I would get them out the first time, but I still wanted to believe.
I will not write to you about my suffering and different options, I’ll move on, perhaps, to the scheme that I came up with by trial and error.
There are quite a lot of plants in my collection, so I had to ask for help in its implementation.
Important! To implement such a plan, you will need 2-3 hours per week, depending on the number of copies. If you have a very small number of plants, then the time can be drastically reduced to 20-30 minutes per week.
All you need is laundry soap, water and a soft sponge. No packages needed!
- Transfer infected plants to the bath.
- Be sure to remove and wash the curtains, because. they come into contact with infected plants and may also carry these pests.
Important! You need to do this only 1 time. Moreover, when treating plants with chemicals, you will also have to wash the curtains if you do not want a recurrence.
- Dial in the pelvis warm water and be sure to wash the window and window sill, including glass, handles, etc., with laundry soap. This is also done 1 time. Then you can do as you wish, or you can not do it. I just wipe the window sill with soapy water.
Important! Do not hang curtains before window treatment!
- Now the hardest part begins - the processing of plants. You need to process every pot and every plant. This is difficult because I don’t just spray the plants with a soapy solution or put a foamy solution on the plant, but I lather a soft sponge so abundantly that there is a lot of soap and I rub each leaf as much as possible (!) I also rub the trunk, I check several times, so that everything is soaped without exception, I also soap the outside of the pot and a little topsoil. The first time, when processing, I left the plants in this state for 3-4 hours, the next - I just lathered and washed off. Soaping is much easier than rinsing. Personally, it is not difficult for me to lather even a lush exotic ficus (it is not large-leaved). An hour after soaping, there is still a lot of soap on the plants.
Since I had a lot of plants, I had to wash in parts: while one portion was washing in the bathroom, the rest were waiting nearby. So I processed from ticks: drimiopsis, ficus, hibiscus, indoor rose, oxalis, begonias, fuchsias, chlorophytums, tradescantia, lemons and even mangoes.
Important! Be sure to wash the back of the leaf, because that's where the spider mite settles.
Drimiopsis is completely soapy. Even crumbs of fuchsia easily survived soap procedures. The fuchsia buds were not affected by the soap treatment, and the fuchsia bloomed a couple of days later.I wash it off like this: I lay the plant gently on its side, and wash the soap with a sponge, also wash off the pot and the top layer of soil (then you can add a new one). I carry out such manipulations with all plants, except for thick-skinned ones, which cannot be washed (for example, not my haworthia, because water must not be allowed to enter the outlet). Plants that cannot be washed (I have succulents), I treat with high quality alcohol, wash them in a pot with soap.
Important! I wash it off in such a way that the soap does not get on the roots of the plants, otherwise they may die!
- After that, I return the plants to their original place.
But what is the schema? Everything is very simple. Remember, above, we analyzed the life cycle of a tick?
So, after a week, there is a chance that mites that have not washed off will hatch, so you need to repeat the treatment of plants and pots. This time I no longer wash the curtains and do not wash the windows, I just wipe the window sill a little with soapy water. And I cover the soil with cling film so that the soap does not get on the roots.
Cling film helps prevent soap from getting on the soil and roots.It is already much easier to wash off the plants, because the film protects the soil from soapy water.
Important! Such treatments need to be whole month 1 time per week. That is, such processing is carried out only 4 times in a month. During this month, all ticks and eggs that could be are killed and washed off.
Pros and cons of my scheme.
Any method has its advantages and disadvantages, and everyone chooses for himself, it suits him, weighing all the pros and cons.
The spider mite is a pest of agricultural crops. It cannot be said that the name of this pest is well known to everyone, many have no idea about it, have never heard of it and, due to its small size, have never seen it. A much larger number of gardeners observe the consequences of the activity of mites - wilted leaves, weakened growth, cobweb-bound apical leaves of favorite plants. The reason for everything is a spider mite.
Spider mite pest: description
Spider mites (lat. Tetranychidae) are a family of mites that are found everywhere, even in Antarctica. Representatives are united in 1270 species belonging to almost 100 genera.
Appearance of the pest:
- The length of the body of the tick does not reach even one millimeter. Females, as a rule, are somewhat larger than males, they are difficult to see without special means.
- The body of the tick is soft, ellipsoid with a convex back and a flat abdomen.
- According to the biological structure, it has two pairs of eyes, five-membered legs, in young individuals there are 6 of them, and in adults - 8.
- In the larval stage, individuals are transparent. In the future, the color of mites varies widely from light green to brownish.
- Dark spots protrude from the sides on the body. These are intestinal sacs.
The food object of the spider mite is leaf tissue. The mites suck out the chloroplasts and form a web. There are more than 200 plants in the world that they cause the most damage. In terms of susceptibility to this pest, the crops of grapes, soybeans, cotton and cassava are in the lead.
For humans, pets and birds, the spider mite does not pose any danger, it does not cause allergic reactions.
Spider mite life stages
- Mite reproduction occurs in dry and hot weather. as soon as the air temperature is above 25°C and relative humidity air below 40%.
- From 3 to 7 generations of a tick are born per year. If a weather unfavorable, then the mites do not reproduce and almost do not feed - this condition is called diapause.
- Eggs are laid by females little by little, in a clutch of 1-3 pieces, they are small, rounded, slightly flattened. In total, all clutches can contain up to two hundred eggs.
- If eggs are fertilized by males born this year, females will emerge from them., and the unfertilized remain males.
- Hatching of larvae occurs on the third day after laying eggs. The larvae develop for about a day and pass into the nymph stage.
- Further development of ticks under favorable conditions also occurs very quickly.. In four days, nymphs of both sexes have time to go through three molts and two stages of development. After that, individuals are considered sexually mature and are able to reproduce again.
- Egg laying occurs more often in the ground, under fallen leaves, on the roots of plants, the reverse side of the leaves, and in pot culture - on the walls of pots.
female spider mite
spider mite eggs
Stage of development of spider mite eggs
How do spider mites winter?
Only female individuals pass into the wintering stage. From the end of summer until the next spring, they are orange-red or bright red, the males die. Pest eggs can also overwinter.
The spider mite hibernates in a state of diapause:
- on plant residues;
- on fallen leaves;
- in bee hives;
- on the details of the fences;
- on greenhouse structures;
- in stored waste;
- in boxes;
- in old things.
In the ground for wintering, females can burrow to a depth of 20 cm.
Which plants are the most vulnerable?
In the open field, the spider mite infects vegetable, fruit, berry crops and grapes:
- From fruit - stone fruits, especially young trees such as thorns, are significantly oppressed.
- suffer from ticks berry bushes and plantations with berries such as,.
- Rarely, spider mites damage calendula, almost never occurs on tagetis, garden dandelion, cyclamen.
- and, releasing phytoncides, repel ticks and never get hit by them.
Medicinal plants, as a rule, are not affected by spider mites:
- pharmacy;
- gray mustard;
- garden parsley;
- basil green and purple;
- tansy;
- celandine;
- yarrow;
- sagebrush.
Among houseplants (saintpaulia), gloxinia, caleria and calceolaria are not affected due to the fact that they have densely pubescent leaves. Aloe arborescens is also not affected by the mite.
Houseplants such as fuchsias, balsams, and ivy most often suffer from ticks.
Why does a spider mite appear?
Common causes of spider mites:
- In summer, the spider mite migrates very easily from site to site., being firmly attached to the web, it is easily carried by the wind.
- On the garden plot it can appear with acquired seedlings vegetables and flowers, seedlings of trees, shrubs and grapes.
- Spider mite is brought into the house with new potted plants , bouquets of flowers, or even on clothes, an umbrella or a bag.
At temperatures below 18 degrees, ticks no longer multiply, they stop moving and eating.
Therefore, in the hot season, you need to be very careful, wash your shoes and accessories more often, inspect all the flowers that are brought into a house or apartment.
Why is a spider mite dangerous for plants?
Ticks have a sucking-type mouth apparatus and suck out plant sap, along with plastids, in which the process of photosynthesis takes place. The synthesis of plastic substances in the plant stops.
Due to damage a large number leaves, the plant is oppressed, ceases to grow and develop until death. Oppressed plants are not resistant to fungal diseases. And the peddler of many of them is a spider mite.
Signs of damage by a spider mite
You can recognize the presence of a pest by signs:
Can't deal with pests?
Rodents, insects, pests are a great danger to human health. They are often carriers of serious diseases: typhus, rabies, tularemia.
In addition, if pests appear on summer cottages, they can spoil the entire crop or damage the plants.
It has the following properties:
- Gets rid of mosquitoes, cockroaches, rodents, ants, bedbugs
- Safe for children and pets
- Mains powered, no recharging required
- No addictive effect in pests
- Large area of action of the device
Effective drugs against spider mites
Preparations that are used to combat spider mites are called acaricides. They have a specific selective effect on the tick, while other insects may not have any effect. Below is a description of these drugs, including both chemistry and environmental products.
The drugs approved for use on various crops as acaricides include:
| Name of the drug | Description |
Actellik
 |
Description:
Concentrated emulsion of acaricide - 500 g / l. Produced by Syngenta. Used to combat various types mite on crops such as currants, as well as horticultural crops ah in solution. Application:
|
Apollo 
|
Description:
A systemic acaricidal drug is used to control ticks on plants such as grapes and. Application:
|
Antiklesh 
|
Description:
Pesticide (intestinal and contact). Used for a wide range of crops: vegetables, berries, fruit Application:
|
| Karbofos-500 | Description:
This drug is used against mites on a wide range of plants. It is important that it is used for processing planting material in such plants: apple, pear, raspberry, cherry, sea buckthorn,. Application: For this, a 1-2% solution is prepared and the seedlings are kept for 1-2 hours. |
Fufanon, 
|
Description:
They are used on a wide range of plants - fruit, berry, flower crops, vegetables open ground and grapes. Application:
|
Preparation 30 Plus 
|
Description:
The drug is effective against ticks and a complex of overwintering stages of pests on fruit trees, especially cherries, plums, apple trees, pears. Effective on berry plantations, it is used in parks and vineyards. Application:
|
| Omite 30 and 57 | Description:
Preparation for work only on ticks on apple, grapes, soybeans, cherries and cloves spicy. Application:
|
Iskra, Iskra TAB
 |
Description:
They are used on apple trees, open ground vegetables, currants, flower and ornamental shrubs, including conifers - 1-2 l / 10 m 2. Application:
|
| Fitoverm | Description:
Biological insectoacaricide - used on vegetables in the open and closed ground for such plants: currants, hops, citrus crops. Application:
|
Akarin
 |
Description:
The most common for use in closed ground. In this case, a solution of 200 to 800 l / ha is needed. Application:
|
Vertimek 
|
Description:
A very effective preparation, it is used on potted culture in apartments, protected ground, on vegetables and flower crops. Application:
|
| Commander Maxi, Commander | Description:
They are used for processing vegetables in greenhouses, in addition to ticks, they contribute to the control of pests such as thrips,. Application:
|
|
It is used for spraying during the growing season of currants, apple trees, pears and grapes 1-2 times during the growing season, the duration of the insecticide is 14 days. |
Clipper 
|
It is used on tomatoes and cucumbers in protected ground against ticks and a complex of pests at a dose of 0.6-1.2 l/ha. |
| Talstar | Effective in greenhouses, one treatment is acceptable. |
| Sunmite | It is used on an apple tree, one spraying during the growing season is enough, the duration of the drug and waiting time is 30 days. |
Binomial 
|
It is applied on seed crops of vegetables. |
| BI-58 New | A universal remedy for a large number of crops, including alfalfa, grapes, apple trees, one or two treatments are carried out with an interval of 30-40 days. |
| Karate Zeon | It is used on a wide range of plants - fruit trees, strawberries, raspberries, currants. Effective drug, one treatment is enough. |
| craft | The drug is used against ticks on apple trees, grapes, cucumbers. Two treatments per season are allowed with an interval of 28 days. |
For processing currants, grapes, ornamental shrubs sulfur preparations are used - colloidal sulfur, Thiovit jet. Copper and are suitable for autumn eradicating spraying.
The list of drugs not approved for use in the territory of the Russian Federation includes:
- Neoron;
- Phytosporin;
- Biokill;
- Aktofit.
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Biological methods of dealing with spider mites
The spider mite has a natural enemy in nature - it is the predatory mite Fitoseiulus. This is actively used in greenhouses, specially breeding Phytoseiulus and releasing it on cucumber and tomato plants, since insecticidal treatments in greenhouses are strictly limited, and in many are prohibited. Its colonies are specially bred with biocomplexes on tobacco plants; it is commercially available.
The predatory mite Phytoseiulus is a natural enemy of the spider mite In a garden, to scare away a spider mite, you need to plant plants among other crops as often as possible:
- calendula;
- cyclomen;
- marigold.
Spider mites don't like them
Proven folk remedies for spider mites
Folk remedies are used in apartments, as well as on horticultural crops in the ripening phase of the crop, if the whole family, and especially children, is constantly near the plants.
| Tool name | Mode of application |
| Alcohol and vodka | Used in solutions 1:10 for the treatment of tops of shoots and leaves. This remedy is especially good for mites on tomatoes.. Alcohol use ammonia |
| Soap (household, tar) | Treating affected plants with soap is the first step. Helps wash away significant amount pest individuals and in the future, if chemicals are used, soap will contribute to a better retention of the drug on the leaves. The remedy brings good results if im handle . |
| Infusion of garlic | insist in dark place 2-3 days, then the plants are sprayed in a diluted form. |
| Onion infusion | Since ancient times, it has been used for spraying plants with various diseases and pests. Onion peel is brought to a boil in water and left for a day. The resulting infusion is sprayed with plants in the evening. |
Other folk remedies
- Among the others effective means mustard powder, since gray mustard is an essential oil plant, it effectively repels ticks. Plants are sprinkled with mustard powder. In addition, ash is suitable.
- With severe damage to the leaves and the spread of the mite, they can be treated with hydrogen peroxide, gently wiping the mass of ticks washed off with foam. This is effective remedy acts both chemically and mechanically.
- As already mentioned, you can never see a tick on calendula officinalis, this plant is a natural antibiotic. Affected young leaves and stems of plants are washed with calendula decoction or alcohol tincture diluted 1 teaspoon per glass of water.
Features of the fight against spider mites
Spider mites cannot stand high humidity air, so arranging a shower for plants in the apartment and in the garden is very useful. In addition to increasing air humidity, water will mechanically wash away harmful insects from the leaves and stems of plants.
The period of diapause in ticks can be very long - up to ten years! This is a significant period and the plants that they damaged before could already die. But ticks are still alive and are carriers of diseases. Sulfur-containing and phosphorus-containing acaricides must be alternated.
Preparations for spider mites for indoor plants
- For indoor plants, Biotlin Bau is effective. It helps to remove not only ticks, but also from whiteflies, thrips and leafhoppers. It is convenient to use in a spray bottle. One treatment is enough.
- Iskra Zolotaya is effective for introducing potted crops into the soil.- ¼ tablets per 2 liters of soil are brought into the pot at a distance of 2-3 cm from the non-lignified stem. The Tsvetolux Bau solution works similarly.
Treatment of the greenhouse and greenhouse from spider mites
In greenhouses, all parts inside are washed with a solution of chlorine, soda ash, other detergents. After the use of poisons, it is necessary to ventilate the premises.
In greenhouses, an important event is the change of soil every 2 years. Before each revolution, the soils are steamed with a special installation.
Proven drugs are used to control the pest in the greenhouse. Among them, one can single out Plant-Pin, which, for a short time gets rid of the insect. The drug in the form of sticks is placed in the ground near the affected stem of the plant. When watering occurs, the product dissolves and begins to act.
Soil treatment with preparations for spider mites
- The soil for potted crops is treated with boiling water, cover with a box, old rags, so that the heat is kept for several minutes.
- In addition to high temperature processing, it is necessary to shed well with a solution of potassium permanganate.
- The earth in the garden and in the garden must be dug up- necessarily in late autumn before the onset of frost with a turnover of the reservoir.
- In summer, shallow digging will also be useful.. In the open sun, the soil temperature reaches 60 ° C - this is enough to kill the larval stages of the tick.
It is advisable to treat with Fitoverm or Akarin 1-3 days before planting seedlings the soil in the ridges under vegetable crops: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and others.
The consumption of the drug varies greatly depending on the contamination of the soil and can range from 50 to 200 mg/m 2 . The soil must be shed, and then loosened to a depth of 15-20 cm. The protective effect is manifested for two to four months.
Using preparations for spider mites on cucumbers
In protected ground, the drug Bitoxibacillin, P. is effective. The rate of its use is up to 30 l / ha of a 1% solution. Up to 6 treatments possible.
Other drugs approved for indoor use are:
- Vertimek;
- Craft;
- Fitoverm;
- Clipper.
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of vinegar essence are diluted in 8 liters of water;
- spray the seedlings with the resulting solution.
Spider mite prevention
Preventive measures include the following:
- dry hot weather to carry out sprinkling of horticultural crops, water from a hose, increase the humidity of the adjacent air layer with sprinklers.
- Sprinkle house flowers regularly with water, wipe with a soft, damp cloth.
- Regularly change the soil of house plants, new ground treat with boiling water and a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Spray the berries with soapy water several times over the summer.
- On grapes, remove leaves affected by mites and burn them.
- In late autumn, dig up the soil in the area with the turnover of the reservoir, so that the wintering stages of the tick are killed by low temperatures.
Varieties of spider mites
The most common are the common and red spider mites:
- Normal(common) spider mite infects most vegetables - tomato, cucumber, eggplant, pepper.
- Red spider mite infects apple and plum trees, clove, citrus, young trees are especially vulnerable. Attacks cacti. On the bottom side On the leaf, pinkish mite eggs and a coating in the form of light dust are noticeable - this is its web.
Common spider mite
Red spider mite
Other types:
- Currant kidney mite affects the bushes of black, white, red currants. Black currants are most affected, the leaves of which may look wrinkled, swollen, and mites settle on the underside of the leaf.
- Spruce spider mite infects conifers - spruce, thuja,.
- False the spider mite does not form cobwebs, is smaller in size than the ordinary spider mite. On the underside of the leaf, next to the veins, you can sometimes see single oval red eggs. These insects cause significant damage to the leaf epidermis. In cases where many leaves perish on a plant, this can have irreversible consequences for the plant. Citrus fruits, orchids, papaya, passionflower and many other tropical crops are susceptible to attacks by the false spider mite.
- Cyclamen the mite harms mainly in greenhouses, lives in still unopened buds and buds. Unlike the common tick, it prefers high humidity conditions. Feature, signaling the presence of a cyclamen mite on plants, is the twisting of the leaves inward and their wrinkling. Damages even plants with pubescent leaves, such as violets, geraniums, petunias.
- Turkestan spider mite (green) is a very small pest. characteristic feature lesions - yellow dried leaves with cobwebs. Affects vegetables, gourds, beans, cotton.
- Wide spider mite - lives in greenhouses with a high humidity regime. A characteristic feature of the lesion is hardened twisted leaves and a bronze-colored coating on the back of the leaf. It strikes flower crops, harms chrysanthemums, gerberas. It also feeds on tissues of vegetable plants.
Conclusion
Be sure to fight the spider mite in your garden or on the windowsill in the ways described in the article, do not leave your plants unattended. Never get a high yield if plants and soil are infested with spider mites and left untreated.
One of the most tenacious and insidious pests of indoor plants is the spider mite. This arthropod pest multiplies rapidly and can spread to all house plants in a short time. With a lifespan of about a month, the female lays up to a hundred eggs of offspring every three to four days. If the affected leaves are not detected in time, it is very difficult to get rid of the tick and save it from death.
Spider mites have an extensive habitat. Their colonies are found almost anywhere on Earth except Antarctica. See the mites on the plant from behind small size and faded coloration is very difficult. Only adult females have an orange-red body color. You can see what the larvae and adults look like in a photo or under a microscope.
Ways to deal with spider mites at home
Pest control can be long and not always effective. Females upon occurrence adverse conditions fall into hibernation, and the eggs remain viable for as long as five years.
The fight against spider mites at home should be comprehensive and systematic. If at least one plant from the home collection is affected, all specimens in the house must be processed. An infected flower is immediately sent to quarantine to prevent further spread of pests. Not only plants, but also flower pots, planters, windows, window sills and other surfaces where ticks can hide should undergo anti-tick treatment.
Among the methods of dealing with spider mites, the following can be distinguished:
Washing the leaves hot water carried out at a temperature of 45-46 degrees on both sides for a couple of minutes. Water is also poured over the stems and the topsoil. The treatment is repeated every 3-4 days in the first two weeks. Then for another two to three weeks, a hot shower is arranged for indoor plants once a week.
For violets and other flowers with fleecy leaves water procedures carried out in the form of a sauna. In the bathroom with flowers, hot water is turned on at the maximum temperature. Within 10-12 minutes, the tub should fill with steam. Total time stay in the steam room for plants should be no more than 20-25 minutes from the moment you turn it on hot water. The frequency of the procedure is similar to the above-described washing with a hot shower.
2. Soap treatment. To prepare a solution in water room temperature dissolve shavings of household or tar soap. You can also use soft detergent for dish washing. Soapy water is whipped into a thick foam and applied to the leaves and stems from all sides, trying not to fall on the ground. Upper layer soil can only be lightly sprayed with a spray gun without affecting the roots. The soap solution is left on the plant for 3-4 hours, and then washed off. The frequency of rinsing with soapy water is the same as for normal wet cleaning.
This method has a lot of opponents who believe that soap clogs the pores of plants. In this case, the development of the plant is disturbed due to the blocking of the process of photosynthesis.
3. Spraying with infusions from folk remedies. Folk remedies in the fight against spider mites in most cases are ineffective. You can get rid of the pest with their help at an early stage of infection, when ticks have just begun to multiply. But they are safe for plants, people and pets.
4. Treatment with chemicals. Since ticks are not insects, not insecticides are used to destroy them, but acaricides or insectoacaricides. All these drugs, to one degree or another, pose a danger to humans and animals, therefore, they require compliance special conditions processing.
The specificity of the fight against spider mites is that these pests very quickly acquire immunity to pesticides. Already after 3-4 treatments, the tick stops responding to active substance in the preparation. Therefore, acaricides have to be constantly alternated.
Folk remedies for the fight against spider mites
Each fight with a spider mite at home has individual characteristics. A folk remedy that turned out to be effective under some conditions may be useless in other situations. For plants with tender and pubescent leaves, such actions are practically useless; it is better to immediately proceed to chemical treatment.
| Folk remedy | Solution preparation | Processing Features |
| Alcohol | Ammonia, boric or medical alcohol is used | You can process "thick-skinned" plants: palms, philodendrons, ficuses, diefenbachia, hibiscus, aroid (alokaziya, adenium, etc.), marat with hairless leaves. With a cotton swab, all accessible surfaces of the plant are processed, as well as flower pot, pallet and window sill with window. After a day, the leaves and stem are wiped with a clean, damp cloth. An effective method is when transplanting a plant, lowering the whole or roots into ammonia for a few seconds. In this way, you can process, for example, cacti. |
| Garlic | 1 way: 30-40 grams of garlic slurry (medium head) is poured into 500 ml of water and insisted under the lid in a dark place for 5 days. The resulting infusion is filtered and diluted in half with water. 2 way: gruel of one large clove of garlic is dipped in a glass of boiling water and left for 5-7 minutes |
Before processing, the resulting infusions are filtered. Plants are sprayed with a spray bottle or wiped with a cotton swab, giving Special attention hard-to-reach places and bottom of leaves. |
| Onion | Method 1: 100 grams of husks are poured with 5 liters of water and insisted in a dark place for 5 days. Method 2: 60-80 grams (1 medium onion) of chopped onion is poured into 1/2 liter of water in a sealed container. Insist about 7 hours |
Popular and effective chemicals for the destruction of spider mites
To get rid of spider mites with the help of acaricides, you need to know the main active ingredient of the drugs and change them periodically. For processing, it is also necessary to know the toxicity class. Preparations with 3-4 toxicity classes can be used in the bathroom, and 1-2 classes only in the open air.
| Active substance | Toxicity class | ||
| 4 | 3 | 2 | |
| Benzylates | "Neoron" | ||
| Derivatives of sulfonic acids and the group of tetronic acids | Nissoran | "Oberon" | |
| Propargite | "Omite 30 and 57" | ||
| Pyridazipones | "Sunmite" | ||
| Ketoenols | "Envidor" | ||
| Quinozolines | "Demitan KS" | ||
| pyrazoles | "Ortus" | ||
| Tetrazines | Apollo, Flumite | ||
| Based on organophosphates | Dursban, Karbofos | "Aktellik" | |
| Based on derivatives of the synthesis of the fungus Streptomyces avermitilis | "Akarin", "Kleshchevit", "Aktofit", "Fitoverm" | "Vertimek" | |
Rules for processing indoor flowers with industrial preparations
Plant treatment with chemicals is carried out in 3 stages with a difference of 5-8 days. The hotter the air in the room, the faster the spider mite larvae hatch from the eggs and the smaller the difference between treatments should be.
When using the drug for the first time, its effect must be checked on one sheet. If after a day of observation the plant did not react negatively, then the treatment is carried out on all plants of this species.
The treatment is carried out at an ambient temperature of about 26-28 degrees, spraying abundantly dry plant. Small specimens can be completely immersed in a 50% solution of the drug. To enhance the effect, soap is added to the solution.
Spraying is carried out up to 12 hours on a sunny day and up to 14 in cloudy weather. Until completely dry, the plant should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
Prevention measures
The best protection against the death of flowers from this pest will be timely prevention:
- All new plants should be quarantined for several weeks;
- Regular spraying, maintaining high humidity of leaves and soil, airing the room;
- Monthly inspection and treatment of flowers with hot water or steam.
Doing these simple preventive measures will help support houseplants and minimize the risk of spider mite infestation.
Fighting spider mites on indoor plants is not a pleasant occupation. To destroy spiders, you can use chemical means or folk remedies. Of course, if you treat the plants from the tick with chemicals, you will get rid of the problem much faster.
However, if you get rid of the spider with folk remedies, minimal damage will be done to your flowers. Although folk methods of struggle sometimes turn out to be ineffective, and it is necessary to apply one or another chemical agent from spider mites.
Chemicals
To remove the pest, there are a number of special preparations for spider mites - acaricides. They are designed specifically to deal with similar insects that encroach on indoor flowers.
- "Actellik". Used against spiderlings, directly in contact with them. Makes it impossible to eat. You need to spray it once every two weeks, while you need to take care of a protective suit, and the flower itself is not treated at home, but on the street or in non-residential premises because the product itself is quite poisonous.
- . A biological agent that is much less harmful than its predecessor. It contains aversectins - it is these substances that have a neurotoxic effect, which is detrimental to the insect. Despite the fact that "Fitoverm" is not so toxic, you should not forget about the means of protection.
What to do and how to get rid of spider mites on houseplants if you don’t want to deal with hazardous chemicals? Exist simple ways, accessible to everyone and everyone, because the insect is afraid of funds that can be easily found in any apartment.
However, before starting treatment, a thorough cleaning of the flower is required. To do this, it is washed with ordinary clean water without the addition of cleaning products (after all, soap clogs the pores on the leaves of the flower). The window sill and the pot itself are also washed well to remove spiders that could hide there. After that, you can proceed to more serious actions.
- Infusion of garlic. Two finely chopped heads of garlic pour a liter boiled water. The infusion is twisted with a lid and defended for five days (the jar is placed in a dark, cool room). After that, the resulting mixture is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 1 and the flower is treated.
- Onion infusion. 100 g of onion peel is poured with five liters of water and infused for five days. After that, the infusion is filtered and used to treat plants.
- Alcohol. Pests are well removed with alcohol, but the method is only suitable for plants with dense sheets. Cotton swab moistened ammonia and wipe the leaves. The method may be less effective due to the fact that insects sit in places that are difficult to reach.
- Soap solution. Use any soap: green, laundry or even tar. It is important to process not only the exhausted plant, but also the pot in which it grows. The foam is left on the plant for a short time (2-4 hours), and after washing it off, the flower is covered with a plastic bag for a day, maintaining an increased level of humidity.
Infection prevention
- Regular inspection of your flower garden.
- Compliance with optimal air humidity (mites are very fond of a dry climate).
- Regular spraying of leaflets from a spray bottle.
- Washing the plant every month under a warm shower.
- Quarantining recently purchased instances.
- Steaming the soil to destroy individuals hibernating in the soil.
Video "Getting rid of spider mites"
From this video you will learn how to quickly and effectively get rid of spider mites.