Few people know truly effective measures to combat spider mites on cucumbers. Meanwhile, a tiny pest can cause crop destruction. Having an amazing ability to quickly develop immunity to chemicals, spider mites on cucumbers become more invulnerable from year to year, and it becomes more difficult to fight against them.
The appearance of spider mites on cucumber beds should not be particularly surprising; this tiny insect can appear in the possessions of the most zealous and attentive gardener. Its microscopic size allows it to remain undetected for a long time.
Spider mite on cucumbers in the greenhouse and in open ground feels equally comfortable, multiplies quickly, and, most often, becomes discovered when it has managed to seriously damage the plants. Traces of its vital activity are much easier to notice than the tick itself. Where does it come from?
The pest usually crawls out of the soil in the spring, when the soil is warm enough. Weeds, which grow earlier than cucumbers, become the first food of insects, and when cultivated greenery appears in the greenhouse, pests attack the tender seedlings.
The lower parts of cucumber leaves are rich in nutrients, this is where the spider mite prefers to be localized. Pests leave small light marks on their path; these spots grow, gradually turning into white stripes. Three days will pass and the mature females will lay eggs. The masonry of each of them is impressive - several hundred pieces.
Small mites can be seen. These insects barely reach a millimeter in length. Their color ranges from red to brown. The larvae are of an uneven greenish color.
Mite development occurs in stages:
- egg;
- larval stage;
- first nymph stage;
- second nymph stage;
- imago.
The lifespan of an individual is no more than a month, but during this period each female will produce so many offspring that it will become difficult to fight pests.
Measures to combat spider mites
How to get rid of spider mites in a cucumber greenhouse? It’s worth starting with infection prevention. It's not that complicated.
Prevention
It is easier to prevent the appearance of cucumber pests than to deal with them later. What preventive measures can be used?
A good way is to alternate planting cucumbers and tomatoes every other year. Nightshade precursors disinfect the soil from pest larvae, and the mite has difficulty reproducing on this crop.
Timely weeding (necessarily before planting cucumber seeds) deprives the pest of its first food, which reduces the risk of seedling infection. Tops and grass should also be removed after harvesting. It is also worth digging up ridges and paths between them before winter. This is how most of the insects that go into the ground die, and even with weeding next year things will become easier.
In case of minor damage to vines and leaves, it is worth removing the damaged parts of the plant - this will prevent the mite from spreading throughout the greenhouse.
Chemicals
You can also fight spider mites on cucumbers by treating them with chemicals. Similar drugs are sold in every department for summer residents.
A detailed algorithm for exterminating pests with their help is outlined in the instructions and manufacturer’s comments on each package.
What means are suitable?
Aktellik
The drug is suitable for both greenhouse and open-ground plantings. You just need to dilute one ampoule of Actellik in 1.5-2 liters of water and spray the affected plants with the solution from a spray bottle.
This should be done in calm, dry weather (for unprotected cucumbers growing in open ground) in the morning or evening, when the heat of the day subsides.
It is in high demand due to its effectiveness both against ticks and against a number of garden and garden pests, while the product is economical, its consumption is very small.
One of the effective insecticides, however, spider mites on cucumbers quickly develop an addiction to it.
The following drugs have a similar effect: Actofos, BI-58, Karbofos, Flumite. Personal protective equipment must be used during processing. The drugs are toxic to a certain extent!
Traditional methods
If there are spider mites on cucumbers, folk methods will help get rid of them. Such control measures are safe for human health and do not require large financial expenditures.
Recipes for preparing solutions for spraying cucumbers are simple:
Infusion of celandine
Fresh chopped herbs are poured with boiling water at the rate of a glass of greens per liter of boiling water. Leave for 48 hours, filter.
The solution is used for spraying. After the initial treatment, repeat treatment is carried out 5 days later.
The raw materials are poured with boiling water: per liter of water - 100 grams of dried flowers. After two days, the infusion is ready for use.
Using a spray bottle, spray each cucumber affected by the mite with it.
Take 100 grams of tobacco, grind it to dust, pour it into a liter warm water and insist for two days.
After filtering, dilute with more water to a volume of 2 liters and spray on the cucumbers with a spray bottle.
Mustard solution
For a liter of water - a tablespoon of spice. Cucumber greens are sprayed with this product, and the soil under the roots is also shed.
Soap
Household or tar will do. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of soap chips in a liter of water (the bar is first grated).
After a couple of hours, when the soap has completely dissolved, the cucumbers are sprayed with this product at intervals of 3-4 days until the pests are completely destroyed. You can add a handful to the laundry soap solution wood ash- this will increase the effectiveness of the solution.
An amazingly powerful remedy for spider mites “lives” in every medicine cabinet. For 5 liters of water, take 20 grams of ammonia.
Spraying of cucumber vines and leaves affected by spider mites is carried out once a week. Don't worry that ammonia is harmful. For cucumbers, it will act similarly to nitrogen fertilizing.
It is best to use improvised means of killing spider mites when the damage to cucumbers is minor. If the pest has managed to multiply en masse, spraying solutions of herbs and ammonia may be useless, so it is still worth stocking up on a bag of pesticides in advance.
Conclusion
Don’t know how to fight spider mites on cucumbers in a greenhouse? It seems that the insect is indestructible, its numbers are increasing, and all the measures taken to destroy it do not matter to it? Not true! There are a lot of remedies, both chemical and folk.
At the right approach You can significantly reduce the number of ticks or get rid of them completely. Prevention of the appearance of the pest also plays an important role in the fight against spider mites on cucumbers. Timely cleaning of greenhouses from weeds and digging up the soil before winter reduces the likelihood of cucumbers becoming infected the next year.
When cultivating any crop on open ground or in a greenhouse, owner summer cottage wants to receive good harvest and tries to do whatever he can to ensure that his plants cannot be harmed by any pests or diseases. But, unfortunately, not everyone succeeds. For example, a pest such as a spider mite on cucumbers can completely destroy the entire crop. This is a very harmful and small pest. If nothing is done in advance, then not only the entire crop of cucumbers may perish, but also everything that grows in the greenhouse or on garden plot. There are different diseases of cucumbers, but the most common is spider mites. Therefore, we will pay special attention to this point.
Spider mite: what kind of “beast”
We would like to immediately warn you that you need to completely get rid of such a pest as spider mites as early as possible. This insect can quickly get used to all sorts of chemicals that gardeners use to combat it.
How to deal with spider mites on cucumbers?
Spider mites on cucumbers in a greenhouse are quite common. But if you know the measures to combat it, then your cucumbers will remain healthy and in the future will bring you excellent harvest.
Quite often this pest begins to appear on various plants due to temperature and water imbalance. You need to immediately take measures to combat this pest as soon as you notice it. Since it can be found not only in greenhouses with cucumbers. Spider mites can harm all cultivated crops and plants in open ground. This pest feeds on plant sap. Starting to lose a component necessary for life, the plant simply dies. Fighting spider mites on cucumbers can be completely useless if you start doing it very late. Any chemicals intended to combat spider mites will be in this case useless. The plant may die completely, but the mite itself can still be destroyed.
What can, destroy the mite on cucumbers
Spider mites on cucumbers in a greenhouse can harm the plant and it may finally die. But a competent fight against it will allow you to get rid of this phenomenon.
Getting into very favorable environment, the spider mite begins to choose more succulent plants and vegetable crops. One of these representatives is the cucumber. This vegetable contains juice a large number of. It is also present in the fruit itself, as well as in the stems and leaves. If you don't fight with chemicals with spider mites, the plant will simply die.
The problem is that spider mites are not afraid of chemicals. These insect pests can easily adapt to almost any poison.
Mites reproduce very quickly. Each of these individuals can lay around 5-6 eggs every 3 days. 95% of each such clutch is able to survive. You can imagine the colossal harm this insect causes.
- Every 3-4 days you need to inspect the plants in your garden. A small amount of cobwebs on plant leaves can indicate the presence of spider mites.
- It is also necessary to regularly water, spray the plants and loosen the soil.
- Such a drug as - Bordeaux mixture. It can help solve many problems, both in greenhouses and in open soil.
But more can be used to combat this pest. universal remedy. These include fitoveram, colloidal sulfur and bitoxybacillin. These substances must be diluted in water and sprinkled on the plants. If spider mite colonies are small, plants can be treated every two weeks.
If you notice that the mite has been able to spread over a vast area, then it is best to treat the plants every 5 days. Spider mites naturally have evil enemy. The latter takes great pleasure in destroying the tick. This enemy is Phytoseiulus. It can be forcibly placed near the spider mite’s habitat. The main diet of this insect is the pest mite. With virtually no harm to the plants themselves, phytoseiulus can completely destroy a mite colony along with its eggs in a matter of days. To do this, you need to spread a small amount of leaves with this insect hunter next to the infected plant. After 2-3 days it will be able to completely destroy the tick. All that will remain of the latter is a web. If the drugs and remedies described above do not help you, then the stage of tick infection is very advanced. To fight it you will have to take radical measures while the plant is still alive. These could very well be those chemicals that contain acaricides. But their use can completely destroy the Phytoseiulus population. And on open area, these drugs can harm bees. Based on this, you should start fighting spider mites as early as possible.
What are acaricides
If appropriate measures are not taken, spider mites on cucumbers in a greenhouse can negatively affect the plant. An effective remedy to combat this insect - acaricides. This name of the drug can give you an idea of the basic essence of their use. And the translation is as follows: Cide-cut and Acari-mite:. These drugs are used not only for treating plants. They can also be used on pets and indoor plants. But it is worth noting that they are all very toxic. Based on this, the use of each such drug must comply with the attached instructions.
Their main range is quite wide. We will present to your attention the more famous ones.
Aktelik. This drug is very common. Almost all gardeners have tried it. Aktelik contains irimifosmethyl. It's toxic. After spraying plants with this preparation, spider mite colonies die within 5 minutes. If you start treating plants with this product, you must definitely use personal protective equipment, such as gloves and a mask.
Aktara. This drug contains thiamethoxam. It is very effective in eliminating not only spider mite populations, but also other insect pests.
Fitoferm. This drug is biological. It contains aversectin. Almost immediately after treating the plants, it begins to affect the spider mite, causing paralysis in the latter. The pest dies after 2-3 hours. This product is slightly toxic. It does not pose any danger to people and animals. But you should still take precautions when treating plants with this product.
Funanon. The main element of this drug is malathion. Upon contact with a spider mite, it completely paralyzes it and destroys it within 3-4 hours. Not very toxic. Not dangerous for animals and people. But it can harm bees.
We have not listed all of the powerful and fast-acting medications for tick control. Even if you see on the packaging that the drug is completely safe for humans, you should still work with it with caution. Many components included in these drugs can cause allergies in humans. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out work only in rubber gloves and special masks, which should be destroyed after use. Protection in a greenhouse, as well as in open soil, must be carried out in a timely manner. In this case, you will not need to resort to radical measures that may pose a danger to others.
If a spider mite appears on cucumbers and you don’t know what to do? Then, first of all, look at the photo of this pest, and then take the necessary measures.
Since ancient times, humanity has cultivated all kinds of crops. Based on this, there are many folk remedies that have been tested over the centuries. These products do not pose any danger to humans. They can protect the future garden or greenhouse cucumber harvest. It is clear that many gardeners do not want to use heavy artillery in order to completely destroy mites. This can pose a serious risk to human health and also to pets. These radical measures also pose a danger to bees. Unfortunately, you cannot do without the latter on your own personal plot. The most important thing in this war in the country is to detect pests in time. In this case, you can count on various folk remedies for poutine mites on cucumbers. These difficulties can arise for various reasons. Maybe it’s a greenhouse with seedlings, where you can’t go very often, or maybe a person for a long time absent from the dacha. In this case, it is best to anticipate these problems in advance.
Armed means protected!
Spider mites on cucumbers. How can you fight this pest using improvised means? To do this, many gardeners use all sorts of methods that they have at home. They can be: alcohol, soap, herbs and infusions, garlic, rosemary extract. But an aqueous solution of laundry soap is used not only to combat mites on cucumbers. It can also increase the resistance of indoor plants, roses, and many vegetable crops. This liquid is safe for human health.
Finally
Now you know how to treat cucumbers against spider mites. Using these methods, you can get a good harvest of cucumbers and forget about these problems.
Spider mites are considered one of the most harmful pests of vegetable gardens. It is capable of destroying absolutely all crops without exception, and in just 1-2 weeks it can destroy plants. It is often possible to detect spider mites on cucumbers. Regular spraying cannot cope with it, as it intertwines the affected area with a network. However, absolutely nothing is impossible; the main thing is to choose the best method and follow the right advice.
The cucumber mite is a small arachnid creature. The rate of their growth depends on the air temperature: the warmer it is, the more they multiply. In extreme heat or in the cool season, females do not feed. They migrate to protected corners and can move from greenhouse to greenhouse if the buildings are close.
- Spider mites on cucumbers suck out the contents of cucumber cells.
- In addition, they infect the crop with infections, for example, gray rot microorganisms.
As a result, the plant loses its vigor and immunity to other pests and diseases.
Signs of defeat
Signs of damage include:
Fighting methods
Which method of controlling spider mites do you prefer?
Folk wayUse of drugs
Biological ones take into account attraction to own plot other pests, which is not always practical.
Chemicals
- Akarin. Method of contact-intestinal exposure. Destroys all types of plant mites, safe for environment, is completely neutralized in the soil. The period of intense action is 4-8 hours. Plants are unsafe for humans for 3 days from the moment of final spraying.
- Apollo. An acaricide that destroys larvae and eggs of fruit pests. Sterilizes adults. It can be combined with other substances. It is neutral for insects and bees, and works selectively only against mites. The leaves of the affected plants are generously moistened with the substance of this drug.
Folk remedies
Before turning to “chemistry”, it is possible to try to influence pests folk recipes. At the initial stages, if plant infection has not started, these methods provide excellent results. There are plants that repel cucumber mites. They contain characteristic poisons. Most of all, infusions of them are used for preventive spraying. But it is impossible to exceed the dose, as this can spoil the plants. Below are a few recipes:
- Marigold flowers, water. Fill 1/2 bucket of dried marigold flowers warm water and leave for 2 days. Add 40 g of laundry soap to the strained infusion. Spray cucumber plantings in the evening.
- Potato tops. Infuse 1.2 kilograms of fresh tops in a huge dose of warm water for 4 minutes. Generously moisten the affected plants with this substance.
- Tomatoes, water. Pour 4 kg of tomato tops into 10 liters of water and boil for 30 minutes. Add 40 grams of laundry soap to the mixture. Dilute this concentrate half and half with water and treat the plants.
- Medical alcohol (96%). Wet a piece of cotton wool with it and wipe the leaves of the plant - the tick will be destroyed (remember that it will not take eggs in this way). Ethanol has the ability to evaporate instantly; for this reason, the leaves of the plant should theoretically not be damaged.
- Soap(economic is more correct, but anything else will do). If you have spider mites, the plant can be treated with regular soap:
- To do this, wipe all the leaves and branches with a soapy sponge. The more foam there is, the better.
- We also spray the soil with soapy water, but just a little bit, so as not to get on the roots and spoil the plant.
- Unfortunately, many gardeners act significantly and shed all earthen lump, and then are amazed that the plant dried up after a week. Don’t repeat other people’s mistakes, there should be moderation in everything! So, after you soap the plant, take your time to wash off the foam. Wait 3-4 minutes - this will be enough.
- Soap products form a film on the leaves through which gas exchange does not occur, that is, the plant “does not breathe.” For this reason, leaving it in such soapy conditions overnight is dangerous. After the soap has been washed off, cover the plant with a bag for a day, without waiting for the water drops to dry. This will be a “double blow” for those ticks that remained alive after the soap. High humidity under the package will be unbearable for them and they will disappear.
Expert opinion
Filatov Ivan Yurievich, private farmer for more than 30 years
You can also sprinkle the plants with soapy water instead of wiping with a sponge. In some cases, this is exclusively correct solution, for example, if a large number of plants with small leaves are infected. It’s a pain to wipe each leaf, but you can spray it in a matter of minutes. By the way, as an alternative to soap, you can use any dishwashing detergent, for example, the same “Fairy”.
- Garlic infusion. Take 2 heads of garlic and chop them finely. We put the purchased raw materials in a jar and fill it with 1 liter of water, cover with a lid. Place the jar in a dark cabinet and leave for 5 days. After this time, spray the plant with the purchased infusion, diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio.
- Infusion from onion peel . Pour 100 grams of onion peel into 5 liters of water and leave for 4-5 days. After the infusion, we strain it and spray the affected plants.
Prevention
It is easier to avoid it than to treat a disease. With spider mite damage to a cucumber, everything is the same, and the “disease” must be prevented with the help of preventive measures.
To prevent cucumbers or other plants on the site from becoming victims of this gluttonous and numerous insect, you should:
- Promptly weed the area with uncleaned vegetation.
- In the winter, be sure to thoroughly dig up the area, which will help eliminate numerous pests in the cold winter.
- If you plan to grow cucumbers in protected soil, then thermal or chemical treatment of wooden beams is necessary.
- A very good preventative effect is provided by attracting natural enemies of spider mites to the area.
Phytoseiulus
Phytoseiulus - this mite is able to find and eliminate spider mites at an early stage of plant damage. Among the folk remedies for preventing the spread of ticks, it is possible to recommend the use of ordinary dill in the beds. Plants are planted around the perimeter of the cucumber plot. A similar plant protection system can be used both in open ground and in greenhouse conditions.
If cucumber plants were cultivated chemicals, then it is not recommended to use a plant that was grown on the site for food.
Video
You can also watch a video where experienced gardener will tell you how you can fight spider mites.
Beautiful, and flowering plants cucumbers on your site may attract not only you, but also all sorts of pests that can destroy the entire crop in a matter of hours. For this reason, daily monitoring of the site is necessary in order to identify the pest at an early stage of plant damage, and the tips described in this article can help cope with this dangerous enemy.
In hot, dry weather, you need to be extremely careful when planting cucumbers. In the heat, not only the number of ovaries is reduced, the leaves on the stems droop, but also such a malicious pest as the spider mite takes root. Due to its microscopic size, it is not immediately noticeable, so inspection of plants must be carried out carefully, looking under the leaves.
The tick is very small insect, up to 1 mm in size. The color may be greenish, yellowish or dark brown. From a distance it looks like a small dot. While there are few ticks, they may not be noticed.
Settles on bottom side leaf blade, lives in colonies. It feeds on plant sap by making holes in the leaves. In the process of life, it produces a lot of thin cobwebs, which can be seen on the petioles, stems and ovaries. Due to the numerous damages, the process of photosynthesis in the leaves is disrupted, it begins to turn yellow and dry out.
Females manage to lay eggs several times in a short period of life, so when favorable conditions Colonies are growing rapidly.
Favorable conditions for ticks are dry air and heat. If the temperature stays above 25° and there is no rain, the pests become more active.
The eggs are stored in the soil, on dried plants, and on leaf litter.
Plants are damaged by adult insects, their larvae and nymphs. In addition, spider mites are carriers viral infections and spores of fungal diseases.
If cucumber beds affected by pests are left unattended, you can lose the entire harvest.
How to treat cucumbers against spider mites
To destroy spider mites on cucumbers, targeted pesticides - acaricides, or universal ones - insectoacaricides are suitable.
“Agravertin” – the mite dies 3-6 days after treatment, but it stops harming the plant earlier. After 10 hours it stops feeding on the juice from the leaves.
"Apollo" - kills eggs, larvae and nymphs of ticks. Adult females become sterilized and no longer produce offspring. It is enough to process the cucumbers once.
“Borneo” - adult insects become infertile, eggs and larvae die on the 3rd day after treatment. Can only be used once per season.
"Envidor" - destroys ticks at any stage of its development. The males that survive do not harm the plants, but are food for predatory insects. The drug is resistant to rain and adheres well to the plant.
“Kleschevit” – 7 hours after treatment, mites stop harming the plant, and after 3 days they die completely.
“Sunmite” – destroys ticks at any stage of development; it begins to act on them 15 minutes after spraying. Duration of action is up to 40 days. Can only be used once per season.
“Fitoverm” – ticks stop feeding after 15 hours, complete death occurs after a week. If after treatment there is precipitation or dew within a week, the treatment must be repeated. Best result when spraying at temperatures from +25°. The advantage is that cucumbers can be eaten within 3 days after processing.
"Flumite" - acts on ticks at any stage of development. Protection lasts up to 6 weeks. The drug destroys summer egg laying by penetrating through leaves; winter egg laying only through contact. Not dangerous for bees and predatory insects.
Processing cucumber plantings with the above preparations, all parts of the plants should be thoroughly moistened. These agents have a contact effect on ticks.
Folk remedies for fighting spider mites on cucumbers
In case of severe infestation, folk remedies are ineffective, so they should be used as soon as this pest is detected.
Before treatment, infected leaves are torn off, collected in a bucket and burned away from cucumber plantings. The remaining cobwebs must be collected with a soapy sponge. Only after this, folk remedies are used.
The most effective:
- Garlic infusion. 50 grams of garlic are crushed through a press, pour in 0.5 liters of water and leave for 24 hours. The resulting solution is filtered, half is poured into a bucket of water. The treatment is carried out in the evening with no wind.
- Cut the hot pepper into small pieces, add water and simmer over low heat for about an hour. For 50 grams of pepper you will need 0.5 liters of water. When it cools down, dilute 1/3 of the mixture in one bucket of water.
- 3% hydrogen peroxide is diluted in water at the rate of 3 tablespoons per 3 liters of water. Spraying is carried out at intervals of 3-7 days. The higher the air temperature, the more often the treatment is carried out.
- Tobacco dust - in dry form, it is sprayed onto plants moistened with water.
To each of these solutions add any liquid soap to ensure adhesion to the plant. If after spraying it rains within 5 hours, the treatment must be repeated. Folk remedies should be used regularly, every 7-10 days. There will be no result from a one-time struggle.
Since the tick does not like moisture, you can fight it cold water. This should be done early in the morning, while the plant has not yet warmed up under sun rays. Cold water from the well should be sprayed on the affected foliage and all parts of the cucumbers where the pest is found. It is best if a fine disperser is installed on the sprayer. You need to bring it as close to the leaves as possible so that the water dust does not have time to heat up.
If cold water gets on the ovaries, they may crumble. When fighting spider mites, this loss is not terrible. It is better to lose a few fruits than to lose the harvest completely.
How to deal with mites on cucumbers in a greenhouse
In a greenhouse, cucumbers are damaged by spider mites more often than under open air. This is facilitated by the fact that the temperature in the greenhouse rises quite high, but the humidity does not. These are the conditions that ticks love.
To avoid this, you need to increase the air humidity. You can place open containers of water between plantings. The larger the evaporation area, the faster the air humidity will increase, so it is best to use basins and troughs.
It is recommended to spend it in a greenhouse foliar feeding cucumbers with superphosphate. This will repel pests and at the same time strengthen the plants. 40 grams of fertilizer (2 tablespoons with a small slide) are diluted in a bucket of water and moistened the leaves early in the morning or evening.
In case of severe damage to cucumber plantings, the fight is carried out in the same way as in open ground.
Prevention
In measures to combat spider mites, prevention takes first place.
Crop rotation in the garden is important. It is not advisable to grow cucumbers for two years in a row in one place. It is best to alternate them with tomatoes or spicy herbs. If possible, you can leave the bed under black fallow for one season, periodically weeding out weeds and loosening the soil.
No dried leaves or roots should be left on the garden bed. After the harvest, everything is collected and burned. Before digging, the soil should be treated with acaricides that destroy egg clutches (Apollo, Borneo, Flumite). 3-4 days after treatment, the soil is dug up and left there for the winter.
When planting cucumbers, you should not thicken them. If dry hot weather, then the frequency of watering must be increased. This will benefit the cucumbers, but will be detrimental to the mites.
Constantly inspect the beds. As soon as you notice the pest, start processing. During this period, the tick can be dealt with using folk remedies.
Video
No matter what measures gardeners take, they face many problems from year to year, the first of which is occupied by pests. These creatures, living on the plants themselves and in the soil, deteriorate the quality and quantity of the crop, causing damage to the root system, leaves and shoots. Numerous insects can damage cucumber plantings, among which it is worth paying special attention to the destruction of spider mites.
What is a spider mite?
This insect pest is red, orange, green-yellow or milky-transparent in size and measures only up to 1 mm. Some individuals reach sizes of 2 mm, but this is extremely rare. Spider mites have an elongated, elliptical body shape. Females are orange-red in color and are very fertile. Each female can lay 8,000 eggs in one season.
The period from egg to mature individual takes only a few days, and if this pest is not destroyed in time, the crop will be completely destroyed. For a very reason small size, spider mites are very difficult to detect when they move into an area.
Insects settle in conditions that are comfortable for them, mainly on the lower part of the plant leaf, but then they can occupy large areas of the crop. You can recognize the life activity of a spider mite by the marks on the leaves - small light dots.
At first, these are small settlements of pests, but soon mites can fill the entire greenhouse, as they multiply quite quickly. Already a week after their appearance on one plant, they can be detected not only by their tracks, but also alive, crawling along the leaves. After a while, a web appears, in which young and rapidly developing colonies are located.
Reasons for appearance
What are the reasons for the appearance of spider mites on cucumbers? The pest appears and actively reproduces only in conditions favorable to it - heat and dry air. Ticks overwinter in fallen leaves, top layer soil, manure and greenhouses (especially in corners). The most unpleasant thing is that it is impossible to protect the crop from the appearance of the pest - it can get on the seedlings even with a gust of wind. The only way out is to carry out normal agrotechnical measures to prevent the appearance of spider mites.
What harm do mites cause to cucumbers?
Once inside a greenhouse structure, insects quickly spread across its area, immediately occupying more convenient crops, one of which is cucumbers. Insects feed on the sap of plant cells, due to which the leaves are depleted, begin to dry out and lead the plants to disease and death.
It is also worth noting that the females are very active, and after 3-4 days they will lay eggs, up to 400 eggs each. There can be up to 20 development cycles per year, and the most suitable climate for this is +23+33°C and average humidity in the greenhouse. As you can see, the greenhouse is simply ideal for the life of these pests.
The following signs indicate the appearance of spider mites on cucumbers:
- light dots (if the lesion is large - spots) on the back of the leaf;
- almost transparent web on the plant;
- growth slowdown;
- yellowing of leaves.
Fighting methods
Before resorting to “chemistry”, you can try to influence pests with folk recipes. At the initial stages, when plant infection has not started, these methods give a good effect. There are plants that repel cucumber mites. They contain specific poisons. Most often, infusions from them are used for preventive spraying. However, do not exceed the dosage as this may damage the plants.
To combat ticks, 96% alcohol is suitable. Under no circumstances should you use technical alcohol. Otherwise you will ruin the entire harvest.
How much alcohol is needed depends on the degree of damage to the plant. If only the leaves are damaged, then only them need to be sprayed. If many neighboring plants are affected, it is better to spray the entire area extensively. If this is a greenhouse, then you need to spray in it too.
Spraying with alcohol is one of the traditional methods pest control
After one week, it is necessary to repeat the spraying procedure. When the temperature drops, this procedure can be carried out after 10 days.
The final stage occurs after 8-10 days. After this, the plant should be carefully monitored to see if the mite symptoms reappear.
Moss will help effectively fight spider mites. To do this, you need to pour boiling water over it and dry it. When the moss becomes dry, it can be placed in the soil under the plant itself.
You can do the same with tree bark. To do this, it must be thoroughly rinsed and dried in a microwave or oven. After this, the dry bark can be placed in the soil. The fight against spider mites is very difficult, but this does not mean that every battle will be lost. You need to act correctly, not to spare the enemy. We wish you good luck!
Useful plants
- Marigold
- Pour 1/2 a bucket of dried flowers with warm water and leave for 2 days.
- Add 40 g of laundry soap to the strained infusion.
- Spray cucumber plantings in the evening.
- Potato tops
It not only destroys spider mites on cucumbers, but also fights aphids and caterpillars.
- Leave 1.2 kg of fresh tops in a bucket of warm water for 4 hours.
- Moisten the affected plants generously with this solution.
- Tomato greens
- Pour 4 kg of tops with 10 liters of water and boil for 30 minutes.
- Add 40 g of laundry soap to the solution.
- Dilute this concentrate in half with water and treat the plants.
- Nosed aconite. Roots and tubers, roots and grass are infused in 70% alcohol. Before use, the extract is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, and then used against spider mites. Plants are harvested during the budding period.
- Hogweed(Caucasian, Siberian, bearded; montigation fluffy, spotted). Infusions of its dry leaves, stems and roots are used against spider mites (infuse 1 kg per 10 liters of water for 24 hours). Infusion recipe: crushed green parts are ground into a paste with water (1 kg of plant per 2 liters of water). Squeeze out the liquid part, pour in 15 liters of water and, after infusing for 6-12 hours, separate the liquid part again and mix it with the solution obtained earlier. Raw materials are harvested before and after flowering, and during flowering - only aboveground part.
- Creeping bitterweed. Infusions or decoctions are used against spider mites. Infusion recipe: pour dry crushed plants with water (120 g per liter) for 24 hours or boil for 30 minutes after 6-8 hours of infusion. The liquid part is drained and diluted twice with water before use. The above-ground part or the entire plant is harvested during flowering.
- Datura common. Its water infusions and decoctions are also used against spider mites. Infusion recipe: finely chopped dry plants (100 g per 1 liter) or finely ground powder from a dry plant (50 g per 1 liter) are poured with water for 12 hours. Then the liquid is filtered. Decoction recipe: boil 1 kg of dry green parts of the plant (or 2.5 kg of dried or 3 kg of fresh plant material) in a small amount of water for 2-3 hours. After cooling, strain the broth and add to 10 liters. During flowering, the entire above-ground part of the plant is harvested.
- Carpesium wormwood. Seeds and dry above-ground parts of plants are infused for 12-24 hours in water in an amount of 70-100 g per 1 liter, the filtrate is used to treat plants affected by spider mites. Plants are harvested during the growing season, and seeds are harvested after ripening.
- Oriental goat's rue. Infusions of dry ground plants (90-100 g/l) after 24 hours of exposure and filtration are used in the fight against spider mites. Plants are harvested during the growing season.
- Clematis Manchurian. Water infusions of fresh leaves (50-100 g/l) are effective against spider mites.
- Bulb onions. In the fight against spider mites, water infusions of onion scales are used. Onion scales are infused for 12-15 hours. Concentration - 20 g/l.
- Gray alder, alder. Water infusions (100 g/l) have a detrimental effect on spider and root mites.
- Pyrethrum redum (Caucasian chamomile), pyrethrum pink, Dalmatian chamomile. All plant mites die from 2% aqueous suspensions of chamomile powder.
- blue cyanosis. An infusion of dry roots at a 10% concentration is effective against spider mites.
What else needs to be done to defeat spider mites:
- Clear greenhouses and greenhouses of plant debris and destroy them.
- Dig up the soil.
- Carefully destroy weeds in beds and around greenhouses.
- Before laying greenhouses, wash boxes and frames with a 10% solution of caustic soda or iron sulfate.
- Collect and burn single damaged leaves.
- Spray with infusion of onion or garlic scales (200 g).
- Treat with 70% colloidal sulfur (50-100g), keltan (20% sulfur, 20 g) in open and protected soils.
Why is it so difficult to get rid of spider mites?
Most gardeners who are faced with this problem claim that even chemicals and herbal decoctions do not always help in the fight against them. This is due to the high resistance of spider mites to insecticides. Note. Spider mites easily get used to and adapt to almost all poisons.
The difficulty of controlling ticks is also associated with the following factors:
IN for preventive purposes You can also use the above folk remedies. This will prevent the appearance and spread of spider mites on cucumbers. Well, if it was not possible to avoid infection, then you should not delay the treatment of plants, otherwise you can lose the entire harvest in a short time.
Preventive measures:
- Alternate planting of cucumbers with tomatoes, since mites do not develop on tomatoes. That is, if too many mites have developed on cucumbers in a garden or greenhouse and you cannot get rid of them, tomatoes should be planted in this place next year. Since mites do not live on tomatoes, they will completely disappear within a season;
- Timely weeding and proper care taking care of plants: watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil, removing old leaves, etc.;
- Plant with a significant distance between plants to make it difficult for ticks to move. It is better to alternate beds with cucumbers with beds on which other crops will grow. In this case, if ticks appear in one of the beds, the others will not be harmed. If they are located close together, all cucumbers can be infected in a short time;
- Cleaning the greenhouse or garden in the fall from all garbage, rags, and plant remains that must be burned. In addition, a greenhouse or greenhouse can be disinfected, for example, using FAS or Climate sulfur bombs;
- Deep digging of the soil, preferably in the autumn;
- Creation high humidity(80% and above), it is considered optimal for plants, and unfavorable for mites;
- Inspect plants for mites.
Agrotechnical methods are the best prevention of infection of cucumbers by mites, since it is better to avoid the appearance of these arachnids. This is due to the fact that if they get started, it is very difficult to get rid of them.