Houseplants are often attacked by various insects such as ticks. They are so small that it is almost impossible to notice them with the naked eye. When it becomes clear what the plant is suffering from, it is already too late. Little monsters feed on their juice, multiply very quickly and instantly adapt to various poisons. In this article we will try to find out how the spider mite appears on indoor plants and how to deal with this insidious insect at home.
Content
general information
Insect characteristic
A spider mite, a photo of which can be seen in various reference books, is almost invisible, since its dimensions are only 0.5 - 1 mm... Its body can be colored brown, green, brown or gray. It damages plants in the process of feeding. Adults and their larvae consume cell sap, for which they pierce the leaf plates with their jaws.
The leaves are first covered with small transparent dots, then begin to turn yellow, dry and fly around. All this leads to the termination of the normal development of a houseplant, a deterioration in photosynthesis, and in more advanced cases, it dies.
Does a tick form a cobweb?
Since this insect is called "spiderweb", many growers are sure that it will necessarily entwine the plants with cobwebs. In fact, this does not always happen. Many individuals secrete a secret that solidifies in the form of threads, but often in very small quantities. Only when there are quite a few insects do they entangle the entire plant with cobwebs.
Where does the pest come from?
Almost every florist is faced with such a problem as the appearance of a spider mite. How does this insect get on indoor plants?
Firstly, this attack can be easily brought from the store along with a new plant. Therefore, the purchased flower is first recommended to be installed on an empty windowsill for quarantine. Two weeks later, if nothing strange is found, the plant is placed together with other individuals.
Secondly, spider mites can enter the premises from the street... Quite often, this insect is found among residents of the lower floors, with trees growing under their windows. It is from them, on their thin cobwebs, that ticks fly to indoor plants. If they are on the balcony, then these small individuals can easily get on them.
But it also happens that spider mites appear in winter, during the heating season, when the balcony is not opened at all. Where do they come from in this case? This is explained by the fact that when unfavorable factors (for example, cold weather) occur, the female spider mite hibernates. At this time, they do not feed on anything, do not manifest themselves in any way and lie motionless in the thickness of the earth. In this form, they are able to stay for a very long time, but they wake up instantly when favorable conditions occur, for example, when it becomes warm and dry.The eggs of spider mites in a state of hibernation can be about 5 years.
Insect lifestyle
Before you start fighting insects at home, you need to understand their lifestyle. These pests are very fond of heat, when the temperature reaches +27 degrees, and low humidity. Spider mites live only 1 - 1.5 months, but during this time the female manages to lay several hundred eggs, of which young individuals emerge after 3 - 5 days. This information is extremely important when baiting ticks, because it is necessary to treat the plant with poisons at the moment when the young generation begins to hatch from eggs. The eggs themselves are not affected by most modern drugs.
Required recommendations
If a spider mite was found on a houseplant, certain recommendations should be followed.
It is necessary to get rid of infected parts as soon as possible: fallen or damaged leaves. In this case, the insect will not have time to move to neighboring plants. Damaged leaves are put into a bag, well wrapped and thrown away, and it is best to burn it. If the plant is completely affected, it is advisable to throw it away so that other flowers can survive. It is necessary to pull out all the weeds in which the spider mites can take refuge.
How to get rid of?
You can fight these insects using different means. The easiest way to get rid of pests is natural cleaning, which involves washing and rubbing the flowers regularly. To do this, use ordinary water, to which a few drops of a mild dish detergent are added. The sponge is moistened in water and individual leaves are rubbed with it, after which water is sprayed from a spray bottle throughout the plant, especially trying to get to the lower part of the leaves. You should also process the pallet, pot and windowsill.
If after a week the spider mites do not disappear, the soap solution is applied again... Not all plants tolerate such a remedy equally well, therefore, it is necessary to test the flower before applying it. To do this, a soap solution is applied to a small part of the sheet and the reaction is monitored.
Since the spider mite does not tolerate high humidity, you can fight it with the help of frequent watering and spraying the flower. After each moistening, the plant is covered with a transparent bag and left for several days. In conditions of high humidity, the insect dies. To avoid the greenhouse effect and the flower does not get sunburn, it should be placed in a shaded place.
Preparations such as acaricides help well to rid the plant of this minor pest. But it is necessary to process flowers with this tool very carefully, because it is unsafe for people and animals. Sparing acaricides include:
- Fitoverm;
- Vermitek;
- "Aktofit".
Such drugs contribute to the destruction of dormant female spider mites and eggs of future larvae, therefore they are used repeatedly to achieve the desired result. If the temperature in the room is below +18 degrees, these drugs will be ineffective.
Plant can be sprayed with such chemicals, as:
- difokol;
- dienochlorine;
- azocyclotin;
- fenbutatin.
It is not recommended to use the same remedy more than four times, as spider mites begin to get used to it and develop immunity.
You can make your own special herbal tea at home, which is used as an acaricide. To do this, take 1 tbsp. l. ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp. l. ground cloves and 2 tbsp. l. Italian seasoning. All ingredients are mixed and poured into 1 liter of water, then brought to a boil, cooled and 2 tbsp. l. chopped garlic. It is filtered, after which liquid soap is added to the tea and poured into a spray bottle. The lower part of the leaves is sprayed with this solution every three days for two weeks.
Against spider mites at home essential oils help well and organic salts. Rosemary oil is used as an organic pesticide. Dissolve a small amount of oil in water and spray on infected flowers. The peculiarity of such a remedy is that it has a detrimental effect on ticks, but leaves other insects alive.
Potassium salts and fatty acids are abrasive. Use them in the evening to keep the flowers hydrated longer.
The following insects are considered to be good helpers in killing spider mites:
- ladybug;
- predatory thrips;
- lacewing larva.
Since pesticides kill all insects in a row, the spider mite population begins to grow because of this. Therefore, it is better to stop using pesticides such as imidocloprid, malathion and carbaryl.
Preventive measures
If soil was purchased for planting or transplanting indoor plants, it should not be brought into a room with flowers, but poured into containers in another place, for example, in the bathroom. After that, it is fried in the microwave or oven. Do the same with tree bark, pebbles and sand.
Purchased plants must first be bring to the bathroom and subjected to water procedures, then treated with acaricide. The effect will increase several times if, after such treatment, the plant is placed in plastic bags for three days. It is advisable to repeat this treatment after that, keeping the plants "in quarantine" all this time.
Thus, we have figured out what a spider mite is, a photo of which can be seen in numerous reference books. It is necessary to get rid of it as soon as it is discovered and it should be fought with the utmost seriousness. If you take this "carelessly", then not destroyed part of the insects will develop immunity to poison and it will be much more difficult to fight them.
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