Spider mite on indoor plants: how to get rid of a flower pest at home
Gardeners face challenges when they start growing flowers. Plants do not have enough lighting or watering, the soil is too liquid or, conversely, too dense. In addition, the spider mite, which has been fought for a year or two, is one of the most serious troubles. After all, this parasite undermines the strength of the plant, because of which it dies in 2-3 months. However, this pest can be dealt with.
Content
- Pest Features
- Where does the tick appear on the plants in the room
- Signs of the appearance of a spider mite on indoor plants
- Why are spider mites dangerous for indoor plants
- What indoor plants are most often affected by spider mites
- How to get rid of spider mites
- Fighting spider mites on indoor plants of different types
- Features of protecting plants from spider mites at home
- Prevention of the appearance of parasites in the apartment
Pest Features
The first thing owners of plants occupied by spider mites need to remember is that this creature is an animal, not a plant. Plant poisons from spider mites are useless. The tick lives in a warm and dry environment, breeds once every 2 weeks, if the environment is not suitable - once a month.
If the owner wants to save the plants, it is worth taking a closer look at the leaves and destroying the masonry during the hatching period of the mites from the eggs. Poisons do not work when the pests are in the eggs, but are effective when the larvae are born.
What does a spider mite look like
The body length of an adult spider mite is 1 mm, the color is brown, light brown, green. The mite merges in color with the leaves of the plants on which it parasitizes. In addition, it is so small that it is impossible to detect the parasite.
It seems to people that the leaves of the plants are entwined with a thin cobweb, sprinkled with light brown crumbs on top. This is how ticks look from afar, but close up it becomes clear that these creatures cover the leaves with a carpet of bodies, slowly drinking juice from the flower.
Varieties
Various types of spider mites live in the world, there are more than 1000 species of them. Some live in a dry continental climate, some live in a humid tropical climate. The following types are common:
The most common parasite in Russia. Body length - 1 mm, color - green and brown. The body of the tick is translucent, it is difficult to see it. Lives on the underside of the leaf of the plant. It breeds every 1-2 weeks, the female lays 100-200 eggs at a time. When one plant is not enough for pests, they switch to another, capturing and destroying a flower in a week or two. This is a real "record" among other types of spider mites.
Lives in places with high humidity. If the owners water the flowers too often, then they feed these pests in this way. Atlantic ticks are light yellow or light green in color. They settle on citrus fruits, such as lemons and oranges. They also live on palm trees and other exotic plants.
It does not leave a web behind it, like an ordinary tick, which is why it is difficult to detect. The body size is from 0,25 mm to 0,3 mm, which makes this parasite the smallest body size among the species. Color - brownish or reddish. Settles on orchids, citrus or exotic trees, such as durian. Because of it, the leaves of plants turn yellow, dry out and fall off. The parasite “eats up” the plants after other, larger representatives of the species.
This spider mite lives on lemon trees, on orchids, roses, and also on cacti. The body size is from 0,3 mm to 0,5 mm, the color, as the name of the species implies, is reddish or brownish. Lives in a dry warm climate, disappears with high humidity. It breeds in autumn and spring, disappears in winter, but this is an appearance. In the spring, the pests appear again.
The body size is from 0,25 mm to 0,4 mm in length, and twice as wide as that of other types of ticks. The color is reddish-brick, sometimes yellowish. It is easier to spot than others because of its size and color. Lives on cacti, ficuses and citrus fruits. The saliva of this parasite is poisonous. Because of this, the leaves, on which this saliva falls, wrinkle, become light brown, dry, brittle and fall off.
If the owner of the flower on which the pest has settled recognizes its species, then he will select a more effective poison. Indeed, for each type of spider mites, its own herbicide has been developed: the parasites differ in properties, respectively, the poisons for them are also different.
Parasite reproduction
Life
Ticks live in colonies. The hotter and drier the environment, the faster they increase their population. The life span is from 15 to 40 days, depending on the species. They never move to new places on their own: the person himself brings them into the house. They have a special kind of "hibernation" called diapause. If the tick feels that an unfavorable environment has come around, then it falls into a kind of suspended animation. Eggs are stored in this state for two or three years. Adult parasites live in diapause for up to 1 year.
Where does the tick appear on the plants in the room
Scientists say that a person brings pests into the house on their own, because they do not move from place to place even if the population dies. Parasites are brought into the house in the following ways:
- buying an infected flower. People who buy flowers from their hands do not notice the thin cobwebs on the leaves, and bring parasites into the house;
- purchase of contaminated land. If the owner of the flower did not know that ticks were in his house, and decided to sell the land, the buyer will be in a stalemate. Such land cannot be used even after careful processing, because parasite eggs remain in it for several years;
- using a window. If a person lives on the first floor, and there is a front garden nearby, ticks get into the house because of him. After all, street flowers are often infected with pests that are difficult to see and destroy.
It is worth paying attention to the plants blooming on the windowsill and checking them once every two weeks. It’s easier to immediately think about how to remove spider mites, and not fight the colony months later.
Signs of the appearance of a spider mite on indoor plants
When spider mites appear on plants, they are difficult to see because these pests are small and almost invisible until the first batch of eggs. However, if these creatures are wound up in the house, they can be seen thanks to:
- cobwebs on the back of the sheet. Pests leave behind a thin web that the human eye can see;
- leaf damage. Yellow, brown spots and small holes appear on the leaves of the flowers;
- appearance of plants. When there are a lot of mites, the plants seem to be covered with a layer of black dots, which disappear when you try to wipe them, but reappear after an hour or two.
If one of the listed signs was seen on plants, you should immediately buy poison and process the flowers. After all, ticks multiply rapidly and move to neighboring plants, infecting them too.
Why are spider mites dangerous for indoor plants
Spider mites drink the juices from the plant by piercing the surface of the leaves and stem with their sharp proboscises. As a result, the plant begins to turn yellow and dry. If the parasites are not removed from the flower, the plant dies in a month or two, no matter how big it is.
What indoor plants are most often affected by spider mites
Ticks are picky, they settle on almost all indoor plants. Pests are not afraid of the poisonous juice of azaleas or cactus needles. They live on dracaena, cacti, ficus, hibiscus, plants of any size and shape. The only flower on the site that is not afraid of this parasite is the chrysanthemum, since its juice is a natural antidote for ticks.
How to get rid of spider mites
Since plants in a third of the plots suffer from spider mites, gardeners have developed measures to eliminate pests.
There are means and folk, and chemical, and biological.
People use the option that is suitable for their climate, region and place where the pest has settled.
Folk remedies
If the owner of the flower noticed that mites appeared on the plant when the population had not yet had time to lay eggs, folk remedies can be used to eliminate them. However, it should be remembered that products that do not contain strong chemical additives will not be able to harm eggs or hibernating females. There are such folk remedies:
Folk remedies have been tested by people more than a dozen times, they are reliable. However, these recipes do not contain chemical additives that are guaranteed to remove parasites. It all depends on how exactly the person follows the recipe, as well as on luck.
Biological methods
The owners of large plots are thinking about how to remove the spider mite without harm to people and animals, because chemical methods are too toxic, and the plantation cannot be manually treated with soapy water. To do this, they offer biological methods.
For example, you can plant natural enemies of spider mites - amblyseius and phytoseiulus - on infected flowers. These creatures are not dangerous and effective, but it is difficult to remove them from plants after the destruction of ticks.
Chemicals
The most effective in the fight against the parasite are acaricides - preparations containing chemical elements designed specifically to kill ticks. Dangerous for human health, therefore, plants should be treated with them on the street, having previously protected both the respiratory organs and hands.
Instructions for use are written on the package, often it is advice to dilute the product in a liter of water, wait an hour or two and start processing. These are drugs such as Akarin, Fitoverm, Neoron, Kleschevit, Atellik.
Fighting spider mites on indoor plants of different types
In order not to harm the flower by removing parasites from it, you need to know in what ways this can be done. After all, what can “treat” dracaena will destroy the violet.
Features of protecting plants from spider mites at home
In order to prevent pests from entering the house, you need to inspect every flower that a person brings home.
In addition, before buying, you should inspect the land in which the plants will be planted.
Each new "green resident" of the apartment must stand for two or three days separately from the rest of the flowers. Observation will help to understand if it is infected, and take timely measures so as not to destroy the rest of the green spaces in the house.
Prevention of the appearance of parasites in the apartment
Parasites are very difficult to remove, so it is easier to prevent their appearance by carrying out prevention in advance. The precautions are:
- inspection of each plant that got into the house for the presence of pests;
- quarantine of 3-4 days for each flower;
- water treatment of all plants in the house once a week, except for those that cannot tolerate water, such as violets. They are to be examined starting from the back of the leaves, where the parasites are best seen;
- treatment with fungicides;
- humidifying the air next to the flowers with a sprayer: spider mites love places where it is dry and humid, unsuitable conditions will kill part of the colony.
If the owner of green spaces will fulfill these points, it will be very difficult to bring parasites into the house. In this case, the plants will please the eye longer and bloom more magnificently.
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