Spider mite on currant: photo of a malicious parasite and useful plant protection life hacks
The spider mite is one of the most dangerous pests of all green splendor. Trees and shrubs are especially susceptible to its attack. Settling on currant bushes, it spins young shoots and berries with a web, and with a large defeat, the pest causes great damage to the crop. There are many effective ways to get rid of spider mites on currants.
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Description of the pest
Spider mite damages vegetation by sucking juice from leaves and young shoots. Its females are very prolific, and if the pest is not identified in a timely manner and does not start to fight it, then it can destroy the plant and infect the crops growing next to it with the pest.
Reproduction and development of the tick
Features of food
Ticks suck juice from leaves and young shoots. On currant bushes, they appear on the lower part of the plant.
- They infect longer and longer leaves and rise higher, entangling branches and fruits with cobwebs.
- Ticks pierce the leaves, suck out the juice, they are covered with light dots, which grow, becoming larger and darker.
- Cobwebs and small, reddish mites become visible on the leaves and shoots.
- They dry and fall off, as a result of which the process of photosynthesis is disrupted, the shrub does not receive enough nutrition.
- A weakened plant reduces yield. If you do not start pest control, the plant may die.
Why is a spider mite dangerous for a shrub
Infected with a spider mite, the shrub does not die in one season. Ticks that appear in the summer will harm the foliage and shoots, weakening the currant bush. In addition to the fact that they suck the juice from the plant, the toxins that they secrete in the process of life have a detrimental effect on it. The plant will weaken, and next year the bush will reduce its yield. And if you do not fight ticks, the bush will die in 2-3 years.
Causes and signs of parasite infection
Spider mites can get on currant bushes from other plants growing in the garden. The pest is carried by the wind with cobwebs, on the paws of birds and insects living in the garden.
It spreads especially quickly in dry, hot weather.
The female lays her eggs on the weeds growing around the bush, on the veins of the leaves growing in its lower part, and it is almost impossible to notice them. Spider mite larvae emerging from eggs are very small and not easy to spot on bushes. Therefore, when a web appears on the shoots and foliage, the appearance of a pest can be noticed, but by this time adults have time to lay hundreds of eggs. The leaves turn yellow and fall off, young shoots dry, the bush is covered with a gray coating.
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How to deal with spider mites on currants
Different means are used to combat spider mites, folk remedies can be used for small lesions, but if there are many shoots entwined with cobwebs on the currant bushes, then chemical agents must be used, in some situations it is advisable to use two drugs together.
Chemicals
To combat the tick, acaricides and insecticides are used. Acaricides are aimed at the destruction of only ticks, and insecticides act not only on ticks, but also on other pests.
When treated with chemical preparations, the eggs do not die, but these agents have a long duration of action, and the larvae emerging from the eggs feed on the treated foliage and die.
Ticks develop resistance to chemicals, so you should not use the same drug several times to combat them.
Biological methods
In nature, ticks have natural enemies, these are bacteria, viruses, fungi, which are part of biological preparations. These drugs do not harm beneficial insects. For processing currants recommend: "Aktoverm", "Bitoksiballin", "Fitoverm", "Aktofit".
Predatory mites are also used: phytoseiulus and amblyseius. Bags with ticks are hung on bushes, predators destroy all pests, and die themselves.
Traditional recipes
Folk methods of struggle are advised to apply at an early stage of infection with ticks, they are cheap, affordable and do not harm plants and beneficial insects.
Ash and soda are added to the soap solution (25 grams per 1 liter of water) and the bushes are treated.
For 10 liters of water, take 50 grams of peeled and chopped garlic, insist 2-3 hours, filter and process.
200 grams of onion peel is poured with 10 liters of boiling water, boiled for 5 minutes and insisted for 3 hours. I add grated or liquid soap, filter.
The infusion can be prepared from fresh and dry celandine.
Finely chop two bushes of celandine, pour 10 liters of water, leave for 3 hours, strain, add 50 grams of liquid soap to keep the infusion on the leaves, and process the currant bushes.
500 grams of dry celandine grass is poured with 10 liters of hot water, infused for 5-6 hours, filtered and soap is added.
The ingredients are mixed in equal amounts and sprayed on the leaves.
Agrotechnical procedures
Agrotechnical measures help reduce plant infestation with mites:
- Regular inspection of the bushes and timely detection of pests.
- Regular sprinkling of bushes, as ticks do not like moisture.
- Weeding weeds and loosening the soil around the bushes.
- Regular pruning of weakened and cracked branches.
Rules and terms for processing bushes
For a successful fight against spider mites, it is important to take into account the growing season of the plant, the time of appearance and the period of reproduction of mites.
Prevention of the appearance of a tick in the garden
Preventive measures will help stop the spread of mites in the garden. They are carried out throughout the growing season:
- in the spring, the bushes are treated with insecticides to destroy the overwintered females;
- cut dry and damaged branches;
- regularly remove weeds and loosen the soil around the bushes.
- set traps to kill pests;
- in summer, in dry, hot weather, the bushes are sprayed with water, washing off dust from the leaves;
- in autumn, crumbling leaves and weeds are carefully removed;
- they dig up the soil so that the females hiding in the soil die in the winter;
- choose for planting varieties that are resistant to spider mites.
Planting Repellent Plants
Some plants planted next to currant bushes emit essential oils and repel ticks:
- the smell of chrysanthemum repels ticks,
- dill growing next to currant bushes,
- calendula,
- basil,
- rosemary,
- mint,
- garlic and onions.
Selection of resistant currant varieties
When purchasing planting material, you need to ask sellers if currant varieties are resistant to pests and especially to tick damage.
Sustainable varieties
Blackcurrant: Bagheera, Dove, Binar.
Redcurrant: Cascade, Natalie, White Fairy, Dutch Red.
But even varieties resistant to tick damage need regular care, preventive treatments in the spring, fertilizing, watering, weeding, loosening the soil around the bushes, removing dry and damaged branches.
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