How to deal with spider mites at home

The spider mite is considered one of the most ubiquitous. It affects almost all plants, the only exceptions are aquatic ones. It's not a shame, but any houseplant will eventually have to face a similar problem. And if there are flowers in the room, then it is recommended to prepare for a long battle with this harmful insect, because it is almost impossible to prevent its attack.

The tick is able to get into the room in any way - through the windows, brought in on a flower bouquet, in the folds of outerwear, with soil for plant transplantation. And if you have already discovered the presence of an unpleasant enemy, you must take all measures to completely destroy it.

What does a spider mite look like

The size of an insect depends entirely on the level of its fatness. The length of the female reaches 0.4 - 0.6 mm, the male is not so large - does not exceed 0.45 mm... Pests can look like an ellipse, soft-bodied, the upper part of the body is convex, the bottom is even.

At the larval stage, the pest is transparent, colored in light green or green-brown tint... On the sides there are a pair of distinct dark spots formed by transparent sacs of the midgut. From August to the onset of the spring season, females differ orange-red shade. The adult has eight legs, while the larva has only six.

The most famous pests are distinguished:

• red spider mite;
• red-legged tick;
• spider mite Savzdar;
• Atlantic spider mite.

Several generations live in the interweaving of the web. Mite reproduces rather quickly... Individuals mature in about three weeks from the moment the female lays eggs.

The reproduction of the insect can be negatively affected by a decrease in temperature, a high level of air humidity. The same conditions can slow down the development of the larvae themselves. If the climate improves, then the danger of mass infection is quite likely.

What plants are affected at home and in the garden

The habitat is top and bottom sides of foliage, stems and fruits... If the number of pests is large, then a cobweb can be distinguished on the plants, among which pests are swarming. A little later, the cobweb stretches over the leaves, braids around the stem.

The tick is capable of infecting indoor flowers, cherries, vegetables and fruit crops, trees in the garden and at home. Most often, roses, chrysanthemums, crotons suffer from it.

How to deal with spider mites in the garden

Unfortunately, there is not yet a method of struggle that is capable of destroying the spider mite the first time. In most cases it is required two or more treatmentsuntil the last parasite is gone from your plants. And in such a struggle, all means are good.

The use of special drugs

They will better help fight the pest acaricides and insectoacaricides... From a large number of drugs, the following are distinguished:

• Actellik - toxic composition.The product is intended to fight the tick, it is recommended to treat it with massive lesions, when other drugs do not give the desired effect. When spraying plants, one must not forget that the drug is highly toxic. Treatments must be carried out outdoors or in a well-ventilated room;
• Fitoverm - another drug that helps get rid of a spider pest. It is less toxic and allows you to work even in small spaces. But do not relax - do the treatment quickly, then wash your face and hands, change your outerwear. To get rid of the tick with such treatments, you should carry out up to four procedures at weekly intervals;
• Neoron - with the help of such a chemical agent, it is possible to destroy not only adults, but also their eggs. You just need to sew a couple of treatments, and the plants will be saved .;
• In addition to the listed formulations, you can apply Sunmite, Aktofit, Akarin, Vermitek and others. Many claim that it works perfectly on the pest of Aktar. In this way, it is enough to shed soil around the plant in order to get rid of the problem that has arisen.

Using folk remedies

• Ultraviolet - the tick does not tolerate it, and during the day it tries to hide from the sunlight under the foliage. It is enough to illuminate the plants with a lamp once a week for a couple of minutes to improve their resistance to many diseases. Such a procedure does not pose a danger to plants if special ultraviolet lamps are used;
• Alcohol processing - gives excellent results. The surface of the leaves is moistened with cotton wool or from a small spray bottle, after which the alcohol needs a little time to completely evaporate. They use pure alcohol, do not dilute with water, otherwise burn spots may remain on the surface of the foliage when it evaporates. After about seven days, the treatment is recommended to be repeated;
• Black henbane - a poisonous plant. It should be collected in the fall or with the onset of spring. It is used in the form of infusions, powders and decoctions. To prepare the infusion, take a kilogram of a crushed dry plant, pour a bucket of water, insist for twelve hours. Then everything is filtered, several tens of grams of soap are added. The broth is made from dried herbs. It is boiled for several hours, cooled, filtered, diluted with water to a ten-liter volume.
• Garlic - five hundred grams of garlic must be chopped, filled with three liters of water, insisted in a dark room for five days, filtered. 60 ml of infusion is diluted in a bucket of water, a little liquid soap is added, and spraying can be performed;
• Gray alder - water in the amount of ten liters is heated, two to four hundred grams of the crushed plant are added, insisted for three hours. The infusion is recommended to be applied immediately. Plants are treated for the first time after the foliage has blossomed. The procedure is repeated after flowering. If necessary, the processing is performed again, after waiting two weeks.

Preventive methods for the appearance of spider mites on plants

The main prerequisite for a pest attack is dry air and a low level of humidity. Therefore it is recommended ventilate the room, humidify the air, irrigate.

When spraying plants, you should be careful - the water should not remain in the axils of the foliage for a long time, so as not to cause decay. You should be especially careful in winter, when after the treatment, the water evaporates longer than usual.

In order to reliably protect your plants from a harmful parasite, it is recommended to periodically carefully examine them for the appearance of cobwebs and insects. Timely action will help you save your cultures by banishing the unwanted enemy forever. And not only chemical preparations will help in this, but also simple folk methods that remain always reliable.