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Often indoor plants begin to die for no apparent reason. In this case, all conditions and care for them does not change. If this happens, it is likely that a pest is operating, which is very difficult to detect - a spider mite. It infects plants and feeds on them until they die. But you can easily get rid of it.
What is this parasite
A spider mite is a small spider of brown, gray, red or green color. In size, it usually reaches 0.5 mm. If you look at this parasite through a magnifying glass, you can easily see that it has four pairs of legs, and the whole body is covered with tiny bristles.
The spider's habitat is home plants, which he often wraps with his web. At the same time, the web can be in small numbers and it is rather difficult to detect. Some types of spider mites practically do not produce cobwebs. The tick causes serious damage to plants, as it eats leaf juice. To do this, the insect gnaws them and sucks the entire contents. They also come with flowers. Naturally, such a damaged plant cannot receive enough nutrition and dies over time.
Spiders breed very quickly and are able to infect all indoor plants in the house as soon as possible. The period from egg laying to the development of already adult representatives of the species does not exceed 15 days. Only moisture and low temperature slow down their growth. Mites and high temperatures are poorly tolerated. Therefore, in the hot summers and in the winter, they most often hide somewhere indoors.
Where do they come from
If the house has indoor plants, then you need to be prepared to deal with spider mites. A logical question arises, how do they appear? There are several ways. The first is the purchase of an already infected plant in a store. Experienced growers usually put them in quarantine for several weeks, that is, they are set separately from the rest. If no pests are found, the plant can be safely transferred.
The second way is the street. At risk, apartments on the lower floors, as spider mites can easily fly from trees. The same applies to plants that are on the balcony. And the third way is the most interesting. As you know, these insects hibernate from time to time and therefore can easily spend this time in the ground. And mite eggs can easily be in this state for about 5 years. As soon as the temperature changes, that is, it becomes warm, they wake up. And they attack the surrounding plants. Therefore, even the soil in the pot may already be infected with them.
How to detect
Obvious signs of infection appear even when ticks have long destroyed the plant. The leaves begin to fall, the flower dries, etc. Therefore, from time to time, you should inspect your houseplants. If they are infected, then:
- yellow spots and holes will appear on the leaves;
- their color and structure may change;
- at the base of the stem and leaves, white clumps of web can appear.
You can determine the presence of parasites using a regular sheet of paper. It is placed under the plant and the bush is slightly shaken. If there are ticks, then a small amount will be on paper. Most of all other indoor plants, spider mites love mint, miniature roses, jasmine, begonias and berry bushes. Two-spotted ticks, which are considered the most dangerous, affect almost all types of ornamental plants.
Methods of struggle
There are many ways that helps save your favorite plants from destruction.They are conditionally divided into chemical methods, folk and biological. You can apply these methods in combination, depending on the number of pests.
Once is not enough, because it is very difficult to destroy eggs. But if this is not done, then soon new insects will appear. Therefore, the procedure is best repeated after a few days. Chemical methods are to use special means against the insect, that is, insectoacaricides and acaracides. The most effective among them are:
- Actellik. This tool kills ticks very quickly. But it is quite toxic and therefore is used only when other methods do not work.
- Fitoverm. Insecticide acaricide perfectly kills not only ticks, but also most other insects. It is less toxic than the first, but when using it, it is still necessary to apply certain protective measures.
- Neoron This drug must be used if ticks have already laid eggs. As practice shows, one application is not always enough to destroy them all. But two or three is usually enough.
- Actara. This is an insecticide, and they rarely help in the destruction of arachnids. But this tool is often recommended by many flower growers, arguing that it kills spider mites on the spot.
If there are few pests on the plant, you can safely use alternative methods. There are not so many effective recipes, but the main thing is that they are all harmless to humans. This is a big plus, especially if children live in the apartment.
Traditional methods of combating spider mites
Laundry soap. If it is not there, you can take any other, but the economic is still better. The infected plant must be properly soaped, best in the bathroom. The stem, leaves and flowers should be in soapy foam. You also need to wash the pot and pan. It is important to ensure that the soapy solution does not enter the soil in large quantities, as this is harmful to the flower. It is not necessary to wash off the foam from it, on the contrary, you should leave it like this for several hours. But not longer, otherwise the plant will die. The essence of the procedure is that the foam dries up and the plant ceases to “breathe”. And with it, and ticks. After the foam is washed off, you need to cover the plant with a regular bag for a day, without waiting until it dries. High humidity will kill the remaining insects.
Medical alcohol. They need to wipe the leaves and stems of the plant. This method is suitable only for "thick-skinned" plants that alcohol will not harm. For example, for ficus or dieffenbachia. In addition, alcohol does not help in the fight against spider mite eggs.
Garlic or onion peel. First you need to take 1-2 heads of garlic and chop them. Then pour a liter of water and insist for 5 days. Dilute in a ratio of 1 to 1 and spray the plants. On 100 gr. husks need 5 liters of water.
Cinnamon stone. This is a natural pesticide that is based on cinnamon oil. It is best used for several weeks, treating the plant every 2-3 days. He practically does not destroy eggs, but he copes well with adults.
Biological method of combating spider mites
Biological method means a method that is quite unusual, but very effective. And most importantly, it is also absolutely safe for people and pets. The point is to fight spider mites with the help of their enemies. That is, the same ticks, only predators that eat herbivores. These are amblyseius and phytoseyulus. You can buy them at any specialized store or garden center.
Then everything is simple - you need to release the "monsters" in the pot, where spider mites live. And they will immediately begin to search for food. In one day, one predatory tick easily eats up to 5 adult individuals or about 10 eggs. As soon as predators destroy all pests, they die. Therefore, to repeat the procedure will have to acquire new ones.
Prevention
After destroying the pest, it is necessary to properly process the place where the plant stood. It is better to disinfect the windowsill with alcohol, wash the curtains, etc. And even if the neighboring flowers are healthy, they should also be processed. When buying new soil, it is better to steam it or fry it to reduce the likelihood of plant infection.
From time to time, it is necessary to carry out prophylaxis in folk ways. Otherwise, infection cannot be avoided. But, as a rule, this is not worth doing in winter and summer, since spider mites can hide and hibernate. You can avoid infection by increasing the air humidity near the plant using a special humidifier. It is important to constantly monitor cleanliness, removing dried and fallen leaves.
In order not to use strong and harmful methods of combating ticks, you need to constantly monitor your indoor plants. The harm they receive from these insects can be much more serious than it seems at first glance. Therefore, prevention is indispensable.
Video: how to deal with a spider mite
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