What is the danger of a red spider mite and how to deal with it?

Spider mites are one of the most malicious pests. They annoy gardeners, gardeners and gardeners, because, being gluttonous, they destroy any plants. Their peculiarity is a love of dry and hot air, not characteristic of most small pests. One of the species is a red spider mite, which has its own characteristics of appearance and harm. How to recognize and destroy the enemy?

Description of the red spider mite

Red spider mite (Tetranychus cinnabarinus) is quite large in comparison with its counterparts, but it is difficult to notice it with the naked eye. The body length of females reaches 0.5 mm. Males are smaller - only 0.3 mm.

This pest is very aggressive towards any plants, including indoor plants. It settles on the underside of leaf blades and sucks life juices. The high reproduction and damage rate makes the spider mite a very dangerous inhabitant of the garden and window sill, which is not easy to get rid of.

Spider mites belong to the class of Arachnids and the type of Arthropods. All over the world there are 1270 species, some of which even inhabit Antarctica.

The red spider mite has an enviable adaptability, quickly adapting to adverse environmental conditions and developing immunity to pesticides used by humans for destruction. But the activity of the small arthropod begins when the air temperature rises from 14 ° C. After reaching 30 ° C, the tick multiplies intensively.

Another factor contributing to active life and increase the pest population is low (up to 50%) air humidity. Under such conditions, each female lays 200 eggs at a time. In just a year, she is able to make up to 20 clutches. Therefore, the spread of the spider mite, especially in indoor conditions in regions with a hot and dry climate, is truly disastrous. Settling in areas and window sills with an abundance of plant food, the arthropod inflicts irreparable harm to crops and flowers.

The red spider mite "loves" citrus fruits, azaleas, camellias and cacti.

The harm caused by the red spider mite

The spider mite feeds on the juices of the plant in which the nutrients are located. They are necessary for the growth and development of the green body. When the pest sucks them, the plants suffer: first of all, the appearance worsens, the growth of the plants slows down. If you do not destroy the tick in time, it will destroy its carrier. In addition, through damage caused by a bite, it is easier to penetrate pathogens into the leaf, which provokes additional diseases.

Signs of infection

To start the fight in time, you need to know the "symptoms" of infection with a red spider mite. Recognition is complicated by the fact that the pest is difficult to notice, and the plant is damaged gradually, which does not immediately strike the eye. The first signs are noticeable when it has already suffered significantly:

1. If you bend the sheet, then on its reverse side you can see a “dusty” coating.Looking at it under magnification, a person will see a microscopic web that can move along a leaf plate depending on the movement of the tick colony.
2. The appearance on the leaves of yellow dots or spots, eventually acquiring a brown color.
3. A sign of severe damage with a red spider mite is a visually noticeable spider web surrounding the stem, branches and leaves of the plant.

If at least one of these signs is found, it is necessary to start processing immediately. If this is not done, then the plant may die completely due to the harmful activity of the spider mite.

Ways to fight

There are special ways to combat the red spider mite and folk remedies, the effectiveness of which is confirmed by the practice of many gardeners. Whatever path of destruction of the arthropod may be chosen, it is important to remember that it adapts to the active substances of the preparations and has high resistance to them. Therefore, single processing will not be enough.

To enhance the effect, it is recommended to combine the funds, alternating them with each other. Before applying them to plants, it is recommended to clean the leaves and stems with a cloth with soapy water. Although this will not kill the tick, but still significantly reduce its number.

The red tick on indoor plants can move from them to the window frame and hide in the crevices of the windowsill. Therefore, re-infection is not uncommon.

Special tools

As soon as the first signs of the activity of the red spider mite were noticed, it is recommended to do a three-time treatment with Fitoverm. The time between procedures should be a week. At the same time, it is necessary to process not only the affected plant, but also everyone located nearby, because it is likely that the tick lives already on them. Particular attention should be paid to the underside of the leaves, to each internode, as well as to the kidneys located at the top of each shoot.

You can also use other means:

• "Actellik";
• "Actofit";
• Borneo
• Vermitek;
• “Tick-borne”;
• Sunmight, etc.

Regardless of the choice of means, one treatment will not be enough. It must be repeated at least 3 times to destroy the entire population, including young individuals and larvae.

You can also use environmental control options, for example, the sharing of other ticks from the genera Phytoseyulus and Neoseylyus. Being predators, they do not adversely affect plants, but they quickly destroy their red relatives.

Folk remedies

Gardeners and flower growers often use folk remedies to help exterminate the red spider mite without the use of chemicals:

1. Grind 15 g of onion and pour in a liter of water. Insist 7 hours under a closed lid.
2. Cut 30 g of dandelion roots and pour a liter of water. Leave in a warm place for a couple of hours.
3. Passed through a press or finely chopped garlic (150-200 g), add a liter of water and leave it in a sealed container for 5 days. The resulting solution should be used as a concentrate of 5 ml per 1 liter of water.

As with the use of chemicals, processing must be carried out repeatedly.

Preventative measures

Prevention of infection with a red spider mite is to maintain high humidity in the room where the flowers grow. You can hang a soaked towel on the heating source, put water containers next to the plants. But it will be much easier to purchase a special device - a humidifier. Also, flowers should be periodically sprayed from a hand spray or “bathe” under a shower.

The red tick is gluttonous and dangerous. In order for the plants to be healthy and pleasing to the eye, you need to constantly inspect them. If a pest is seen, treatment should be done as soon as possible.