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Greenhouse owners can get a lot of trouble from infections and pests that have appeared inside the greenhouse. When they are detected, adequate measures should be taken immediately to protect your future crop from harmful effects. In the article we will talk about one of the most common pests, how dangerous it is and what harm it can cause to the greenhouse, we will advise which drugs and methods will be effective against it.
What is dangerous spider mite
The spider mite is a small pest 0-3 mm in size that infects the leaves of vegetable crops and feeds on the extracted juice. Outwardly, it is not difficult to determine the reproduction of a tick in a greenhouse – you will see small white dots on the surface of the leaves, which eventually become large necrotic spots. The tick is dangerous because it attacks plants in a short time, which soon wither and die. Part of the plant cells is destroyed, the area and rate of photosynthesis decreases, the culture weakens, becomes susceptible to infection.
The spider mite is also a carrier of many dangerous infections. It spreads gray mold spores, viral infections of agricultural and ornamental crops. The reproduction of spider mites inside the greenhouse occurs at an astonishing rate. A female tick can lay a huge number of eggs in one clutch – up to 400 pieces. And there are about 20 such clutches per season. Females calmly endure even the coldest winters. Mite eggs have a high viability – up to 5 years.
How to fight
Many gardeners are interested in the question – how to deal with spider mites? This is quite difficult, since many of the control measures used to destroy the rest of the insects are ineffective against the tick. The tick is not afraid of spraying with water, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, laundry soap, onion and garlic husks. Experts identify a number of measures that will help to combat a dangerous pest.
It is recommended to alternate planting cucumbers with tomatoes to avoid the rapid spread of the pest. On tomatoes, the mite breeds more difficult. Weeds must be removed from the greenhouse in a timely manner, it is on them that the tick prefers to spend the winter. The greenhouse should be properly cared for in order to create an unfavorable microclimate for tick colonization. Adhere to the agricultural practices adopted for vegetable crops.
The distance between plants should be at least 1 meter. So it will be difficult for insects to move. Aisles are advised to be made wide enough – this will help get rid of foci of infection before they spread. The humidity index for cucumbers should be at the level of 80 – 85% or more. It is necessary to carry out regular watering of vegetables, mulching and loosening the soil. A close inspection of the greenhouse once every few days will help you detect pests and take action quickly. Pest control consists of spraying with drugs, which should be done every couple of weeks. Spraying is permissible to carry out more often if the spider mite was able to settle throughout the greenhouse.
During the growing season, processing is carried out once a week. Colloidal sulfur is effective at the rate of 80 grams per bucket of water, fitoverm – 10 ml per bucket, bitoxibacillin – 100 grams per bucket. Ground sulfur gives a result when pollinated with 4 grams of the agent for each square meter of area. Around the infected plant, you can spread the leaves with the enemy of the tick, which is the predatory mite phytoseiulus. If the above methods did not help in the fight, use chemicals with toxic properties.
What harm is done to the greenhouse
The spider mite is able to settle in a greenhouse made of glass, polycarbonate, a thermos greenhouse and other similar types of structures. Its undesirable settlement is connected with increased requirements for the microclimate of the greenhouse when growing various crops. The reasons for the appearance of the spider mite are non-compliance with the temperature regime, excessive humidity, plant residues in the fall, weeds, contaminated fertilizers and soil.
The parasite can get inside the greenhouse along with seedlings, on animals or people’s clothes. It is completely impossible to avoid its penetration into the greenhouse. If you do not start fighting the tick in time, then the entire greenhouse will soon be under threat. If, at the end of the last harvest, the plants are treated with modern acaricides, this will become an obstacle to the settlement of arachnids throughout the greenhouse.
Video “How to get rid of a tick”
Preparations for the fight
High-quality drugs that can be purchased in specialized stores help to fight the pest. The effectiveness of such a struggle depends on the degree of damage to the greenhouse. The Plant-Pin tool allows you to get rid of insects in a short time. It is offered in the convenient form of sticks that are dipped into the ground near the stem. When watering, the drug dissolves and has a detrimental effect on parasites. Initially, the product was made to care for indoor plants. Direct impact on the pest begins 2-3 days after treatment. The drug continues to protect vegetable crops one and a half months after the start of use.
Actellik is a remedy that should be used with rubber gloves and a cotton-gauze bandage. The ampoule should be opened and the contents poured into one and a half liters of water. After mixing, the solution can be used. It is placed in a spray bottle and the leaves are sprayed. When working with Actellik, one cannot do without precautions, since the drug has a very pronounced effect. Akarin – has a gastrointestinal effect, which manifests itself when it enters the digestive tract of parasites. After spraying, it remains active for 4-8 hours. Vegetable crops are not safe for humans for 3 to 4 days.
Apollo – affects the larvae and eggs of insects, sterilizes adults. Active for a week after spraying plants. Etisso is a drug similar in effect to Plant-Pin. The difference lies in the main active ingredient – in Plant Pin it is butoxyraboxime, in Etisso it is dimethoate. This insecticide is organophosphorus and in the process of watering the plants it dissolves from the stick.
Fitoverm – parasites can quickly become addicted to the drug, so you need to strictly follow the instructions. Low toxicity for humans and animals, a drug that has a plant base. If, upon detection of the first signs of infection of vegetable crops by insects, you spray the agent at the recommended dosage, you can count on a positive result as soon as possible.
Other modern preparations will also help to fight a dangerous pest – BI-58, Vermitek, Aktofit, Flumite. The Antiklesh preparation has proven itself well – it has an acceptable cost and can be used in greenhouses. When carrying out all manipulations, be extremely careful and use disposable gloves, which then need to be thrown away. Wash your hands thoroughly, as any of the above products is highly toxic and can harm human health.
Remember that the use of folk remedies does not serve to destroy, but to scare away this type of pest.
Difficulties in removing spider mites
Spider mites cause a lot of trouble to greenhouse owners. In the process of its destruction one has to face the inevitable difficulties. It is not so easy to see newly appeared parasites on vegetable crops, which also multiply too quickly. Insects can adapt to some modern preparations, and these agents will become ineffective assistants for you in the destruction of pests. Since the females lay new eggs every day, the greenhouse owner will have to repeatedly repeat the measures to eliminate the pest population.
Insects must be completely removed from the greenhouse, as the number of individuals is constantly increasing. Throughout the room there is a large amount of cobwebs along which parasites move. The web has the ability to protect insects from moisture that is harmful to them and spraying with solutions. Considerable funds will have to be spent on the purchase of modern drugs, since large doses of them will be required. The use of highly concentrated products is dangerous to human health and can lead to infection of the fruits of plants growing in the greenhouse.
Video “Common spider mite”
What kind of parasite is this, how it can harm the productivity of your greenhouse, you will learn from the video clip below.
