Effective ways to combat spider mites on apple trees

What are ticks and how are they dangerous?

Before figuring out what types of ticks there are, it is worth understanding what they are as a species. These are small or very small arachnids. How exactly they look can be seen in the photo below. Their bodies are similar to those of spiders: 8 legs, a head fused with the chest. Their habitat is very diverse, they take root on any objects of animate and inanimate nature: moss, water, soil and, of course, on plants. Ticks are not very mobile, their period of life is also short. Nevertheless, the number of their varieties in the world is about 50 thousand. Like many insects, they have highly developed adaptation mechanisms that help them survive even in the most extreme conditions. Evolution has provided them with a comfortable life in any climatic zone.

Of course, the greatest interest of scientists and the public is riveted to those types of ticks that are dangerous to humans and their activities. These include:

• encephalitis mite - a carrier of a dangerous disease;
• scabies itching - causes scabies, dangerous for humans, for mammals;
• rat, snake and chicken;
• cheesy, bulbous, as well as other deteriorating food;
• and finally, the spider mite, which infects plants. First of all, cultivated species are affected: melons, fruit, houseplants, and cotton.

Spider mites can live on stems and fruits, as well as on the inner surface of leaves... If the number of insects is large, then a cobweb can be seen on the plants, along which small pests move (0.4-0.5 mm). Over time, the cobweb penetrates between the leaves, and also envelops the stems of plants. By air currents or people, insects can be transferred to other garden trees and indoor flowers. A wide variety of power sources are suitable for them.

The most common types of spider mites are:

• red spider mite;
• Atlantic;
• flat mites: red flat mite and cactus flat mite;
• briobia: cereal briobia) and clover mite;
• root mites: bulbous root mite and bulbous mite;
• cyclamen ticks;
• ordinary.

The latter is referred to as the so-called "world pests", as it can live on 960 different plants, including vegetables and flowers, causing serious damage every year to farms around the world.

With enough food and warm weather, ticks can reproduce until September. Summer dry weather has a good effect on their numbers, and coolness and rains have a negative effect on them.

Ticks multiply quickly enough: it can take only a week from laying eggs to the formation of an adult.

Due to the incredibly small size of this pest, it is very often impossible to find them in a timely manner.Even seasoned gardeners and gardeners often have to take drastic measures to keep healthy garden plants safe - simply get rid of the diseased tree. Next, we will consider other, less painful, ways and measures to counter this dangerous insect.

Treating trees from ticks

The tick on the apple tree feeds on the sap of its leaves, so by the middle of summer the tree loses about half of its green cover. As a result, the yield is also significantly reduced. Therefore, having noticed even one or two insects on your tree, you need to immediately begin to act.

If you do not want to use specialized chemicals in the fight against ticks, you should choose spraying with a tobacco solution. In order to prepare this product, we need 1 kg of tobacco dust (can be purchased in shops for the garden and vegetable garden). We will dilute it in a bucket of water. We filter the infusion and bring to a volume of 20 liters. After that we add 50 g of ordinary laundry soap, which will ensure better adhesion (adhesion of surfaces, adhesion) in the leaves of the apple tree. We process the tree twice with a difference of a week.

You can also apply another old folk method - spraying the apple tree with field chamomile infusion. To do this, pour 1 kg of dried chamomile flowers with a bucket of water and let it brew for 10-12 hours. Then we filter and process the plants twice. The second time after 7 days.

If the case is "neglected", then only heavy artillery - insecticides and acaricides - will help. You can use decis or nitrofen, but in the dosage strictly indicated on the package. Otherwise, you will fight not only with the pest, but also with the health of the apple tree itself. Treatment with substances is carried out twice:

• after the appearance of ovaries,
• a month before harvest.

Such a scheme is associated with the nature of the effect of chemicals: they act only on larvae and adults, and individuals who have not yet hatched calmly mature in an egg-cocoon. You should also know about disease prevention. It should be started in the fall: collect all the fallen leaves, cut off old branches, burn them. This is how we destroy the places where ticks hibernate.

Thus, we have considered all the methods with which we can resist spider mites. It is important to always be on the alert, as well as to take preventive measures on time. This will ensure healthy growth, flowering and fruiting for the apple tree, as well as other plants in the garden.

Video "An effective method of combating spider mites"

After watching the entry, you will learn how to properly deal with spider mites using houseplants as an example and how to carry out preventive work.