Anti-mite from spider mites on cucumbers. Spider mite on cucumbers in a greenhouse, control measures

Spider mites on cucumbers in a greenhouse and open ground , along with the melon aphid, is one of the most dangerous pests that cause severe damage to plants, which significantly reduces the yield. Therefore, in this article, you will learn how to get rid of spider mites on cucumbers and what drugs to use for this.

Spider mite in the greenhouse and open field: signs and reasons for the appearance on cucumbers

Spider mite is a leaf-sucking insect belonging to the species of mites, the spider family. Therefore, to combat the pest, it is necessary to use acaricides - means to combat ticks.

The spider mite sucks the juices from the leaves of the plant. As a result, they turn yellow (turn brown), then curl, dry and fall off.

The main thing is to detect the pest in time and take the necessary measures.

The mite is very small (0.3-0.6 mm in length), so it is difficult to spot it on plants.

However, its presence on cucumbers can be determined by certain criteria:

Important! Do not confuse a tick with a peronosporosis (false powdery mildew) and thrips.

Most often, a spider mite appears in dry and hot weather at an air temperature of about +30 degrees, especially during a drought. Therefore, it can be found more often on cucumbers in the southern regions.

By the way! Spider mites also frequently attack eggplants, currants and strawberries, petunias, roses and hydrangeas.

Accordingly, for a spider mite, the best is greenhouse conditions.

Interesting!

Ticks actively reproduce on plants that are fattening from excess nitrogen. But plants that receive an excess of phosphates do not attract the pest.

Preventive measures against spider mites on cucumbers

As a preventive measure, it is necessary to water the cucumbers in a timely manner and maintain optimal humidity in order to prevent arid conditions for growing crops.

Advice! With prolonged drought, it is recommended to spray cucumbers with warm water in the evenings, and at the first signs of a pest - with acaricides.

If the leaves of cucumbers are dense, they have a sufficient amount of moisture and they have excellent turgor, then the spider mite will not bite through the surface of the leaf.

Therefore, the main factors that restrain the mass development of spider mites are.

timely watering;
making the necessary dressings in the right dosages;
regular ventilation of the greenhouse
regular weeding near cucumbers.

How to properly spray cucumbers from spider mites

Processing rules:

The procedure is performed early in the morning or late in the evening. It can also be done during the day in calm and cloudy weather.

Advice! Read the instructions, as biological agents and others are effective only at high air temperatures.

How to deal with spider mites on cucumbers

In case of violations of the rules of agricultural technology for growing cucumbers (especially in a greenhouse) and the appearance of a spider mite, it is necessary to immediately begin to fight the pest.

If the lesions are still minor, the damaged leaves can be removed manually. However, this way you can skip the leaves on which it is simply not visible yet. Therefore, it is necessary to use different methods of dealing with spider mites on cucumbers. And also it is necessary to periodically change the means so that the pest cannot adapt to them.

How to get rid of spider mites on cucumbers using chemicals

Colloidal sulfur can be classified as prophylactic (protective) agents with a mild effect. It works only at an air temperature of +25 degrees and above.

Organophosphorus compounds (FOS)

These are potent drugs that have a detrimental effect on egg-laying and larvae of sexually mature individuals.

These are the most toxic products with a long waiting time. Therefore, it is recommended to use them only when absolutely necessary.

Pyrethroids

Safer and not phytotoxic like the previous ones:

Other means

Biological agents

Biological preparations are good at destroying only sexually mature mites, so the treatment is carried out 3-4 times in order to destroy the mites that hatch from the eggs.

But this is an environmentally friendly and safe means for combating spider mites. Plus they are very effective.

Advice! It is effective to use a tank mixture of Aktofit (Fitoverma) and Bitoxibacillin.

When cultivating cucumbers in a greenhouse, predatory mites, namely Ambliseius and Phytoseiulus, can be introduced into it, so that they destroy the spider mite.

Watch the video! In a greenhouse on cucumbers, a spider mite? We use Bitoxibacillin

Folk remedies: how to treat cucumbers from spider mites

It is much less harmful if the fight against spider mites is carried out with folk remedies. They are just as effective.

Solutions that completely cover the tick with a film, under which it cannot breathe and dies, work especially well.

To do this, use such adhesives (protein or fat)

for 10 liters of oxen:

Recipe 1:

3 tbsp. tablespoons of oil (sunflower or rapeseed).
3 tbsp. spoons ammonia 10%.

Recipe 2:

10 liters of boiling water.
Chop 200 g of garlic.
Withstand a day, filter.
Sprayed.

Recipe 3:

for 7 liters of water.
3 liters of whey.
3 tbsp. tablespoons of ammonia 10% (ammonia).
5 tbsp. tablespoons of crushed or liquid soap (household or tar).
The affected bushes are sprayed.

Advice! After spraying, it is recommended to immediately dust the bushes with wood ash.

Watch the video! Spider mite on cucumbers - how to detect and defeat it

Many advise to plant calendula near the cucumbers. She scares away spider mites. But this is an ineffective method.

There are many means and methods for dealing with spider mites on cucumbers. The main thing is to take action on time, then you can get a rich harvest.

Almost every gardener grows cucumbers, but this crop is not as simple as it might seem. In addition to the requirements for warmth, moisture, soil nutrition, cucumbers are also known for the fact that they easily pick up diseases and are often affected by pests. One of the most dangerous of them is the spider mite: it is able to multiply very quickly, and it is not very easy to fight it.

Spider mite on cucumbers: what is this pest and how dangerous it is

To save the cucumber crop from the invasion of a tick, it must be detected in time, and this is not easy to do. On each visit to the site, the owner should carefully examine the leaves of the cucumbers, having previously familiarized himself with what a spider mite looks like.

The appearance of a spider mite, the degree of its danger

To see a spider mite, you need to have excellent eyesight or at least a good magnifying glass. This is a very small creature, its size is less than a millimeter. The tick is colored brown-orange, has four pairs of legs. The mite larvae have one pair of legs less. They are greenish in color, which gradually turns brownish in places.

At high magnification, you can also see the paws of the tick.

The mites spend winter in the soil, and creep out to the surface of the beds closer to summer, when the amount of greenery necessary for their feeding grows. In summer, they feel best in hot and very dry weather (at a temperature of about 30 ° C and a humidity of no more than 60%). The mite is extremely fertile: each female lays about 100 eggs at a time. In just a few days, larvae appear from them, which soon turn into adults.

The tick lives no more than a month, but due to the high reproduction rate, it is a great danger.

On cucumber plants, the mite is usually located on the underside of the leaf, as well as on the tops of young shoots (almost like aphids). By piercing the pulp, it sucks out the juices from the plants. Having disfigured the leaves, it can move to the stems and even to the fruit ovary, where it continues its activity. Closer to the ground, the number of ticks is insignificant: it loves the upper, young parts of plants. The mite forms a dense web that entangles the stems and leaves, as a result of which oxygen exchange is disrupted, the process of photosynthesis stops. Productivity is significantly reduced, and in the absence of a pest control, the bushes may even die.

First of all, the tick destroys the leaves.

The tick is able to settle on cucumbers both in unprotected soil and in a greenhouse, and in a shelter it is even more comfortable, since it is warmer there, there is protection from precipitation and winds, and there are no birds that can fight it. The tick moves from garden to garden, using pieces of the cobweb created by it, as well as "moving" on animals or even on humans. Therefore, it is impossible to completely protect the cucumbers from the invasion of this guest.

Signs of plant damage by spider mites

Most often, signs of damage are found earlier than the gardener notices the pests themselves. The results of his harmful activities can be expressed in the following:

The yellowing of leaves in cucumbers is far from only due to spider mites: many diseases and a lack of nitrogen nutrition are to blame for this, but in the case of such a symptom, a thorough examination of the leaves with the help of good glasses or a magnifying glass is required. The fight against a tick should begin immediately after its detection: unfortunately, it does not always lead to victory.

Spider mite control methods

Many gardeners try not to use chemical plant protection products on their plots, but in the case of a spider mite, especially when it a large number, you can't do without it. Although, of course, at the initial stage, you can try to do without chemicals.

Folk remedies

Before starting any processing of plants, you should carefully cut off those fragments that can no longer be restored, but pulled out the dead bushes. All residues removed from the garden must be burned. If possible, you should try to remove the cobweb from the plants left behind. If it is relatively small, you can try to use the following "improvised" means:

Infusions can be prepared from:

dandelion (500 g of grass insist half a day in 10 liters of water);
marigolds (100 g of flowers per 1 liter of water, several days);
onions, garlic (200 g of husks are insisted for at least a day in 10 liters of water).

Decoctions are prepared, for example, from the leaves of yarrow or dope. Spraying is performed several times at intervals of several days in cloudy weather. It should be recognized that spraying cucumbers with folk remedies against spider mites is often ineffective. If, after the second treatment, the amount of the pest does not decrease, an urgent need to turn to purchased drugs.

Chemical and biological agents

Most chemical preparations are toxic to humans to one degree or another, besides, pests quickly adapt to old remedies, so they constantly invent new ones. In this regard, gardeners often turn to biological agents: their action is based on the action of microorganisms. Recently, the following drugs have become popular:

Any processing should be carried out taking into account the toxicity of the drug, that is, using personal protective equipment (clothing, glasses, respirator). Usually, the death of ticks begins 6-10 hours after the procedure, the drug works for 1-2 weeks.

Having found a tick on my cucumbers this year, I was afraid that I was late, there was so much of it. Fortunately, there was a bag of Fitoverma in the box. Arriving at the dacha a week later, I could not believe my eyes. A lot of young clean leaves appeared on the bushes, and the pests and the trail were gone.

The most effective drugs against any ticks are acaricides, they destroy not only adult pests, but also their larvae, acaricides even act on egg clutches. However, for humans, these drugs are very dangerous, and they should be used only as a last resort. These are, for example, Apollo, Floramite, etc. So, the drug Apollo is positioned as a specific acaricide, highly effective in the fight against many types of ticks. This is one of the safest acaricides for humans. The effect of Floramite on ticks is similar, but the degree of its danger to humans is a subject of heated debate: in Europe, after its use, control over the residual content of the drug in fruits is mandatory.

Video: fighting spider mites

Prevention measures

Preventive measures include:

Cucumbers are a popular outdoor vegetable growing all over the place. They are harvested for the winter in almost every household. Spider mites on cucumbers are the main pest that can destroy the entire crop. The microscopic mite colony spreads very quickly. To prevent the appearance of pests, to destroy after the appearance requires an integrated approach.

Folk remedies

Difficulty getting rid of ticks Preventing damage

Other means of prevention

What does a spider mite look like

A spider mite is a separate species of mites from the spider family.

Pay attention to this fact, because insecticides, insect control drugs, are not suitable for getting rid of ticks.

With the help of tenacious paws, they move along the web woven by them. Hence the name - spider mite. They are carried by the wind over long distances.

From the eggs laid by the female, larvae appear, which transform first into a nymph, then into a tick. The female ripens and is ready to bear fruit within four days, the clutch reaches 350–400 eggs.

Note! The short period of sexual maturity and the number of laid eggs explains the rapid expansion of the population.

The tick feeds on the cell juice of cucumber foliage. After its destruction, it moves to the stems and inflorescences. This destroys the entire bush. A spider mite on seedlings is a dangerous phenomenon, a young plant reacts more painfully, dies faster.

Not only adults feed on plant sap, but also faces, nymphs.

Reasons for the appearance of spider mites on cucumbers in the open field

In greenhouses, the tick hibernates in secluded corners, crevices. It is recommended to dig up the ground at the end of the season, treat the greenhouse with pesticides, etch with smoke.

Symptoms of damage to cultures

From the moment of planting the seedlings, you need to inspect the plants every 3 days. Necessarily - the leaves on the back. Early detection of a tick is a guarantee of success in the fight against it.

Symptoms:

First, the cucumber spider mite infects the leaves. The first sign is the appearance of a cobweb - a signal that a pest has started. Individuals are difficult to see at once due to their small size and scarcity. Looking closely, you can see small dots. On the outside of the leaves, first small, then extensive yellowish spots appear. The disease spreads, more and more yellowed foliage on the cucumbers, the plant weakens, becomes covered with a cucumber mite cobweb. Leaves dry, pests crawl to the stem, inflorescences, plants begin to die , weakens or stops fruiting. The last stage is the defeat of the entire bush.

Note! They begin to actively fight the pest from the first, maximum of the second stage, until the cucumber bush weakened.

Insect control methods

An integrated approach in the fight against cucumber mites is the key to a good harvest.

preventive; prophylactic; use of biological agents; chemicals; folk methods.

Preventive, preventative methods prevent the emergence of pests. Traditional methods help at an early stage and repel ticks. Biologics mainly kill mature animals, so they need to be applied in cycles. Chemical agents affect the entire population, including clutches of eggs, larvae. They are effective but also more toxic.

Biological products (acaricides, insecto-acaricides) affect not only ticks, but also destroy aphids, thrips and other pests.

Take note! Harvest before spraying cucumbers. The instructions indicate how many days you need to wait until the next harvest (the instructions say "waiting times").

Biologicals

The spider cucumber mite attacks the plant in open and closed ground. In greenhouses, the intensity of plant diseases is higher, due to crowding, a high concentration of cucumbers per square meter. m.

The advantage of biological products is relative harmlessness. The treatment is carried out after 5-7 days at least 3 times. It takes about a month to "treat" a cucumber patch. The optimal processing time is early in the morning in the evening, preferably in calm weather at temperatures close to + 20⁰С. If it rains after spraying, you need to repeat the treatment of cucumbers. Apply the product to both sides of the sheet.

It affects the pest within 10-16 hours, immobilization sets in, the tick cannot suck the juice. Active death of the population occurs on the second day, the peak of action on the fifth day.

Attention! The drug is diluted in a liter of water immediately before processing. The proportions are indicated in the instructions.

"Aktofit" and "Fitoferm"

"Aktofit" is a yellowish liquid preparation, in various packaging from 10 ml to 4.8 liters. Fitovert is packed in sealed glass ampoules. They differ in the concentration of the active substance.

Aversectin (DV) is a neurotoxin that paralyzes ticks.

"Aktofit" is diluted before use in 2 stages, first diluted in 1/3 of water in the proportions indicated in the instructions. Dissolve to form an emulsion. Without stopping to stir, add the second part of the water.

"Aktofit" and "Fitoferma" - natural remedies pest control. When used correctly, they are harmless to humans and pets. Ticks do not adapt to aversectin.

"Kleschenog" and "Kleschevit"

"Kleschenog", "Kleschevit" affects the spider mite for eight hours. DV: aversectin is a long-acting neurotoxin. A week is saved on cucumber foliage. Harmless to plants, humans, animals.

Sold in hermetically sealed bags.

"Bitoxibacillin"

DV: bacterial spores, protein crystals, exotoxin (Bacillus thuringiensis var. Thuringiensis).

It affects the intestines of pests, reduces fertility, vitality of individuals. Belongs to the category of harmless tick control agents.

These are the biological enemies of the spider cucumber mite

The spider-like insect under the Latin name "phytoseilius persimlis" eats cucumber mites, larvae, eggs. Insects are planted on an infected cucumber bush. They eat up the pest population. Neoseiulus Cucumeris is a predatory mite that eats a spider mite. Individuals are placed in water before being sold.

A ladybug is added to the greenhouse, it eats, among other things, a cucumber mite.

Chemicals

Chemicals are toxic, so protective equipment must be provided for the body, respiratory tract, and mucous membranes.

Protective measures:

Before diluting, picking up a chemical agent, be sure to wear gloves to protect the body, mucous membranes, eyes. Use glasses, a respirator. Spray at a distance of 30-40 cm.

Toxicity is a disadvantage chemicals... The advantage is efficiency. They act totally, kill individuals of the entire biological chain.

Organophosphorus compounds (FOS)

"Karbovos" with DV malathion. Various form of release (powder, granules, solution, emulsion). It is advisable to dilute before use, retains its properties in a closed vessel. Has a pungent odor. Substances that repel pets are added to it. It affects the spider mite instantly, but only on those that have been poisoned. The decomposition time is 10 days. During this period, you cannot harvest cucumbers.

Aktelik (DV - perimiphos methyl). Validity period - 3 days, decomposes up to 10 days. Dilute in the proportion of ml per liter of water. The disadvantage is that it is toxic to bees, evidence must be isolated, as well as birds, fish.

"Fufafon" (DV - malathion). Slightly toxic, acts as a fumigator, contact on the gastrointestinal tract. Processed at least 20 days before emergence and harvest.

The series of organoform compounds includes: "Antiklesch", "Kinfos", "Ditox".

Pyrethroids

Group synthetic products artificial origin. Neurotoxic poisons hit instantly. Affects the intestines, is transferred by contact. The advantage is that they are not phytotoxic, harmless to humans.

"Clipper". DV - bifenthrin, contact-intestinal effects. The main substance has a prolonged action. Can be used in the complex treatment of cucumbers with other drugs.

"Karate Zeon". The active substance is encapsulated molecules (lambda-cygolothrin). The impact is instantaneous, nerve-paralytic. Does not decompose under the influence of moisture, UV rays. Aqueous suspension.

Fundazol. The name of the active substance of the same name. White powder with a characteristic weak odor. Toxic, requires careful handling. Prolonged exposure (7 days). Kills individuals of spider cucumber mites, larvae, clutch of eggs, not phytotoxic, can be used in combination with other means.

Other effective pyrethroids: Vertimek, Masai.

Other means

A new generation of drugs with combined effects has appeared. The combination of several toxic substances has a complex effect on nervous system, the intestines of ticks, the ability to fertilize.

These tools include: "Antiklesch Max", "Twix", "Keeler", "Oberon Rapid" and others.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies are used as a prevention of infection of cucumbers with a spider mite, at an early stage of the appearance of pests.

Broths are a time-tested method, completely harmless. We offer several recipes that work:

White elderberry. Proportion: 1 kg per 10 liters, pour, leave for 10-12 hours. Diluted in a decoction 50 g of liquid soap. Dandelion. 0.5 kg of leaves, 0.3 kg - roots, 10 liters of warm water. Pour and leave for 3 hours. Spray before and after flowering. Gray alder. 2 kg per 10 liters of heated water. Pour in for a day. Pharmacy chamomile. 3 kg per 10 liters. Insist for half a day, add liquid soap. Garlic. 0.5 kg per 10 l, add dissolved soap 40-50 g. Onion peel. 200 g per 10 liters, hold for 10 days.

Another popular method of dealing with spider cucumber mites is to sprinkle ash on the plant. A mixture is prepared from laundry, green, tar soap (for 10 liters of water). Laundry soap is dissolved in the serum, cucumbers are poured.

Difficulty getting rid of a tick

The spider mite quickly adapts to pesticides and biological preparations. They recommend changing the processing means, combining them.

Prevention of defeat

Perfect weather for spiderweb cucumber mites - heat(25-30⁰) and low humidity.

Preventive measures:

frequent watering and spraying; moving the beds to another place for the next season; harvesting foliage, weeds; digging up the soil; after the end of the growing season, burning foliage; regular inspection of cucumbers.

If a spider mite is found on cucumbers, on one or more leaves, you need to pluck them and dispose of them.

Other means of prevention

Spray with a solution of hydrogen peroxide, ammonia (0.3-0.4 ml per liter of water). Greenhouses are fumigated with smoke after the end of the season. Places where pests may appear next year with a solution of soda are poured.

The spider mite is a dangerous pest. It multiplies rapidly, adapts to different drugs. You need to deal with it in a comprehensive manner, with repeated cycles. You need to save the plants as soon as you see the appearance of a cobweb, a yellow spot, at least on one sheet.

How many pests encroach on the gardener's cucumber crop, an eye and an eye are needed to collect juicy fruits. One of the main enemies of cucumber plantings is not visible to the ordinary eye, it can only be seen through a magnifying glass, but it can do a lot of troubles. This is a spider mite that feeds on the juice of cucumber leaves. Foliage damaged by insects turns yellow, dries up and falls off.

The spider mite is microscopic in size, it is impossible to notice it. As a rule, only traces of insect activity are visible. With a massive settlement of pests, the leaves of the vegetable are damaged. The mite multiplies quickly, capturing more and more leaf plates. Leaves devoid of sap change green color on lemon, wither, and then fall off. In a couple of weeks, the mite is able to leave only one stems in the garden, while the soil will be strewn with withered leaves.

To recognize a pest, you need to turn the sheet backwards. A cobweb and black dots will be noticeable on it - traces of the pest's vital activity. With a strong defeat, the petioles and internodes will be enveloped in a spider web.

If you look at the affected leaves through a magnifying glass, you can see the pest itself, insects are similar to microscopic spiders.

Spider mites appear mainly in greenhouses. The most comfortable atmosphere for him is a closed, poorly ventilated space with dry hot air. It turns out that hotbeds and greenhouses are a real expanse for him.

How to create unfavorable conditions for a spider mite

The spider mite is quite tenacious, and if you do not change the conditions in which cucumbers grow, it will appear on plants again and again, even with repeated treatments, which, by the way, can also not be carried out all season.

Pest treatments are completed two weeks before harvesting.

It should be borne in mind that cucumbers bear fruit all season, so it turns out that they can be processed with ready-made means only until the first decade of June, the rest of the time you need to use folk remedies, and even better, create conditions uncomfortable for the life of the pest.

Basically, the mite settles in greenhouses, its presence in the beds is a rare case. In the garden, as additional moisture, there is natural rain and precipitation, which the mite does not like at all.

In greenhouses, however, complete calm reigns, and precipitation, except for watering, does not happen, which is to the liking of a spider mite.

To get rid of pests, spraying is carried out already two weeks after planting cucumber seedlings or sowing in the ground. Not only plants are processed, but also walls, ground and roof.

Spraying is carried out even if the pests are clearly invisible. This will help prevent mass destruction of the leaves in the future.

In addition to spraying, barrels of water are placed in greenhouses, additional containers with water are placed, and plants are sprayed over the leaves.

To prevent the appearance of spider mites, I examine the plants that sit in the corners of the greenhouse. They are hit by the pest first.

How to get rid of spider mites on cucumbers: folk and ready-made remedies

What if, despite all the measures, the spider mite still became an uninvited guest on cucumbers?

From the pest, such ready-made products are used as:

Karbofos, Aktara or Actellic;
Flumite has perhaps the longest protection after application, it works up to 6 weeks;
Envidor can also be used in wet weather, it is resistant to washing off, excellent for processing open field cucumbers;
Kleschevite kills pests within 7 - 10 hours.

! Do not forget to use gloves and a respirator during treatment, and then wash your hands and face thoroughly with soap and water, and change clothes.

As an alternative to ready-made products, I also use folk solutions for spraying cucumbers from spider mites.

! In the fight against spider mites, it is imperative to use ready-made and folk solutions for spraying. Means based on chemistry are applicable only before the flowering of plants, after that they use biological solutions so that the fruits do not absorb chemical elements.

I prepare the following ecological solutions from the spider mite:

A solution of garlic is indispensable and affordable: pour 50 grams of chopped cloves with half a liter of water, stir thoroughly, seal it tightly and leave it to infuse. After a day, I filter it, dilute it in a bucket of water and spray the cucumbers. I cultivate the soil under them, as well as the walls;
A solution with slices of hot pepper is also good. You can use fresh or dried. I cook in the same proportions as the garlic solution;
If there is tobacco dust at hand, I spray it over the leaves, first pouring water over them;
A solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide also copes well with pests, I dilute one spoonful in a liter of water and spray it.

All biological treatments must be repeated after 3-5 days in order to destroy new generations of pests that have emerged from the eggs.

After processing, I close the greenhouse so that the drug works more efficiently and there is no access for pests fresh air... I prefer to carry out such treatments in cloudy weather and in the morning, on such days I keep the greenhouse completely closed.

Before proceeding with the processing, the fallen leaves are collected and burned. They contain some of the pests and egg-laying.

How to increase the humidity in the greenhouse

To protect cucumbers from spider mites, I take care of the increase in humidity in the greenhouse immediately after planting. To do this, I place basins, buckets, deep bowls between the plants and fill them with water. This method performs several functions at once: it increases the humidity in the greenhouse, which is so to the liking of cucumbers, creates uncomfortable conditions for the spider mite, and increases the temperature in the greenhouse.

Be sure to put barrels of water in the corners of the greenhouse, they also humidify the air and give me warm water for watering cucumbers, which is very convenient.

If the greenhouse has tiles, it is good to water them with water on hot days. linoleum can be laid out in the boundary, bending its edges in the form of a trough and filled with water in the heat. You can place linoleum troughs in the boundary, but then you need to walk on them with caution, or you can place them between the plants. So that the edges of the linoleum do not part, I fasten them with a construction stapler.

Read about how to prevent yellowing of the ovaries in cucumbers.

Video about methods of dealing with a mite spider web:

A spider mite on cucumbers in a greenhouse is an extremely dangerous pest that can cause great damage to the crop. By itself, it is almost invisible due to its size, so most often it is discovered too late. When a large colony has already formed on the plantings, and the cucumbers themselves are covered with a thin web - the result of the vital activity of the tick. In such cases, only treatment with potent chemical preparations will help, however, at the initial stage of development, softer ones will also cope with the pest. folk remedies.

Signs of a spider mite on cucumbers

Among all diseases and pests of cucumbers, the spider mite occupies a special place - despite its small size, it is able to destroy a significant part of the crop in the greenhouse in the shortest possible time and then switch to other crops. The beginning of the spread of the pest is very difficult to notice - it can be clearly seen only under a magnifying glass. A spider mite looks like a small dark dot moving quickly along the surface of plants, and most often this is the back side of the leaf plate, where the pest is even more difficult to detect if not specifically looked for.

It is usually found already at the stage of wilting of cucumbers, when the leaves of the plants begin to turn yellow and curl. Then small whitish spots appear on the cucumbers, mainly on the underside of young leaves. Finally, a thin web begins to envelop the cucumbers in the greenhouse.

Why is the spider mite dangerous?

The danger of this pest lies primarily in the fact that it is difficult to detect it until it multiplies. In order to do this at an early stage of damage to the greenhouse, it is necessary to regularly inspect the cucumber leaves from the lower side, and this is a rather time-consuming process.

In large quantities, the spider mite severely depletes cucumbers - it pierces the underside of the leaves of the plant and sucks out its juice. Ultimately, this leads to rapid drying of the cucumbers, wilting and subsequent death.

Another difficulty in dealing with a spider mite is that it multiplies very quickly and fills the entire greenhouse with cucumbers. Rows of tomatoes, which represent an extremely unfavorable environment for the pest, are able to delay it a little, but this is not for long. In addition, with significant damage, it begins to cover the cucumber beds with cobwebs, which have good water-repellent properties. This greatly complicates the processing of the greenhouse with various preparations.

Important! You can find a tick on cucumbers at any stage of development during the entire growing season.

How to process cucumbers from spider mites in a greenhouse

You will not be able to quickly get rid of a spider mite in a greenhouse - cucumbers will have to be processed more than once, and it is better, if possible, not to use chemicals and first try to get rid of it with folk remedies. Unfortunately, they are much weaker than industrial acaricides, so more large quantity treatments - about 5-7 on average.

Of course, if there are too many pests in the greenhouse, you should not hesitate. Cucumbers are immediately sprayed with aggressive chemicals, while applying the maximum allowable dose.

Important! The spider mite is not an insect. It is arachnid, so ordinary pesticides do not cope well with it. Take it out with acaricides.

Chemical protection of cucumbers from spider mites in the greenhouse

The most popular spider mite chemicals include:

"Plant-Pin";
"Etisso";
Actellik;
"Karbofos";
"Demitan";
Sunmight;
Akarin.

"Plant-Pin" is a means for removing many insects. In addition to the spider mite, it copes quite effectively with aphids.

The form of release of the drug is special sticks that must be stuck into the ground near the beds with cucumbers. During watering, the active components contained in the sticks will react with water, dissolve, and when they enter the plant, they will begin to act. Poisoning occurs when the pest feeds on the juice of cucumbers.

Such greenhouse treatments are especially effective at the initial stage of pest damage. The first results appear within a few days.

"Etisso" is in many ways similar to "Plant-Pin" - it is also produced in the form of special sticks, and the method of application is similar to that described. The only difference lies in the active substances on which the drugs are based.

"Actellik" is available in the form of ampoules, which are diluted in 1 liter of water before use.

A warning! It is necessary to interact with drugs only in personal protective equipment, since the components contained in them are hazardous to health.

The solution "Aktellika" is thoroughly mixed and filled with an impeller. With its help, cucumbers are abundantly sprayed, paying special attention to the leaves.

Karbofos is used on cucumbers before they form ovaries. When the plants bloom, it is no longer possible to use the substance against the spider mite. The toxins will accumulate in future fruits. The action of the drug is based on the direct hit of active substances on the pest.

The advantage of "Demitan" is that after the last treatment, this acaricide retains its protective properties for a month. Just like the previous remedies, it is very dangerous for humans.

Sunmight can be used to combat the pest on cucumbers at any stage of development. Of all these drugs, this is the safest.

"Akarin" after processing cucumbers causes the death of a spider mite already on the 2-3rd day. The drug is classified as moderately hazardous to humans. Its advantage is that the product is not addictive to the pest.

In the fight against spider mites, you can use other chemicals: Flumite, Vermitek, Aktofit etc., however, they are not as effective as those described above. In addition, they have no effect on the eggs of the pest. On the other hand, at the initial stage of distribution, these tools will be very effective.

Treatment of cucumbers in a greenhouse from spider mites with biological agents

The most common biological preparation for spider mites on cucumbers is Fitoverm. The recommended number of greenhouse treatments is 3-5 times at intervals of five days.

Important! The disadvantage of Fitoverm is that the pest quickly adapts to it. If you save doses and delay the treatment, then the effect of this drug will not be.

In addition to Fitoverm, you can also use Iskra-Bio, Agrovertin and "Bitoxibacillin"... They all act very quickly - after a few days the pest on cucumbers will begin to die. Moreover, these substances are practically harmless to human health. Cucumbers processed by them can be eaten after 2-3 days.

Folk remedies for spider mites in a cucumber greenhouse

You can reduce the number of pests on cucumbers with the help of decoctions of various herbs. The most popular are:

cyclamen root;
onion;
garlic;
horseradish root;
chamomile;
dandelion;
creeping bitterness;
yarrow.

Excellent acaricidal agents are obtained from these crops. The preparation of the infusion from them is as follows:

About 1 kg of raw materials is crushed and poured into 1 liter hot water.
The resulting solution is infused for six hours under a lid.
Then it is filtered and diluted with another 1 liter of water, after which the infusion is ready for use.

Important! Spraying must be carried out from the underside of the leaf, where the bulk of the pests is concentrated.

Another popular folk remedy for spider mites on cucumbers is tar soap. Sulfur tar soap is considered especially effective. It is rubbed into shavings and dissolved in one bucket of hot water. Ordinary laundry soap will work as well. Cucumbers in the greenhouse are treated with this solution for 3 weeks.

Mustard will also help in the fight against spider mites. In order to remove the pest from the greenhouse with cucumbers, it is necessary to dissolve 200 g of mustard powder in one bucket of hot water. The resulting mixture is infused during the day, filtered and sprayed with cucumbers from below.

It should be noted separately that unusual way the destruction of the pest - the use of the natural enemy of the spider mite. To do this, predatory mites are inhabited in a greenhouse with cucumbers: phytoseiulus or amblyseius. On the very first day, they will begin to hunt for the pest and rather quickly reduce its ranks. It is enough to spread the leaves with predators near the affected plants.

You can find predatory mites at agricultural stores.

Plants that repel pests

As an additional measure to combat spider mites on cucumbers, it is recommended to plant repellent plants next to them - that is, those plants that repel the pest.

These include the following crops:

tomatoes;
Dill;
marigold;
chrysanthemums;
garlic;
cilantro.

Agrotechnical measures to combat spider mites on cucumbers

Agrotechnical methods of influencing the tick are as follows:

parts of the plant on which the pest was found are carefully removed and burned as far as possible from the greenhouse;
cucumbers are sprayed 2-3 times a day - this will help increase the humidity of the air, which is detrimental to the spider mite;
foliage in the beds should be thinned out, since dense planting only contributes to more active reproduction of the pest;
in the off-season, the cucumber greenhouse is thoroughly cleaned of all plant residues and thoroughly dig up the soil, completely replacing the top layer.

The indicated agrotechnical methods are not able to completely remove the spider mite from the greenhouse with cucumbers, however, with their help, the spread of the pest can be significantly slowed down before basic measures are taken.

Prevention of spider mites on cucumbers in a greenhouse

It is very difficult to remove spider mites on cucumbers in a greenhouse and open ground, and therefore, preventive measures against this pest are of particular importance.

This complex includes the following activities:

Remove regularly throughout the season. weeds in and around the greenhouses themselves. The pest hibernates in the open ground and moves to the greenhouse for cucumbers exactly from the plants that are in the immediate vicinity of the greenhouse.
When planting cucumbers, it is recommended to alternate the beds with tomatoes. Spider mites reproduce extremely slowly on tomatoes, so they will serve as a kind of restraining stripes.
The air humidity in the greenhouse for growing cucumbers must be high - at least 80%. Such conditions are detrimental to the pest. Particular attention should be paid to the areas near the transom, as there is active air exchange and the humidity decreases because of this.
In case of prolonged heat, it is necessary to spray the cucumber beds with water throughout the day.
In the spring, the greenhouse is cleaned after wintering and disinfected. For this, the supporting structures are thoroughly washed with ordinary soap, although chlorine can be used additionally. Then the soil is dug up to 20-30 cm and the surface of the earth is poured with boiling water. After this treatment, the soil is covered with a film for three days to create high humidity. If the tick has already entered the greenhouse, such a three-day greenhouse will kill it. When the film is removed, the soil is additionally shed with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.

Important! The most basic preventive measures against ticks are adherence to the rules of agricultural technology. The cucumbers should be planted according to the recommended pattern for the variety. They are also watered and fed at the recommended frequency, no more and no less.

Conclusion

A spider mite on cucumbers in a greenhouse is a common and extremely unpleasant phenomenon. The fight against this pest is long, laborious, and far from always it ends with a person's victory. If the number of spider mites is too large, you can get rid of it only with the help of aggressive chemicals, but they are recommended to be used only at an early stage of cucumber development. At the end of the season, it is better to use milder folk remedies or biologics. In addition, it is important to deal with the pest in a comprehensive manner, combining all available methods: chemical, folk and agrotechnical.

In addition, you can learn more about the features of removing a spider mite from the video below:

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