Spider mite on an apple tree

A spider mite on an apple tree is seemingly a small insect in length, which grows up to 1 mm, but does great harm to plants. It reproduces actively, producing 5 generations annually. His offspring absorbs apple juice, which is why the foliage rapidly falls off, and the tree does not develop well. Due to the parasitic effect of these microorganisms, the crop suffers, the immune system of the apple tree decreases, the plant does not tolerate fungal, bacterial, infectious and viral diseases poorly.

                                                      Spider mite on an apple tree: photo

It is necessary to constantly inspect the tree for the presence of these parasites in order to timely notice them and eliminate them. The plant needs constant preventive measures to make it more resistant to spider mites. If the pest has already been noticed, then you need to quickly and calmly begin to straighten out with it. With large accumulations of parasites, there is a high risk that the plant will completely die.

Spider mite on an apple tree: how to recognize?

                        Spider mite on an apple tree: photo

The parasites are usually found on the inside of the leaf, where they can completely absorb the apple juice. On the back of the leaf, necrosis appears - these are dying off areas that have a white, yellow or brown color. A galaxy of mites looks like plaque on the inside of a leaf. If pests have multiplied significantly, then they are very easy to notice, due to the large number of cobwebs in their habitat.

Varieties of parasites

Spider mite on an apple tree: photo

• Fruit mite red. It grows no more than 0.4 mm, contains a large amount of toxic substances, they can be seen when examining the plant with a magnifying glass or loupe. The body of the parasite is red, in the shape of an oval. To understand that it was the red fruit mite that hit the foliage, you need to pay attention to the yellowish specks along the central vein of the leaf. Then they darken and die off.
• Fruit mite brown. Adults stretch no more than 0.6 mm. The body is flattened, brown in color. It feeds on juice from foliage and buds, they turn red or dirty gray, dry and fall off. Parasites molt; during the linking period, they leave whitish traces.
• Gall mite. Has microscopic dimensions - 0.2 mm. Its vital activity is carried out inside the leaf tissues and buds. The body is long, white, in the shape of an oval, which tapers towards the rear. The parasite acquired this name due to the fact that galls appear on the back of the leaf - swelling in the form of balls of a yellowish or dark brown hue. Damage can be seen by blackening on the leaves, their drying.
• Kidney mite. A parasite that destroys very young shoots. Sick kidneys grow poorly and give diseased processes. You can notice the damage by the spoiled buds of the apple tree.
• Schlechtendal tick. Not as common as other varieties. It grows by 0.2 mm and has a brownish yellow color. Females actively reproduce and lay up to 2 million pieces for the entire time. Parasites feed on a large amount of sap, because of this, the photosynthesis process does not function and the foliage falls off.

                                                            Spider mite on an apple tree: photo

Spider mite on an apple tree: how to fight?

There are several options for dealing with spider mites on an apple tree:

• Chemical. Most often, special chemicals are used that fight spider mites. Such drugs have acaricides... There are about 50 varieties in stores, which include about 15 active ingredients.There are several options for the consistency of drugs: an aqueous solution, a powder that dissolves in water, a concentrated emulsion, a concentrated suspension. Most often damaging poisons when spraying and pollinating apple trees. The funds are used according to the recommendations in the instructions, children and animals are not allowed close to the drugs. When spraying, you must wear gloves and follow safety precautions, otherwise you can get serious poisoning. But this method has the following disadvantage: the environment is polluted, but without exceeding the number of recommended standards, this can be avoided. Very popular in pest control are considered insectoacaricides, the best drugs include: Bi-58, Fufanon, Fitoverm, Karbofos, Karate-Zeon. They have been in use for a long time and have received good reviews from experienced gardeners. Despite the fact that the chemicals of this group kill spider mites, they also fight against leafworms, false scutes, scale insects, flower beetles, weevils, and moths. Treatment of horticultural crops with insectoacaricides prevents the appearance of diverse parasites. In order for the chemicals to remain on the plant, you need to process the apple trees in dry and calm weather. One of the most commonly used is the drug Fufanon - a mixture of strong components that prevents the development of pests. It includes the chemical element malathion, which has the ability to act on parasites quickly and clearly. Ticks stop feeding on plant sap 2 hours after spraying, they die in 24 hours, but you can harvest only a month after processing, otherwise the fruits harvested early contain a large number of elements that will adversely affect human health. In one season, the plant can be sprayed no more than 2 times. The chemical kills adults and juveniles. There are similar drugs for Fufanon: Kemifos, Novation, Karbaphos, each of them has malathion in its composition, only its concentration is different everywhere. The highest content of the element is found in Karbofos and Fufanon. Acaricidal preparations, for example, reduce the number of ticks. The preparations infect insects directly when they hit their paws, which means that you need to carefully process the bark and leaves of the tree. Products often have the following consistency: concentrated suspension, concentrated emulsion, washing powder. The most common acaricides on the market: Mavrik VE; Sunmight SP; Dursban KE; Demitan SK; Omite SP; Zolon KE. The funds have a long-lasting protective effect. There are preparations containing propargite that can protect the plant for about 3 weeks. The most chemical agents are Apollo and Omite, they are very harmful to pets and humans. But on the other hand, the preparations are safe for beneficial insects (entomophages). Such an assistant also helps to destroy pests without introducing drugs in the natural environment.
• Agrotechnical. The method can be performed even for preventive purposes, in order to reduce the number of ticks that survived the winter, it is necessary to carry out autumn plowing, remove weeds, remove damaged branches, and destroy fallen leaves. If you incinerate waste materials, the eggs of the mites will be destroyed. Parasites can live in cracks in the bark in winter, so you can clean the skeletal branches of plants from the detached bark in autumn or winter. To increase the immune forces of the apple tree, it is necessary to add fertilizer complexes outside the root. If there is a desire to completely kill the tick, then you can cut off the affected shoots and burn them. This method can be used if the tick has almost completely infected the plant, and the treatment of the affected areas is ineffective.
• Folk methods. Spraying is considered one of the popular means among the people. garlic solution... Peeled cloves of garlic (50g) are poured with 10 liters of liquid, you also need to add laundry soap in a liquid consistency and spray the apple tree from the top to the base over the foliage. Can be made by yourself sulfur-tar broth. It is necessary to grind tar soap in an amount of 100 grams and add to 1 bucket of water. You need to spray the plants once a week. Onion tincture. Take 200 grams of vegetable husks and pour in 1 bucket and infuse for 60 minutes.
• Biological. Fitoverm tool usually ranked as biological preparations, although it contains very toxic elements of the vital activity of the fungi Streptomyces avermitilis. Not all such drugs can destroy parasites at a low temperature in the early autumn period, and Fitoverm activates at + 18-25 degrees and doubles its strength. After 2 days after processing, you can already harvest the crop. During the season, the plant is treated a couple of times. The disadvantage of the remedy is that it kills only adult ticks, and cannot destroy eggs and larvae. The composition of the product contains such elements that are dangerous to fish and other aquatic inhabitants; near water bodies, the use of the drug should be scrupulously careful. Children should not be near when processing, since the toxic elements in the product are dangerous for people who are under 21 years old. To prevent ticks from developing resistance to a particular drug, you need to periodically use various toxic agents. Thus, insects will not develop a protective function against chemicals.

The infusion from the spider mite on the apple tree must be filtered and sprayed with sick plants. Horseradish tincture. After chopping 400 grams of horseradish, you need to fill it with 1 bucket of liquid and leave for about 3 hours. A decoction of poisonous black henbane. Use the product very carefully. 2 kg of fresh plants are poured with water and boiled for about 2 hours. The resulting broth is poured with 10 liters of water.

Attention: Such options can be effective, but if large individuals conduct their life on a tree, then the use of folk methods will be ineffective and you will have to resort to the use of chemicals.

Spraying must be carried out at certain times of the growing season.
The first treatments are carried out to remove parasites that have survived the winter. Until the buds bloom in the first month of spring at -5 degrees, it is necessary to spray iron and copper with vitriol. This tool can be used to treat the near-stem zone, since a large number of pests can hibernate in it. The second treatment is done in May before flowering. When processing, you can use any means that have been given above. At the time of flowering, it is better not to process plants. Chemicals are detrimental to beneficial insects and are bad for fruits. It is better to spray plants during this period if the apple tree is completely affected and this is the only way out.

The third treatment for spider mites on an apple tree is carried out in early to mid-June. Chemicals need to be changed periodically.

Important: Trees are not sprayed during the ripening period; it is usually worth spraying the plant 30 days before picking the apples. Affected branches and fruits must be removed and burned.

Final processing is done after harvesting and when the foliage has fallen. It is carried out with copper sulfate or urea to destroy pests.

Conclusion

Spider mite on an apple tree: photo

To protect apple trees from spider mites, you must first take preventive measures to destroy them. Healthy and strong trees are especially susceptible to attacks, so they must be very carefully protected. It is necessary to constantly monitor the general condition of the trees in order to prevent the appearance of negative pests at the time. Then the Spider mite parasite will not bother you and your site.

Spider mite on an apple tree: video how to deal with a pest