Spider mites are a fairly unpretentious pest that attacks garden crops. It can appear both on seedlings and on ripe tomatoes. There are many ways of infection, the most common of which are:

1. Through last year's harvest. It is important to remove all weeds from the garden and weed the soil.
2. Through wildflowers. If they are planted next to tomato beds, there is a high probability of infection.
3. The soil itself may be infected with mites, but it is impossible to know about this in advance.
4. Through another affected vegetable or fruit. It is important to periodically check all seedlings and crops for signs of infection.

It's important to know that ideal conditions hot weather and high humidity are important factors for the appearance and spread of spider mites

1. Small dots appear on the leaves white. The pest sticks to the leaves and drinks the juices from the plant.
2. The leaves are starting to fall.
3. In case of severe damage, the leaves and stems of the tomato are entangled in cobwebs.

Fighting methods

There are several ways to kill a tick. Their use depends on the degree of infestation of the tomato.

If the tomato bushes are severely affected, you will have to use special chemicals. Experts note that the most effective means— Carbophosphorus and Agrovertin. The use of chemicals gives a quick and guaranteed effect, and also increases the likelihood of crop safety. It is important to follow the instructions for use and dilute the solution strictly in the specified proportions. In addition, when working with such drugs, one should not forget about personal protective equipment - thick clothing, rubber gloves, a respirator and safety glasses.

If the tomato bushes are severely affected, you will have to use special chemicals

Experienced gardeners note that in most cases spider mite Not only the plant itself is infected, but also the soil. In this regard, it is recommended to re-spray 20 days after the first.

For minor infestations of tomato bushes, traditional methods of pest control can help:

It should be noted that folk remedies does not always help in the fight against ticks. In this case, it is necessary to use chemicals.

How to save plants from pests (video)

Prevention of infection

By following preventive measures, you can avoid the appearance of spider mites on plants. This pest does not tolerate a humid environment, and therefore regular spraying of leaves with water will prevent its occurrence. You can also use a UV lamp as a preventative measure. It is enough to illuminate the plants with it 2-3 times a week.

Before planting, it is recommended to keep the seedlings for 3 days in plastic bag and then pour water on it. Since the pest can live in the soil itself, it also needs to be treated. The soil can be heated well in the oven - heat will destroy all diseases and pests present in it.

By following preventive measures, you can avoid the appearance of spider mites on plants.

It is advisable to periodically loosen the soil and remove weeds, fallen leaves and inflorescences. First, it promotes plant growth. And secondly, it reduces the chances of ticks appearing.

Tiny insects that are not always noticeable to the human eye can cause damage in greenhouses and on open beds a lot of trouble. One of these multi-pests is the spider mite, which has chosen nightshade crops. You can’t even see it under a magnifying glass, but this creature, if you don’t fight it hard, can destroy the entire crop, the tomatoes that you grow with such love.

What is a spider mite

This vegetarian tick carries out active destructive activities. It starts by piercing the leaves of the plant with its sharp proboscis nose and sucking the juice out of it. White and yellow dots appear on the leaves - puncture sites.

If the entire leaf is decorated with them, it finally dries out and falls off. The second sign of a mite is a web on tomato bushes, first covering the leaves and then the entire plant.

Such a picture in a greenhouse indicates that urgent measures need to be taken, otherwise in a greenhouse the mite can easily increase its hordes and go on the offensive, destroying everything that gets in its way. It hides from human eyes under leaves or occupies the lower parts of the plant.

This pest does not die even in winter, because it finds secluded places for itself: it burrows deep into the ground (it can be found in the ground at a depth of 16 m!) or hides under buildings, stones, fallen leaves, under rotten grass. Warm days come and the tick begins to multiply.

Plants can become infected with mites in a variety of ways; for example, this insect can live in the remains of last year's harvest, in last year's weeds that did not have time to burn in the fall. The very land on which we planted the crop may be contaminated.

Spider mites on tomato seedlings

The first signs of the appearance of uninvited guests have appeared - we immediately get down to business, because best protection– this is an attack! We start by thinking through a plan of attack, choosing the most effective method struggle. The most accessible remedy, not very cheap in modern times, but very accessible - alcohol. In small beds this is just a lifesaver. We pour it into the sprayer and irrigate the bushes.

The effect of such poison is lethal for ticks! But suddenly someone hid in cover during our offensive, he will gather a new army of pests. This means that we must repeat the procedure after a week.

This method does not harm the plants at all, which is good. But we also have other helpers who can also provide an invaluable service and help in the struggle for the harvest. These are our good friends henbane and dandelions. They don't cost money because they grow everywhere, but they also turn out to be beneficial.

So, we make an infusion of henbane and dandelions:

1. Fill 1 kg of dried plant with a bucket of water and leave for 12 hours.
2. Add a soap solution so that the tincture stays on the tomato leaves longer.
3. We spray the plant, repeating the procedure every 7 days, several times.
4. The dandelion solution will require only 400 g of leaves. We also fill them with water, let them sit for several hours - and go on the offensive: we carefully spray each bush.
5. And after 2 weeks we return with the same solution and carry out the treatment again.

But horseradish tincture is prepared even faster. Its tops and roots are cut into 1/3 of a bucket, filled with water, and after one and a half or two, the infusion is ready, you need to strain it! After spraying the leaves of damaged tomatoes, do not forget about this infusion. You will need it in another 10 days.

And here’s another ally – tobacco. Just like dandelion, you need 400 g per bucket of water, poured with warm water, it will cook for about a day. Then the solution is also filtered, add washing powder or soap.

Another reliable fighter is garlic. An excellent remedy for fighting spider mites. To prepare the garlic solution you will need 200 g of garlic. Cut the slices into small pieces, place in a bucket with warm water and leave for 3-5 hours. All affected tomato bushes are sprayed with the strained solution.

Mite on tomatoes: how to fight

But spider mites have more dangerous opponents - predatory insects. However, there is an important drawback - their high cost. But the most powerful army of predators purchased at a specialized retail outlet will provide you with an invaluable service: in the shortest possible time they will swallow and physically destroy those who tried to cause significant damage in the kingdom of tomatoes.

Among insect predators there are those that only dream of meeting on their way to dining table excellent hordes of spider mites and swallow them with gusto. It is not so easy to remember their names, but it is necessary: ​​phytoseiulus and metaseiulus. But their active supporter has a simple but very poetic name - lacewing.

Having sent these insects to the greenhouse, within a day or two you will not find a trace of spider mites. They know how to fight! And the rest of the harvest will remain unharmed!

Spider mites appeared on tomato seedlings: chemical control methods

There are also chemical weapons against ticks. The most effective ones today are Carbophosphorus and Agrovertin. It is recommended to spray plants with them during the growing season; the procedure must be repeated after 3 weeks. The main condition when using chemical method fight - strictly follow the instructions and be careful: you must wear a protective suit, mask and gloves.

A simple method of preventing the appearance of mites on tomatoes is to spray them with water: mites cannot stand it! As an effective preventative measure use ultraviolet radiation, for this purpose the appropriate type of lamp is used. Plants are irradiated with them several times a week, protecting them from the aggressive external environment. And if you are planting new tomato bushes, immediately water them with water and special compounds - acaricides, or even better - protect the plants by throwing transparent plastic bags over them, and remove them after three days. The plants will be very grateful to you for this!

Yes, one more point: after all, ticks can settle in the soil that you have prepared for planting. To destroy them, place the soil in the oven and steam it thoroughly. You can even do it 2-3 times. Don’t forget to loosen the soil under the bushes, remove twigs and leaves, do not create an environment for spider mites comfortable conditions where your favorite vegetables grow - tomatoes!

If spider mites are on tomatoes, how to fight (video)

Spider mites are one of the most dangerous pests cultivated plants, their seedlings and indoor flowers. It can affect crops in the garden, in the greenhouse, and even on your windowsill at home.

And even despite the fact that the size of the insect is extremely small, the mite is capable of causing irreparable damage to plants, including causing their death. This is because the pest is highly fertile and has an excellent “appetite” and can affect both tomatoes and cucumbers and other crops.

Thanks to its ability to create a thin web, the mite got its name “spider web”. In this article we will learn what measures and methods can be used to fight and get rid of the pest.

Spider mites prefer to “feast” on seedlings of the nightshade family. Most often, his diet includes tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and cucumbers. Tiny dots appear along the main vein of the foliage yellow color- places of bites. Over time, they become discolored and become covered with cobwebs on top, along which the pest moves. The mite most often captures the upper part of the seedlings, trying to completely suck the juice from the foliage. If you do not notice the insects in time, you can wait for something irreversible, when it will no longer be possible to save the plants.

Causes

For rapid reproduction and development, any insect needs optimal conditions. In the case of spider mites, this is high temperature and dry air. The pest can overwinter in the top layer of soil, in fallen dry leaves, in a greenhouse (especially in its corners), as well as in the ground on the windowsill of your apartment windows.

Absolutely protect plants from dangerous pest impossible. Because he can get into the crop even with a gust of wind.

Moreover, it is worth paying attention that spider mites can also appear at home, even taking into account the fact that the preparation of land and the processing of the seeds themselves is carried out indoors. It’s all about the conditions created and external factors, for example, as previously mentioned about gusts of wind.

The only thing that can be done is to take preventive measures to prevent the appearance of pests. Monitor your plants constantly, and as soon as you see signs of mites, remove damaged foliage immediately. Timely processing of crops by special means will quickly eliminate the problem and save the harvest.

Withered plant due to spider mites

Consequences of seedlings being damaged by cobwebs

Spider mites cause irreparable harm to any plants, including their seedlings. It leads to the destruction of some cells, a decrease in the area and intensity of the photosynthesis process, making nightshades more vulnerable to various kinds diseases. The pest not only feeds on the plant, but is also a carrier of infectious diseases. These are gray mold spores and other infectious diseases of agricultural crops.

If spider mites infect the seedlings even before flowering appears and a timely course of treatment is not carried out, then the ovaries may not form at all. Therefore, there will be no harvest. At this time, the plant becomes vulnerable to other diseases, fungi and infections. It takes a long time to grow and bears fruit poorly, and eventually it may simply die.

You need to be more attentive to each individual bush of seedlings, and with the appearance of infected plants, they need to be quarantined. It is better to remove such seedlings away from healthy crops and treat them intensively.

How to treat tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings against pests?

Chemicals can be used to control spider mites. This is the most effective way, and in principle, it can also be used for seedlings. The main thing to remember is that insect eggs are more resistant to specialized products than healthy individuals. And it is recommended to process the bushes several times with a short break of a couple of days.

Using traditional methods

There are a lot traditional methods, allowing you to cope with spider mites using improvised means, various herbs and plants. Let's consider the main ones:

• For 5 liters of water, prepare 0.5 kg of crushed dry leaves and stems of black henbane. Leave the mixture to steep for 12 hours, then strain it and add 30 g of liquid soap. You can also use grated soap;
• You can also use black henbane fresh. To do this, you need to pour 3 kg of plants with a small amount boiled water and leave the infusion for 3 hours. As soon as everything has cooled, the composition must be filtered and water added to a volume of 10 liters;
• prepare 0.3 kg of crushed dandelion roots or 0.5 kg of fresh dandelion leaves. Fill everything with water at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees Celsius for three hours. After straining, the infusion can be used, and this is done at least three times: as soon as the first leaves of the seedlings appear, after flowering appears, and another two weeks after that;
• Garlic infusion performed well, for which you need to pour 0.5 kg of chopped garlic with 3 liters of water. It is recommended to infuse the composition for three days in a warm place. This will make a concentrated infusion. To spray 5 liters of water you will need only 50 g of it. Plus, before use, you need to add another 50 g of liquid soap to the solution.

A leaf affected by spider mites

It is recommended to spray tomato seedlings and other crops with such folk infusions and solutions only in the evening, when there is no scorching sun. Moreover, adding soap is done immediately before using the composition and helps to cope with cobwebs. There are many recipes when they contain poisonous plants. In this case, it is extremely important to follow the dosage of plants and herbs so as not to harm not only the plant itself, but also the person who is spraying.

If seedlings are to be planted open ground, you can plant dill next to the seedlings. It will actively help in pest control. And its blossoms will attract you ladybugs that they are happy to feast on spider mites.

Using special medications at home

Gardeners advise treating plants with gentle agents in the fight against spider mites, but if they do not give the desired result, you need to use specialized preparations. IN in this case It is worth spraying with Bitoxibacillin, or colloidal sulfur. When these options do not work, pay attention to the acaricide solution broad action– Aktellika, Omite, Neoron, Sunmite, Talstar, Flumite, Fufanon. You can also use drugs for...

Spider mites are a very dangerous pest that can lead to the death of seedlings. That is why it is recommended to carefully monitor your plants and immediately treat them with the necessary products when the first signs of disease appear. This will protect you from crop loss.

Such a seemingly small pest as the spider mite can easily destroy all the hopes of a summer resident, even for a minimal harvest of tomatoes, if he is allowed to settle in the garden bed with them. Moreover, it actually threatens not only tomatoes, but also many other crops. That is why, when this arachnid is detected, you should immediately begin to fight it.

What to do if spider mites have settled on tomato seedlings? It is this topic that is discussed in this article.

Signs of infection

The spider mite itself is a very small pest, which is quite difficult to identify visually. It overwinters both in the leaves left on the garden bed and along with the fruits or in the soil. In the spring, the period of active reproduction begins.

What does this scourge of the garden look like? Look at the offered photo:

Most often, the pest is found in greenhouses where seedlings are grown, so if you buy seedlings on the market, always inspect them carefully. In addition, summer residents who plant tomatoes in the same place for several years in a row often have problems with mites.

As previously mentioned, the pest prefers tomatoes, but will also not refuse peppers and eggplants if they are planted in contaminated soil. Moreover, once in open beds, the tick is ready to equally feast on almost any crop that comes across its path.

It is not difficult to identify an arachnid if you know exactly what signs indicate its presence in the country. They are as follows:

• areas are found on the foliage that have almost completely lost their natural color;
• small colorless dots also appear on it - over time they begin to dry;
• There is also a web, but there is very little of it and therefore it is almost impossible to notice the threads.

Preventive measures

It is extremely difficult to combat the pest in question, therefore maximum attention should be paid to preventive measures. To avoid the risk of infection of your beds, you must:

• carefully examine seedlings before purchasing;
• the one that you grow yourself must be irradiated with a UV lamp at least once every 7 days;
• When planting plants, maintain a clear distance between them (30 cm or more);
• constantly loosen the soil and weed out weeds;
• Having discovered diseased plants, do not hesitate to pull them out and destroy them by fire;
• after harvesting, rake leaves and other organic debris from the site;
• dig the soil deeply in the fall.

If you grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, do not forget:

• ventilate it;
• spray the seedlings with water (mites do not like high humidity);
• Place paper tape around the perimeter of the beds - the pest will not pass through it.

How to treat seedlings before planting? Be sure to spray it with Phosfamide.

Before planting seeds in seedling boxes, be sure to bake the soil in the oven (at least 3 minutes). As is known, individuals in suspended animation often remain in the soil.

The mite cannot tolerate phosphorus, which is why the soil where tomatoes are planted must be thoroughly fertilized with phosphate mixtures. Proper feeding It will, among other things, make the plants stronger.

To repel pests from planting tomatoes, you can plant the following crops nearby:

• basil;
• garlic;
• celery.

How to fight

The chemical method involves the use of toxic substances, in this case acaricides. Ready-made solutions needs to be sprayed:

• soil in the garden bed;
• all internal surfaces of greenhouses;
• the seedlings themselves.

What to poison specifically? There are several fairly reliable drugs:

• Flumite;
• Borneo;
• Oberon;
• Sunmite;
• Actellik.

There are many effective biological products on the market. The best are:

• Craft;
• Kleschevitis;
• Fitoverm;
• Akarin.

TO mechanical methods Pest control includes a complex of agrotechnical measures:

• regular loosening of the soil;
• weeding;
• pest collection;
• disinfection of the greenhouse and soil;
• planting crops for which mites are idiosyncratic.

Chemicals must be stopped 20 days before tomato harvest. Otherwise, pesticides will remain on the fruits, and they are dangerous not only for the tick, but also for people. If the plantation needs to be processed during the ripening process of tomatoes, it is better to choose a biological method.

Processing procedure

Spraying plants should be carried out in a protective suit. Don't forget about:

• respirator;
• glasses;
• rubber gloves.

Please pay attention to the following circumstance when choosing a pesticide: some of them effectively destroy only pest eggs, but have no effect on adult ticks.

For greenhouses, it is worth choosing preparations that have a mild odor and low toxicity. Due to the fact that spraying is carried out in a closed space, the effect will be as desired.

Folk remedies

These options for dealing with ticks are the safest, but not very effective. Therefore, you should not rely on them too much.

Henbane. The tincture of this plant is sprinkled on tomatoes once a week until harvest. It is not difficult to prepare the product, for this:

• 1 kilogram of fresh raw materials is poured with a bucket of water;
• stand for 12 hours;
• Dissolve a quarter of a piece of laundry soap in the finished tincture.

Dandelions. A tincture is also made from it. Here, for 10 liters you need to take 0.4 kilograms of freshly harvested plant. You need to insist for about 2 hours.