How to get rid of spider mites on houseplants

Often, indoor plants begin to die for no apparent reason. Moreover, all the conditions and care for them does not change. If this happens, it is likely that a pest that is very difficult to detect is acting - a spider mite. It infects plants and feeds on them until they die. But you can easily get rid of it.

What is this parasite

A spider mite is a small spider of brown, gray, red or green color. In size, it usually reaches 0.5 mm. If you look at this parasite through a magnifying glass, you can easily notice that it has four pairs of legs, and the whole body is covered with tiny bristles.

The habitat of a spider is home plants, which it often wraps with its web. At the same time the web can be in a small amount and it is rather difficult to find it. Some species of spider mites practically do not produce spider webs.Mite causes serious damage to plants, as it feeds on sap of leaves. To do this, the insect gnaws through them and sucks all the contents. They also come with flowers. Naturally, such a damaged plant cannot get enough nutrition and eventually dies.

Spiders multiply very quickly and are able to infect all houseplants in the house as soon as possible. The period from egg laying to the development of adult representatives of the species does not exceed 15 days. Only moisture and low temperature slow down their growth. Poor mites and high temperatures. Therefore, in the hot summer and in the winter, they most often hide somewhere indoors.

Where did they come from

If there are houseplants in the house, it means that you need to be prepared to fight spider mites. A natural question arises, how do they appear? There are several ways. The first is the purchase of an already infected plant in a store. Experienced growers usually place them in quarantine for several weeks, that is, they are placed separately from the rest. If no pests are found, the plant can be safely transferred.

The second way is the street.In the risk zone of the apartment on the lower floors, as spider mites can easily fly from the trees. The same applies to plants that are on the balcony. And the third way is the most interesting. As is known, these insects from time to time hibernate and therefore can easily spend this time in the ground. And mite eggs can easily be in this state for about 5 years. As soon as the temperature changes, that is, it becomes warm, they wake up. And attack the plants around them. Therefore, even the soil in the flowerpot may already be infected with them.

How to detect

Obvious signs of infection appear even when the mites have long destroyed the plant. Leaves begin to fall off, the flower dries, etc. Therefore, from time to time you should inspect your indoor plants. If they are infected, then:

• yellow spots and holes will appear on the leaves;
• their color and structure may change;
• white lumps of cobwebs may appear at the base of the stem and on the leaves.

You can determine the presence of parasites using a regular sheet of paper. It is placed under the plant and slightly shake the bush. If there are ticks, then a small amount will be on paper.More than any other houseplants, spider mites love mint, miniature roses, jasmine, begonias and berry bushes. Two-spotted mites, which are considered the most dangerous, affect almost all types of ornamental plants.

Methods of struggle

There are many ways that help save your favorite plants from destruction. They are conventionally divided into chemical methods, folk and biological. You can apply these methods in combination, depending on the number of pests.

One time is not enough, because eggs are very difficult to destroy. But if this is not done, new insects will soon appear. Therefore, it is better to repeat the procedure in a few days. Chemical methods are to use special agents against insects, that is, insectoacaricides and acaracides. The most effective among them are:

1. Actellic. This tool kills ticks very quickly. But it is quite toxic and therefore is used only in the case when other methods do not work.
2. Fitoverm. Insektoakaritsid perfectly kills not only ticks, but most other insects.It is less toxic than the first, but when using it, it is still necessary to apply certain protective measures.
3. Neoron. This drug should be used if the mites have already laid eggs. As practice shows, one application is not always enough to destroy them all. But two or three is usually enough.
4. Aktara. This is an insecticide, and they rarely help in the destruction of arachnids. But it is this tool that is often recommended by many flower growers, arguing that it kills also spider mites.

If the pests on the plant a little, you can safely apply folk methods. There are not so many effective recipes, but the main thing is that they are all harmless to humans. This is a big plus, especially if children live in an apartment.

Folk methods of dealing with spider mites

Laundry soap. If not, you can take any other, but the economic is still better. Infected plants should be well lather, best in the bathroom. The stem, leaves and flowers should be in a lather. You also need to wash the pot and pan. It is important to ensure that the soap solution does not get into large quantities in the soil, as it is harmful to the flower.It is not necessary to wash off the foam from it, on the contrary, it should be left so for several hours. But not longer, otherwise the plant will die. The essence of the procedure is that the foam dries out and the plant stops “breathing”. And with it, and mites. After the foam is washed off, it is necessary to cover the plant for a day with the usual package, without waiting for it to dry. Increased humidity will kill the remaining insects.

Medical alcohol. They need to wipe the leaves and stems of the plant. This method is suitable only for “thick-skinned” plants that alcohol does not harm. For example, for ficus or dieffenbachia. In addition, medical alcohol does not help in the fight against spider mite eggs.

Garlic or onion peel. First you need to take 1-2 heads of garlic and chop them. Then pour a liter of water and insist for 5 days. Dilute in a 1 to 1 ratio and spray the plants. 100 gr. husks need 5 liters of water.

Cinnamon stone This is a natural pesticide that is made on the basis of cinnamon oil. It is best to apply for several weeks, treating the plant every 2-3 days. He practically does not destroy eggs, but he copes well with adults.

Biological method of dealing with spider mites
Under the biological method means a method, quite unusual, but very effective. And most importantly, it is also absolutely safe for people and pets. The point is to fight spider mites with the help of their own enemies. That is the same ticks, only predators that eat herbivores. This is amblyseius and phytoseiulus. You can buy them at any specialty store or garden center.

Then everything is simple - you need to release the "monsters" in the pot, where spider mites live. And they immediately begin to look for food. During the day, one predatory mite easily eats up to 5 adults or about 10 eggs. As soon as predators destroy all pests, they die. Therefore, to repeat the procedure will have to acquire new ones.

Prevention

After destroying the pest, it is necessary to properly handle the place where the plant stood. Sill better disinfected with alcohol, wash curtains, etc. And even if the neighboring flowers are healthy, they should also be processed. When buying a new soil, it is better to steam or fry it to reduce the likelihood of plant contamination.

From time to time, it is necessary to carry out prevention using popular methods.Otherwise, infection can not be avoided. But, as a rule, it is not worth doing this in winter and summer, as the spider mites can hide and hibernate. Infection can be avoided by increasing the humidity of the air near the plant with the help of a special humidifier. It is important to constantly monitor the cleanliness, removing dried and fallen leaves.

In order not to use strong and harmful ways of dealing with ticks, you need to constantly monitor your indoor plants. The harm they receive from these insects can be much more serious than it seems at first glance. Therefore, no prophylaxis is necessary.

Video: how to deal with spider mite