How to deal with a tick on strawberries

Twisted leaves, a whitish bloom, the appearance of cobwebs on berry bushes may indicate that a tick appeared on strawberries. Breeders bred a lot of varieties resistant to arachnids. However, many beloved Victoria, Gigantella, Borovitskaya and others are often attacked by arachnids. There are many ways to deal with strawberry mites, from grandmother's recipes to modern biologics. But if you ignore the pest, that is, the risk is not only to remain without a crop, but also to lose plantings in a short time.

Biological portrait of a pest

A thorough look at the appearance of the pest will help a photo of a strawberry tick on strawberries. Due to its microscopic size, even through optical instruments it is not always possible to discern this living creature. The sizes of the largest individuals do not exceed 230 microns. The pest is also called strawberry transparent mite. And this is no accident. The vitreous body is covered with a translucent coating, creating additional masking. In females, it may be white or yellowish.

Like everyone ticks, in adults, 4 pairs of limbs, so it is a mistake to call them insects. Mostly fertilized females hibernate, hiding in stems, leaves, stipules, at the base of the stem. As soon as the air warms up to + 13 ° С, they leave their shelters. The primary task of females is to give the development of a new population. They masonry pearl-white ellipsoid eggs into only full-blown young leaves.

On a note!

In the spring, the development of the embryo takes 10 days, in the summer at a temperature above + 26 ° C - only 3-4.

Hatching larvae settle on the leaves of strawberries on the underside and on the soil near the stems, which is why the pest received an additional name - earth mite. Young growth starts feeding, sheds three times and becomes sexually mature. In the spring this process lasts 5-7 days, in the summer –36 hours.

The maximum population growth is observed in the second half of summer, which coincides with the formation of buds on strawberries. Unlike spider mite, this arachnid is very fond of moisture and a rainy summer does not reduce the number of pests. A moisture index below 60% has a detrimental effect on the herbivorous parasite.

Signs of Strawberry Mite and the Harm

To understand that this pest liked the berry bushes by the appearance of the plants:

• a delay in the development of mite-damaged leaves, the appearance of a silver coating on the underside;
• leaf blades turn yellow, dry prematurely or rot;
• with mild infection, dwarfism, deformation, curly leaves are noted;
• drying of berries.

In addition to the growth lag in the affected bushes, the yield and frost resistance are reduced, which leads to the death of plants in the winter.

A tick on strawberries, strawberries most often appears after the acquisition of infected planting material.Due to the tiny size, arachnids are not adapted to overcome long distances and are carried by humans. The vehicle is inventory, shoes.

On a note!

It provokes the development of the strawberry mite population by crowding of plantings, the choice of an excessively shaded and moist place for a berry, irregular cultivation, and irregularities in crop rotation.

What to do when a pest appears

Strawberry mite control measures are a set of agrotechnical measures, the use of acaricidal, folk remedies, biological products, thermal methods.

1. In March, clear berry plantations of plant debris. They must be burned or sent to a compost pit, but only after disinfection.
2. It is recommended to process strawberries from ticks in the spring with hot water (50-60 ° C). It is necessary to water every bush. This will destroy the overwintered individuals in the soil and the plant itself. When the soil dries, they begin loosening and hilling. You can spray the bushes with Bordeaux liquid.

   

3. Seedlings also need disinfection. Planting material is immersed in water at 45-48 ° C for 10-15 minutes. After that, it is cooled in another container at a water temperature of 15-20 ° C.
4. One of the safest methods of control is the sharing of ticks with amblyseus and phytoseyulus. The latter is most productive at a humidity of 65%. Each individual per day kills up to 20 pests of all stages of development. Useful ticks can be launched at any stage of strawberry vegetation, even during flowering. The disadvantage of this method lies in the difficulty of acquiring bioagents and their high cost - approximately 5000 rubles per capacity with 2000 mites.
5. In the autumn, the aerial part of the berry bushes is mowed, followed by liquidation.
6. Heavily infected plantations are subject to plowing.
7. Strawberry mite is controlled by special means. The most effective are highly specialized drugs - acaricidal, the formula of which was developed for the destruction of arachnids. One of them Anti-tick, Tick-borne.

Strawberry tick preparations

When choosing a remedy, it is necessary to take into account the phase of vegetation. Not everyone acaricides can process strawberries during flowering. During this period, biologics are used, which are low toxic, do not harm pollinators, useful entomofauna. List of effective remedies:

• Colloidal sulfur - a means to combat fungal diseases on plants. However, according to reviews, it inhibits the growth of the strawberry tick population well. It is forbidden to use during flowering, at temperatures above 35 ° C, together with other pesticides. The optimal period for processing is during budding. Bushes are pollinated with sulfur several times. The price of a bag of 30 g is 40 rubles.
• Fufanon Expert - insecticide in the form of an aqueous emulsion. Available in five liter cans. Price 740 rub. The death of a strawberry tick is noted 40 minutes after strawberry processing.
• Clipper KE - a means for the destruction of ticks and other strawberry pests. Protective properties last for 15-20 days. Price for 1 liter - 2550 p.

  

• Karbofos (30 rubles) - a remedy based on malathion. It is characterized by short-term action - no more than 2 weeks, an unpleasant odor. Effective against adults and larvae, does not affect eggs. It is recommended to fight with a tick on strawberries Karbofos in the fall. After mowing the leaves with a warm solution, carefully water each outlet, and then cover with a film for 4-5 hours.
• Omight - is available in the form of an emulsion or powder. Does not lose its properties for 3-4 weeks. The result of application is noticeable for 2-3 days. Resistant to moisture, ultraviolet, has good penetration through wax coating. Safe for beneficial insects, bees. Berries should not be consumed within 20 days after treatment. The cost of a bottle of 2 ml is 35 rubles.
• Neoron is an effective remedy against herbivorous ticks.The components of the drug do not penetrate into the tissues of plants, are safe for the surrounding beneficial entomofauna, therefore, the use of Neoron is allowed during the flowering of strawberries. The result is noticeable in the first two days, prolonged action lasts 3-4 decades. You can get rid of strawberry ticks in one procedure.

Important!

Before using preparations from the spider mite, it is necessary to carefully study the instructions. Strawberry processing is carried out in goggles, a respirator, a work suit.

Folk remedies

The advantage of folk remedies is their complete safety. You can not worry about the penetration of toxic substances into the berries. According to gardeners, the following recipes are recognized as the most effective:

• Grind 100 g of peeled garlic in a convenient way, pour 5 liters of water and insist in a place protected from the sun for 4 days. Each bush is watered with 0.5 liters of the resulting infusion and covered with a film for 2-3 hours.
• Pour 200 g of onion peel with warm water. After 4-5 days, strain, pour into a spray bottle and spray strawberries. It is not recommended to use during the ripening period of berries.

  

• Take tar soap and soda ash in an amount of 50 g of each component, add 10 l of water, mix thoroughly. Handle planting strawberries.
• Ammonium chloride - nitrogen top dressing is often used to combat rot. But the pungent smell can eliminate strawberry ticks. Mix 40 ml of ammonia, 10 l of water and 50 g of liquid soap and use to spray strawberry bushes. It is strongly not recommended to carry out processing during harvesting, as well as in buried soil.

Preventive actions

To avoid the appearance of strawberry mites, it is recommended:

1. Carefully select planting material.
2. Follow the landing pattern.
3. Periodically change the location of berry bushes.
4. Do not neglect loosening the soil, applying fertilizing.

Varieties of medium and high resistance to strawberry mites are characterized by: Zenga-Zengana, Bogotá, Mount Everest, Zarya, Kokinskaya early, Kulon, Festivalnaya.