How to deal with spider mites on raspberries?

It is believed that prevention is the best solution against the occurrence of insects and other pests on bushes with raspberries. However, preventive measures can not always protect plants from the appearance of a spider mite on them. This pest can cause serious damage to crops, it is very important to get rid of it in time, using modern and safe drugs. Also, in order to defeat the parasite on horticultural crops, it is very important to know what it looks like.

The spider mite is a small arthropod of a reddish or greenish hue, it is rather difficult to see it without a magnifying glass, the tick reaches no more than 0.6 mm in length, if we talk about females, males are usually half the size. Large colonies of this pest are especially noticeable.

The cobweb that this parasite leaves behind on plants is the easiest to notice, especially on foliage or on fruits, it can almost always be seen.

The spider mite is very unpretentious. If he settled on raspberries, after a while he will be able to appear on nearby bushes, trees and flowers. Moreover, he is especially fond of plants growing in a greenhouse.

The spider mite is ubiquitous; it is absent only in Antarctica. It feeds on the juices of a variety of plants, and is indiscriminate in its diet. Therefore, in addition to raspberries, it can also spoil the grapes in the garden and various fruit trees.

By absorbing juices from leaves and fruits, spider mites seem to suck life out of plants. They begin to slowly turn yellow and fade. If you do not take action in time, even in one season, the offspring of a spider mite will be able to destroy a whole bush of a plant.

Another danger of this pest is that it carries on itself a variety of diseases that can hurt plants in the presence of a tick. Very often these are fungal, viral and various kinds of bacterial diseases.

If a spider mite parasitizes on raspberry bushes, then they very quickly shed their leaves, grow slowly, small parasites can be noticeable on the back side (resemble small reddish or green dots), specks of a brownish tint may begin to appear on the leaves.

The most common cause of infestation of raspberry bushes in the garden is themselves. Very often, unscrupulous sellers do not carry out the prescribed treatment of plants, selling them already infected. If, when choosing a seedling, cobwebs or various spots (from white to dark shade) are noticeable on the leaves, it is best to refuse it and choose another one.

It is important to know that mites are very often hibernating in purchased soil. For some time they may not appear, as they say, until favorable conditions arise for them.

The best method for this is calcination under the influence of a hot temperature.

Tick ​​eggs can be carried by birds, insects, as well as humans. Ticks can be easily brought home from an infected vegetable garden, where they will safely begin to settle down on domestic plants.

The spider mite is especially often activated on raspberry bushes in hot and dry weather.

It is not always possible to get rid of a spider mite the first time, however, if a parasite is found, this can and should be done as soon as possible.

To get rid of ticks, only special acaricidal preparations are used.

In addition to chemicals, there are also biological agents, but they take effect after a few hours.

Folk remedies are often powerless against the spider mite, but if the pest is not yet so much, then you can try spraying with decoctions and tinctures on herbal ingredients. But it is better to use them for preventive purposes.

• One of the proven remedies not only against ticks, but also against other pests on remontant raspberries is an infusion of garlic. Many parasites simply do not tolerate its smell if the plant is well sprayed with it. To obtain the infusion, you need to mix 100-150 grams of grated garlic with 1 liter of water. Insist the resulting product - at least 5-7 days. Usually 10 ml of the resulting infusion is diluted in two liters of water, since it is quite concentrated.
• Another proven remedy for bothersome mites is vinegar. A tablespoon of vinegar is diluted in five liters of water. The resulting solution is wiped with raspberry leaves or sprayed completely.
• You can also use ammonia in the fight against the pest. A tablespoon is diluted in 10 liters of water, and then leaves are cleaned with it from all sides.

Before starting the complex treatment of mite-affected raspberries:

• to begin with, it is very important to cut off all affected branches and leaves from it;
• then a chemical should be used that will kill all mature ticks;
• after 10-14 days, the treatment should be repeated, since during this time a new colony of parasites could have emerged.

After basic procedures, the plant should be kept healthy.

In order not to have to fight the spider mite, you can try to prevent its appearance.

Any new seedlings, especially those bought from a dubious seller, are important not to plant for a while or not to put them next to permanent plants in the garden. You should observe for some time whether the plant is infected. Otherwise, half a garden will have to be treated. In addition, on the purchased raspberry seedlings, in addition to the tick, there are other parasites no less infectious for garden, fruit and vegetable crops.

It is important to observe a set of agrotechnical measures specially developed by professionals for caring for shrubs with raspberries. It is important to observe optimal watering of plants, do not forget about mulching, feeding, as well as timely prevention, especially in the spring and after harvest. It is known that many insects weaken raspberries, and therefore spider mites often appear on them. It is also very important to remove weeds from raspberries in time. All this must be done constantly.

If raspberries are grown in a greenhouse, it is very important to ensure constant air circulation and optimal temperature conditions in it., in this case, it will be possible to avoid the appearance of a spider mite, which feels especially comfortable in greenhouses. It is most difficult to remove it from there, since dozens of bushes can be infected in a very short time.

You can learn more about the methods of dealing with spider mites in the next video.