Causes of the web on pepper - how to save the crop

The web on pepper and yellowing leaves indicate that the crop is affected by a dangerous pest - a spider mite. It is necessary to fight with him promptly and using the most effective methods. Before you know what to do if a spider web has appeared on the pepper, we will understand what a spider mite is, how dangerous it is and what signs indicate its activity.

What does a spider mite look like and signs of pepper infection

It looks like a tiny insect similar to a spider. The color can be varied: milky transparent, yellow-green, orange or red. These pests settle mainly on the lower part of the leaves, but as they multiply, they can occupy the entire culture.
You can notice signs of infection of peppers with a spider mite by the characteristic marks on the foliage - small bright points and tiny crawling insects. After a short time, the spots increase and a spider web appears on the back of the leaves, in which young, actively developing colonies live. Further, the leaves on the pepper begin to completely turn yellow and dry out over time, as these insects feed on their juice, which causes the plant to wither. Part of the cells is destroyed, the area and speed of photosynthesis decreases, the culture weakens and becomes susceptible to various infections. First, the ticks eat all the leaves, then they move to the fruits.

Pests attack over 190 species of cultivated and wild plants, one of the favorite dishes is pepper, it is preferable to live in greenhouses than on open ground. These parasites multiply quite rapidly, therefore, shortly after infection of one of the plants, they spread to the entire greenhouse and can destroy the crop completely.

Important! Spider mite - a carrier of a large number of serious diseases dangerous to plants. It spreads spores of gray rot, viral infections of agricultural and ornamental crops.

How does a spider mite reproduce?

The female insect is very active and can lay up to 400 eggs in its life. In the most favorable conditions (25-30 degrees of heat and humidity 35-60%), for example, in greenhouses, they give up to 20 generations, the life expectancy of these pests is up to 50 days. Females steadfastly survive even the most severe winters. Tick ​​eggs have a high viability - up to 5 years.

Ticks fall into the greenhouse in several ways, a person can bring them on his clothes, on garden tools and seedlings. If this happens, it is necessary to quickly take measures to destroy them.

Attention! Ticks can lay thousands of eggs while you are about to begin hostilities. Therefore, treatment from these insects must be done without delay and regularly. And do not stop fighting until 100% of the population is exterminated. If only a few individuals remain, then the pests will soon breed again.

Pest control methods

The fight against spider mites is a difficult task, since many methods that work well on other insects are ineffective with respect to ticks. These parasites are characterized by increased survivability and adaptation to any conditions and substances used for their extermination. But still there are a number of measures that can be applied to get rid of this type of pests on pepper.

The destruction of detected insects is carried out by spraying peppers with special preparations that need to be carried out at least once every two weeks. If the spread of insects has reached a serious scale, it is permissible to spray more often.

Folk remedies

It is important to understand that the use of alternative methods does not contribute to the complete destruction of the spider mite, but serves only to deter insects, but the safety of the means used is a significant plus.

So, what can you handle pepper entangled in cobwebs:

• Use colloidal sulfur in a proportion of 80 grams per bucket of water, process pepper leaves with this solution, or spray ground sulfur on plants, but not more than four grams per square meter of plantings;
• Prepare a solution of laundry soap with water. It is good to wash them with a sponge all the leaves of plants, paying special attention to places with damage. This helps to reduce the number of pests and removes cobwebs that protect insects from the effects of drugs from ticks. Only peppers can be processed in this way!
• A good method to combat this pest is to use its natural enemies - phytosailus or amblyseius, which are predatory mites and prey on spider mites. To do this, it will be enough to put a few leaves with the "hunters" near the infected plants or in the greenhouse. You can buy these ticks in special nurseries, where they will tell you in detail the technology of application and the effectiveness of this method.

If the above methods did not bring the desired result, it is necessary to use more stringent chemicals that have a toxic effect.

Pest Control Products

In specialized stores, there are a number of high-quality products that are suitable for controlling spider mites on peppers. The effectiveness of such procedures depends on the degree of infection of the plants:

• Plant-Pin helps kill insects in a short time. It comes in the form of sticks that stick into the soil next to the stems of plants, which is very convenient. After watering, the drug begins to dissolve and poison the ticks, its effect is noticeable already three days after treatment. Protection of vegetables lasts up to one and a half months after the start of use.
• Actellik is a very effective tool, they should be treated with a bandage and gloves, as it can have a toxic effect on humans. Pour the contents of one ampoule into one and a half liters of water, mix, pour the resulting solution into a container with a spray bottle and spray the damaged pepper leaves well. When the drug enters the digestive tract of spider mites, they poison and die. Actellic acts from four to eight hours after treatment.
  

  A warning! Within 3-4 days after using the product, the fruits of the treated plants should not be eaten, in the future they must be thoroughly washed before eating.

• Apollo - the effect of the drug extends directly to the larvae and eggs of the spider mite, and also the drug inhibits the reproduction of adults. Apollo activity lasts up to seven days after treatment.
• Fitoverm is a low-toxic drug for humans and animals and has a plant base, however, pests can adapt to it quickly, therefore, strict observance of the instructions for use is necessary. The greatest effect of the use of this tool is achieved in the initial stages of infection.
• Other modern drugs - BI-58, Vermitek, Aktofit, Flumayt help to deal with a dangerous pest. The drug Antikleshch has proven itself well - it is relatively inexpensive and is great for use in greenhouses.

When carrying out all the manipulations, it is important to observe safety precautions, use disposable gloves, which you must throw away later, protective clothing and a mask. Wash your hands thoroughly, since any of the above products has high toxicity and can harm human health.

Remember that in combating this type of insect, a comprehensive approach is important, because they are able to adapt to the drug that you use constantly, even if this tool first time proved to be effective in combating ticks, this does not mean that with subsequent treatments it will be possible to achieve same result.

Recommendation! In the event that you tried several different ways to combat the spider mite, and the result is negative, you should call professionals who will definitely destroy the parasites and find the true cause of the problem.

Preventative measures

In order to protect vegetables, a number of preventive measures must be applied:

• Along the perimeter of the beds with pepper or a whole plot to plant calendula and velvet. These plants with their pungent odor scare away many types of pests;
• Calendula and marigolds can also be dried, brewed in a proportion of 400 grams of inflorescences per two liters of water and infused for three days in a dark room, then diluted with water to a volume of four liters, add 40 grams of laundry soap and spray peppers with this decoction to scare away the tick;
• As a prophylactic, Nim tree oil is considered effective. It destroys bacteria and perfectly strengthens the immunity of plants;
• You need to constantly examine peppers and when you find leaves with characteristic damage, they need to be torn off and burned;
• It is recommended to alternate the planting of peppers with tomatoes in order to avoid the rapid spread of insects, because ticks multiply harder on tomatoes and often prefer other crops;
• In autumn, carefully remove fallen leaves and twigs from the site;
• Timely eliminate weeds, especially from greenhouses, it is on them that spider mites often winter;
  
• The distance between plants should not be less than a meter, so it will be difficult for the insect to move;
• It is necessary to carry out regular maintenance, watering peppers, mulching and loosening the soil;
• It is important to feed peppers on time, on strong, stable seedlings, the tick appears less often;
• In open areas, you can massively plant the fungus entomoftor Adjara. It helps to completely exterminate the pest;
• After the last harvest, the earth must be dug up and treated with acaricides. This will stop the resettlement of arachnids.
• Disinfect all greenhouse constructions by fumigating with sulfur or spraying with bleach.

Although the struggle with the spider mite on pepper is a complex and lengthy process, this does not mean that the battle will be lost. The main thing is not to give up, to act correctly, not sparing the pests of your crop. And preventive measures will help prevent ticks from multiplying on vegetable crops.