Effective methods of combating spider mites on a rose

One of the most common pests, which is able to infect both garden and indoor plants, is a spider mite. This small arachnid attacks berry and fruit trees, it settles on grapes and mercilessly destroys decorative shrubs and flowers. His favorite plants include a rose. Moreover, he can parasitize both on its climbing species and on bush species. Start up spider mite on a rose quite often and as a result, this beautiful flower begins to weaken, loses its leaves and becomes much more susceptible to various diseases.

Pest Description

The size of the spider mite is so small that it is quite difficult to detect it with the naked eye on a rose. On closer inspection, it will look like a tiny moving grain of sand.

On a note! And, most likely, it will be just the female, since the males are even smaller!

Spider mites always live in numerous colonies - about a hundred or more individuals. And the main sign of their appearance on the plant will be the thinnest web, located on the lower surface of the leaf, and under it - small parasites.
If we consider the structure of the adult spider mite with a multiple increase, we can find that its body is oval and has eight walking limbs, only six of them in larvae. The body size of the female is about 0.4-0.6 mm, the male is 0.3-0.4 mm. The integument is soft, the upper part of the body is somewhat convex, the lower is flat. Individuals arriving at the larval stage of development have transparent covers, the color of which can be from light green to greenish brown. On the sides are distinct dark spots. Wintering female spider mites become orange-red or bright red at the end of summer and retain this color until the spring of next year.

Features of life

Quite great difficulties in combating the spider mite on roses arise at a time when all plants have rich green foliage, since it is it that is the main source of food for these pests. If the fall does not properly clean the garden and remove the fallen leaves, the parasite will settle in it for the winter and successfully survive the cold.

On a note! That is why it is necessary to clean and burn leaf litter regularly. Thus, you can destroy spider mites and pathogens of various fungal diseases!

With the advent of spring, a spider mite wakes up, gets out of its shelter and rushes to juicy young shoots. By summer, the number of colonies increases significantly - the larvae have a huge amount of food for normal development, and adult individuals multiply actively. Moreover, the formation of the parasite takes an extremely short period of time - with an abundance of food in just a week, the larva turns into a mature mite.

Causes of infection

Where does the spider mite on rose bushes come from? It, as a rule, is simply brought by the wind, and most often this happens in dry weather.Dusty conditions are created in which the parasite first falls on plants located along the extreme line of the garden. Moreover, it can be trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants.

With each subsequent stream of wind, spider mites spread throughout the garden, and if roses grow in it, then the parasites will surely end up on them. And if at the same time the rose bushes do not receive proper care, they become much more susceptible to infection by these pests. But there is good news - birds, sudden cooling and rainy weather help to slightly reduce the number of colonies. However, these factors are unable to completely solve the problem.

As for the infection of roses that grow in the apartment, the main reason in this case is a warm, dry climate. And if spider mites were brought into such a room, for example, on new plants, then they will certainly remain and, under favorable conditions, will hastily multiply.

On a note! The spider mite's life span is relatively short - about a month and a half, but only the female during this time will have time to lay a hundred or two eggs, from which new individuals will hatch and continue to destroy your roses!

The result of spider mite activity

With a small number of pests, they will not bother much, however, if the ambient temperature is high for a long time, spider mites will very quickly breed and after a while they will damage the rose pretty much. Since they feed on the juices of plants, they quickly deplete and as a result, instead of strengthening their root system, they throw all their energy into replenishing nutrients. Foliage begins to gradually become covered with black dots, then turns yellow and falls off.

Often, a spider mite settles not only on the leaves, but also on the stem and buds. A thin web with moving tiny grains of sand beneath it will also be found in these places. And if you do not take the necessary control measures in time, then you can lose most of the rose bushes.

On a note! Spider mites are the most dangerous for young seedlings. And if the harm from the parasite is aggravated by a dry climate and scarce watering, then young roses will not even have time to form healthy buds!

Methods of struggle

You can get rid of a tick on a rose both with the help of acaricides, and resorting to folk remedies. The choice of drug should always be based on the degree of infection.

Chemicals

In the fight against spider mites with a large number of colonies, it is customary to use modern tools, which are acaricides. These funds are divided into two groups: specific acaricides and insectoacaricides. The former work exclusively against spider mites. Such drugs may have a different chemical composition, but they all exhibit contact activity. The latter destroy both the spider mite and other pests that live on roses. Consider the most popular acaricides in more detail.

• "Actellik" is a preparation from the organophosphorus group, characterized by intestinal-contact action. The active substance is pyrimiphosmethyl. "Actellik" provides reliable protection against parasites for 1-2 weeks. And in order to achieve a positive result, it is recommended that the treatment be performed twice - the second 7 days after the first. It is not suitable for use in domestic conditions, as it is quite toxic, but in open air conditions it shows very good efficiency. To prepare the working solution, the contents of one ampoule (2 ml) must be diluted in a liter of water. The finished product is sprayed over the aerial parts of the affected plants, paying particular attention to the lower surface of the leaves.
• "Apollo" - destroys spider mites, when they are in the phase of eggs, larvae and nymphs, sterilizes adults, which is why they lose their ability to reproduce.Its active ingredient is clofentesin. Apollo provides plant protection for a long time: from 2 to 3 months. Processing should also be carried out twice. If necessary, you can additionally use compounds from the same group. To prepare the working fluid, the contents of one ampoule (2 ml) are diluted in five liters of water.
• "Floromayt" - the main active component of this drug is bifenazate. It destroys a pest that is in the active stage of its development, and it shows activity quite quickly - after a couple of hours after treatment, the parasites lose their ability to damage plants. Maximum efficiency is observed after 3-4 days and lasts about three weeks. Spraying is carried out twice with a weekly interval. The working solution is prepared from 2 ml of the drug, diluted in five liters of water.
  

  Important! Before you begin to use the means of "Floromayt" carefully read the instructions, since if used improperly, parasites will quickly develop resistance!

• "Fitoverm" - this drug is a biological insectoacaricide of intestinal contact action. Based on the natural complex of soil fungus Stereptomyces avermitilis. Allowed for use indoors. To obtain a positive result, it is advisable to conduct 3-4 treatments at weekly intervals. To prepare the working fluid, 2.5 ml of the drug is diluted in 1.25 liters of water.

However, it should be remembered that with frequent use of drugs with a wide spectrum of action, the situation can be aggravated. This is due to the fact that such tools destroy other insects, including those that are natural enemies of the spider mite. In addition, with repeated spraying of roses with insecticides based on pyrethrins and phosphates on the leaf surface, the nitrogen concentration increases, which is only beneficial for this pest.

Important! In order to prevent the development of immunity to insecticide in parasites, it must be changed from time to time. Only here it is important to change not the name of the drug, but the active substance!

Folk remedies

Sometimes it is possible to get rid of a tick on a rose with the help of folk recipes, which can be based both on essential oils and alkaloids, and other natural compounds. Processing with such solutions must be carried out at least three times with an interval of five to seven days.

• Infusion of garlic. To prepare it, you need to chop a pound of garlic and pour three liters of water. After 5 days of insisting in a warm place, the product is filtered and diluted with water - 55-60 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water. 50 g of laundry soap are added to the finished solution and used to spray plants and soil.
• Infusion of black bleached. Grind a kilo of dry raw materials and pour 10 liters of water. We leave it warm for 12 hours, after which we filter and introduce 40-45 g of laundry soap. We carefully treat the infected rose bushes with the finished preparation.
• Soap mite helps with spider mites. The crushed laundry soap is diluted in water to get a lot of foam, and the leaves and stems are treated with the finished solution. Wipe the plant better with a soft sponge. As for soil cultivation, it is very important to observe moderation - it is necessary to spray the soil carefully, just a few drops. Otherwise, the root system will be damaged, and the roses will simply dry after a week.

Prevention

Preventing the appearance of a spider mite on roses is much easier than after fighting their invasion. Preventive measures are extremely simple:

• regularly check the lower surface of the leaves and, before using any drugs, make sure that you are dealing with a spider mite;
• each new copy should be quarantined for a couple of weeks - away from your greenhouse, and only after that, if there are no signs of infection on the flower, it can be placed next to other plants;
• try to maintain optimal soil and air humidity - such conditions are unattractive for spider mites, and even if several pests are wound up, humidity will prevent their active reproduction;
• besides roses spider mites love orchids, and this circumstance must be taken into account when arranging plants;
• remove fallen leaves in time and do not allow them to accumulate under the bushes;
• for prevention, it’s good to use the same soapy solution, only in this case they should regularly wipe the windowsills and shelves on which the plants are located, as well as the trays and pots themselves.

Observing all the above rules, you can protect your roses from being infected with a spider mite and enjoy the healthy look of your charming “pets” every day.