Spider mite is one of the most common plant pests. This, like all pests, is a fairly small insect. The female is larger and reaches a length of about 0.5 mm. The male spider mite is smaller and thinner, it is only up to 0.4 millimeters in length.
When creating adverse conditions for the development of this insect, females can go into diapause for a long time. After the onset of a favorable situation, they again begin to feed on the sap of the plant and actively lay new larvae. Gradually, the females change color and become almost invisible on plants. Under normal conditions, females are approximately three times more than males.
The female can lay eggs on both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves. The most intensive spider mite reproduces at an air temperature close to 30 degrees. After the onset of a significant drop in temperature, which occurs in the fall, ticks can migrate to weeds. Throughout the year, from 6 to 10 generations of this pest can develop.
Typically, females go to diapause when the daylight hours are reduced to 14 or less hours. They usually hibernate under various plant debris or in the upper layers of the soil.
The spider mite can spread in various ways. For example, it can be carried by an animal or a person, and also it is carried by the wind or moves independently.
Usually ticks affect both indoor plants and various vegetable crops. First, this type of pest settles on the lower leaves, but gradually moves upward, to younger shoots, flowers, and then to the fruits. If the density of the spider mite is very high, then the plant may die. But usually the presence of this pest leads to a decrease in yield or a general weakening of the plant.
The main signs of the presence of a spider mite on the plant are the appearance on the lower side of the leaves of dark brown or black spots - these are the excrement of this insect. On the upper part of the leaf, small spots usually appear, which have a yellowish color. The discoloration of the fallen leaf gradually occurs, it becomes covered with cobwebs, and then falls off. On the remaining web, ticks migrate to other parts of the plant.
Spider mite on a room rose
If the air in the room is very dry and has a high temperature, this creates favorable conditions for the appearance of ticks on a room rose. Settling on this plant, a colony of ticks quickly sucks the juice from the leaves, and they gradually fall off. To prevent the appearance of ticks, especially during the period of active vegetation, it is recommended to constantly monitor the influx of fresh air into the room where the rose is located, as well as to periodically spray the leaves. It is also necessary that the room has humid air. With insufficient moisture, it is necessary to carry out artificial moisturizing and irrigation of indoor plants, which it is recommended to do.
If the spider mite on roses still appears, then you should spray the leaves with a warm solution, the temperature of which should be about 50 degrees. The solution is prepared very simply: about 20 grams of liquid soap is taken per liter of water. For the same purpose, you can use infusions of various plants, for example, onions or garlic. If a single spraying did not give the desired result, then it is necessary to carry out it again. If alternative methods of combating this pest are ineffective, then chemical agents can be used, one of them is neoron. It is necessary to carry out two to three sprayings with an interval of 5-7 days. It is necessary to free the plant from the spider mite before it enters the dormant period. If you leave ticks to winter on the plant, then in the spring they will again begin to damage it.