Many gardeners, unfortunately, are faced with one of the main pests of cucumbers - the spider mite. This small, barely visible insect can do huge harm to cucumbers in the greenhouse, reducing their harvest by more than half. And although it is not easy to get rid of it, there are still methods of struggle that have been successfully tested by many summer residents and farmers.

Who is a spider mite and how does it look

A spider mite is a small representative of arthropods from the class of arachnids of the tick family, which has an almost oval body 0.2–1 mm long. At the same time, males are much smaller than females. The body of the insects is covered with a structured cuticle that forms folds, dots or tubercles.

The color of ticks varies from very light to yellow-green with internal organs that are visible on the back. In anticipation of winter colds, adult females acquire an orange or red hue. There are species with bright scarlet color.On the thin legs of the ticks there is a claw device that helps them cling to the leaves. The arachnid oral apparatus is adapted to pierce the surface of plants and suck out the internal juice.

Important! The active development of spider mites contributes to a dry and hot atmosphere. Under such conditions, the time period from an egg to an adult takes only 5 days.

Most species of ticks wait the winter in the form of eggs in the soil or compost collected. At the beginning of the new season, when the air warms up to + 15 ° C, small six-legged larvae appear from the eggs. For several days they feed on young greenery, after which they lie in a shelter and molt nymphs into the first stage. Nymphs go through two more stages of molting, after which they become sexually mature adult spider mites. The pest easily spreads through the territory, spreading by air currents with fragments of its web.

Signs and main causes of defeat

The spider mite loves potatoes, strawberries, radishes, celery, gourds and others, but if there are cucumbers planted on the farm, it will be their first choice. In this case, the pest prefers the most unstable varieties to its effects.Especially attractive for the spider mite are those cucumbers that grow in the greenhouse. This is due to the fact that favorable conditions have been created in it:

• lack of rain and wind;
• warm and humid atmosphere;
• lack of natural enemies.

In such an environment, ticks multiply actively, settle mainly on the lower surface of the leaves and eat, piercing the leaf and sucking out its juices. Gradually, pests move to the stems and fruits of plants, damaging and destroying their cells.

Signs and consequences of damage to greenhouse cucumbers with a spider mite:

• light spots and spots on the outer surface of the leaves;
• sprawling web on cucumber leaves;
• yellowing, drilling, drying and dying of leaves;
• a slowdown in development and a decrease in the yield of cucumbers;
• reduction in size and the appearance of non-standard fruit shapes.

Did you know? In our country, many prefer tuberous cucumbers, considering them to be “real”. In the West, on the contrary, they are more fond of smooth fruits, calling the speckled specimens cucumbers in the “Russian shirt”.

How to get rid of a spider mite in a greenhouse on cucumbers

You can deal with the spider mite on greenhouse cucumbers both in folk ways and with the help of chemicals. Using the second method can be dangerous for a person if the poison does not have time to decompose before the harvest of the crop processed by him, so you should always follow the instructions for the use of chemicals.

Chemicals

Unfortunately, the widespread use of chemicals has led to the destruction of many natural enemies of ticks, in addition, pests began to develop resistance to various pesticides.

Nevertheless, they are still actively used, especially in large farms, where the main means of control is spraying with insecticides (pesticides and acaricides). These drugs are not harmless to people, so they should be used only in case of emergency, strictly following the instructions.

Today they have proven themselves well:

• Iskra-BIO;
• "Karbofos";
• "Fitovermon";
• "Bitoxibacillin."

Usually, repeated treatment with these drugs is necessary, and the higher the temperature in the greenhouse, the more often you will have to process the plants. The minimum time between treatments: “Bitobaxicillin” - 14 days, “Fitovermon” - 20 days. Spraying is best done in the evening, so that the light does not destroy the drug on the leaves and gives it time to act on pests.

In the early stages, when only a few individuals of ticks appeared, the drug “Plant-Pin” proved itself well. The stick should be stuck in the ground near the stem of the cucumber. When watering, the active substance dissolves, is absorbed by the root system, enters the sap of the plant and destroys pests. The stick is designed for 45 days.

Did you know? The ancient philosopher and physician Avicenna believed that cucumber has healing properties. He advised to use this vegetable for diseases of the liver and stomach and even use it as an antipyretic.

Folk remedies

Alternative recipes are also quite effective, although when using them, getting rid of spider mites can take a little longer:

1. Soap. Spraying the tops of cucumbers with a strong solution of laundry soap will destroy the pests, subject to daily treatment for a long time (at least 2 weeks).
2. Dill. Some gardeners plant dill in the greenhouse, which during flowering attracts natural enemies of spider mites - ladybugs.
3. Aloe. Mix 2 kg of crushed aloe leaves, 50 g of laundry soap and 10 l of water. Spray all the cucumber bushes weekly for a month. Repeat after a three-week break.
4. Akarifagi. One of the most effective ways. Predatory ticks in the amount of 60–100 individuals per 1 sq. m greenhouses completely rid cucumbers of spider mites, and at all stages of pest development.

Video: How to detect and defeat a spider mite

Ecological methods of struggle

Such control measures will suit those gardeners who do not accept any “unnecessary” effects on plants.

1. Remove and burn all affected leaves and stems. Do not use them for compost, so as not to spread the infection.
2. Separate infected areas by pulling the roots between infected and healthy specimens.
3. Wash the cucumbers with plenty of water (without damaging the plants). Try to grab the bottom surface of the leaves.

Important! In the fight against spider mites, its rapid reproduction should be taken into account, so it is better to focus on the destruction of both adults and eggs and larvae.

What diseases can a spider mite cause on cucumbers in a greenhouse

In addition to external manifestations in the form of a spider web on cucumbers, there are more serious threats. Thus, the growing web interferes with photosynthesis and causes oxygen deficiency of plants. Over time, necrosis develops on the leaves, manifested by bright spots, spots and complete death of the foliage.All this leads to a significant decrease in the quality and quantity of fruits. If you do not pay attention to the first signs of cucumber disease in time, their treatment can be quite long. And in neglected cases, plant death and a complete loss of crop are possible, therefore, it is necessary to respond in a timely manner to the appearance of pests and immediately begin to fight them.

Preventive measures

When growing cucumbers, one should not forget about the prevention of damage by a spider mite. Basic measures to prevent infection:

• carefully remove weeds in the greenhouse, especially nettle, shepherd’s bag and quinoa;
• with a large number of weeds, remove and disinfect the topsoil or replace it with fresh;
• process all greenhouse structures with a blowtorch or gas burner;
• in the fall, fumigate the greenhouse with a sulfur saber and disinfect all equipment;
• to plant pest varieties of cucumbers resistant to pest, usually they have thick leaves with hard hairs on the back surface;
• water the plants in a timely manner, since with insufficient watering they are more susceptible to infection;
• use a rare planting of seedlings, which prevents the rapid spread of infection to neighboring plants.

So, inspect the cucumbers every 2-3 days, and if you notice that the web has appeared and the leaves turn yellow, do not hesitate and take measures to get rid of ticks. The sooner you start to fight, the greater the chances of preventing the further spread of the pest and preserving the crop completely.