Why spider mites appear on cucumbers: what to do to defeat the pest and save the crop

Spider mites are one of the most common pests in a summer cottage or garden. The small arachnid multiplies quickly and can completely destroy the crop. Not all gardeners know why spider mites appear on cucumbers and what to do with them.

In this article we will talk about how to recognize pest on vegetables, what are the reasons for its appearance, how to deal with it and what are the methods for preventing plant damage.

What is a spider mite?

The spider mite (in the photo below the leaves affected by it) is a representative of arachnids, a threat to a huge number of plants, both greenhouse and growing in open ground. Arachnids are red, orange, green-yellow and almost transparent.

The tick's body shape is elongated, oval. It reaches 0.5–1 mm in size, but, feeding on the juice of cucumber leaves, swells to 2 mm.

The females of this arachnid are very fertile: each of them lays up to 8,000 eggs per season. In just a few days, the larva turns into a sexually mature individual, ready for further reproduction.

Therefore, it is extremely important to notice the pest on cucumbers in time, otherwise it will completely destroy the seedlings.

Signs of defeat

Due to their small size, it is extremely difficult to see the arachnids themselves on cucumbers. Therefore, it is necessary to know the signs of a plant being damaged by spider mites. The photo shows cucumbers infected with this pest.

The sequential symptoms of the lesion are:

1. Plants appear first on the back of the leaves barely noticeable light dots. Over time, with increasing damage, these points turn into spots.
2. The infected vegetable begins to become covered with a barely noticeable almost transparent web. The more damaged the cucumber, the more cobwebs there are on it.
3. A sharp slowdown in plant growth. It is visible to the naked eye, especially if healthy vegetables grow next to the infected vegetable.
4. Leaves gradually turn yellow. If the pest is not stopped in time, the diseased plant will completely wither.

Damage caused

Ticks reproduce at an incredible rate and feed on plant sap. This leads to their drying out, withering, and death. The pest then spreads to neighboring crops and kills them.

If you do not start fighting spider mites in time, the entire crop and other plants on the site or in the greenhouse may die.

Reasons for appearance

Why and under what conditions does spider mite appear on cucumbers? It overwinters on fallen leaves, in the top layer of soil, in manure and in greenhouses. It can overwinter near the place where cucumbers are planted and move onto them, or it can simply be carried by the wind. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to protect plants from pests.

Spider mites activate and reproduce only in conditions favorable to them - dryness and warmth. These arachnids love temperatures around +30 °C and above, as well as air that is as dry as possible. At the same time, arachnids cannot tolerate humidity above 60%, and their larvae stop developing in such conditions.

How to deal with spider mites on cucumbers

There are many different ways to control the pest. However, it adapts quite quickly to some chemicals, so it is better to know a few products.

To begin with, you should use the means at hand, and if there is no result, resort to traditional methods, biological products or acaricides.

Available means

If a spider mite is detected in a timely manner, when only individual plant leaves are affected, the pest can be destroyed by removing and burning these leaves. If more than 40% of the leaf blades are already affected, then this method will not help.

The dead plant must be urgently dug up and burned, preventing the mite from spreading to other crops.

The next option for getting rid of the pest is to increase the humidity level in the area where the cucumbers grow. This is easier to do in a greenhouse than in open ground. Increase glaze and spraying the leaves of the plant can stop spider mites from multiplying.

Phytoseiulus will help defeat the pest. This is a predatory representative of arachnids that also feeds on spider mites. It does not harm plants or humans, but it will help rid cucumbers of a dangerous pest. Planting Phytoseiulus on vegetables is necessary once every 3 weeks.

Planting plants next to cucumbers that repel arachnids will help get rid of pests. To do this, use dill, wormwood, garlic, onion, mint or calendula.

If the vegetable is not seriously infected, it can be handle hydrogen peroxide, turpentine or ammonia. These solutions destroy the colony of spider mites that is localized on individual plants and has recently appeared.

Traditional methods

Often gardeners prefer decoctions and infusions of various herbs to chemicals and biological products:

1. Aloe infusion: Pass 2 kg of aloe through a meat grinder and dilute it in a bucket of water with 50 g of laundry soap.
2. Marigold decoction: Pour half a bucket of marigolds with warm water and leave for 2 days. After this, strain the broth and add 40 g of laundry soap. Spray the plants with the resulting solution.
3. Infusion of tomato tops: Soak 1 kg of dry and fresh tomato tops in a bucket of hot water for 4 hours, then add 40 g of soap.
4. Horse sorrel infusion: 300 g of plant are infused in a bucket of warm water for 2–4 hours.
5. Hot pepper decoction: Boil 100 g of hot pepper in 1 liter of water for 2 hours. Dilute every 150 ml of broth in a bucket of water, adding 40 g of laundry soap.
6. Wormwood infusion: 200 g of the plant are infused in a liter of water for 12 hours.
7. Dandelion infusion: Soak 25 g of dandelions for 2 hours in a liter of warm water.

Spraying is carried out 1-2 times a week for a month, after which it is necessary to take a break of 20 days. Then the procedure is repeated.

If the methods do not help or you do not trust traditional methods, you can turn to biological products and chemicals to combat spider mites.

Biological products

It is better to resort to chemicals only as a last resort. Biological preparations do not pose a danger to humans and plants. After treatment with them, the fruits can be consumed within 2 days, whereas in the case of acaricides a whole month must pass.

The most effective and popular biological preparations for spider mites include:

1. «Fitoverm" It is based on the waste products of soil microorganisms. Treatment is carried out during the growing season. It is advisable that the weather be dry, clear and windless at this time. When using the drug, pests die on about 3 days, and the maximum effect is achieved on 5–7 days. 1 ampoule is diluted in 1 liter of water.Treatment is carried out 4 times with an interval of 8-9 days. The drug belongs to hazard class 3, therefore it is practically safe for mammals. The working solution cannot be stored.
2. «Kleschevit" The product kills ticks already 3-4 days after treatment and does not induce immunity in them. The procedure is carried out during the growing season with an interval of 20 days, in calm weather, early in the morning or in the evening. 10 ml of the drug is added to 1 liter of water. The working solution cannot be stored.
3. "Iskra Bio". The drug works actively in hot weather, its effectiveness increases with increasing air temperature (from +25 °C). When treating cucumbers against spider mites, dilute 1 ml of the product in 1 liter of water.

The biological products “Akarin” and “Kleschegon Super” have similar characteristics and effects.

Important! “Fitoverm” quite quickly causes adaptation in the tick, so it is unlikely that it will be possible to remove it again with this drug.

Acaricides

If the damage is significant, gardeners resort to the last resort - chemicals. Simple insecticides are not suitable for controlling spider mites, since they are not insects, but arachnids (arachnids).

Acaricides will help save cucumbers from pests. The main and popular ones include:

1. «Aktellik" One ampoule must be diluted in a liter of water, pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray. Process during the growing season.
2. «Plant-Pin" and "Etisso" The remedies are similar in their action. They come in the form of sticks that need to be stuck into the ground next to the infected plant. During watering, the substance will begin to dissolve and be absorbed into the soil, while helping the cucumbers get rid of spider mites.
3. «Talstar" Universal insecticide and acaricide.To combat spider mites, dissolve 0.3 ml of the drug in a liter of water. Spraying is carried out during the growing season.

Important! Acaricides are dangerous and toxic. Therefore, carry out the treatment in a respirator and clothing that covers all areas of the skin. It is better to throw away rubber gloves after using medications. After use, wash your hands and face thoroughly. Avoid contact with eyes and exposed skin.

General processing rules

Despite the fact that all of the listed drugs are different in composition, danger and method of use, there are general rules for treating cucumbers against spider mites.

The main thing is not to spray during the day, especially in sunny weather, otherwise the plant may get burned. It is better to process cucumbers early in the morning (before 10 a.m.) and in the evening (after 6 p.m.).

Not all products can be used during the flowering period of cucumbers, as you can scare away the insects that pollinate it.

After treatment with biological preparations, fruits can be eaten within 2-3 days, with acaricides - after a month.

Solutions of drugs cannot be stored. Spray the plants, the soil underneath them, and the greenhouse supports and structures.

Important! Be sure to take precautions and strictly follow the instructions for the products.

Features of fighting in a greenhouse and open ground

Measures to combat spider mites on cucumbers in open ground and greenhouses differ.

In the garden or plot, before planting cucumbers, the soil is carefully dug up, the plants are carefully and constantly inspected, and if infected leaves are found, they are torn off and burned.

First of all, spider mites begin to develop on the weeds around the plant, so the ground must be systematically weeded.The detected source of infection is treated with drugs.

The greenhouse has excellent conditions for the development of these pests: high temperature and not always high humidity. Therefore, greenhouse plants are more susceptible to infection.

Spider mites cannot tolerate humidity above 60%, so at the first sign of arachnids, gardeners advise increasing the humidity in the greenhouse to 80–85%.

In addition to the main methods, in greenhouses for the prevention and control of ticks they also use fumigation of the entire structure after harvest and in the spring. The trellis is burned with a gas burner, and the soil is fertilized with phosphorus mixtures.

After harvesting, the top layer of soil is removed to remove ticks and their larvae preparing for winter from the greenhouse.

Preventive measures

In the fall, clean the cucumber planting site from plant debris and debris, remove the top layer of soil and disinfect the greenhouse. It is better to burn trellises and pipes with a gas burner.

Alternate planting with tomatoes. Constantly weed the soil around your vegetables. Maintain constant high humidity in the greenhouse. On hot days, mist the plants throughout the day.

Plant cucumbers at a considerable distance from each other so that it is not easy for mites to move from one plant to another. You can plant other crops between them.

Advice from professionals

Spider mites overwinter in the top layer of soil and in the spring they move to weeds, developing on them and then switching to cucumbers. Experienced gardeners advise planting a lawn around the plants to reduce the frequency of weeding and the growth of weeds.

If you find infected vegetables, spray them every 5–15 days (depending on the degree of spread of the mite and the period of crop development).

Experienced gardeners praise the addition of the phytoseiulus mite. Leaves with individuals of this species are placed under the plant, after which the predator begins the hunt. Predatory mites are sold in specialized garden stores.

If these methods do not help, gardeners turn to chemicals - acaricides. The main thing is to carefully follow the instructions for their use and take precautions.

Read also:

How to deal with spider mites on pepper seedlings.

Why are spider mites dangerous on eggplants?

Conclusion

Controlling spider mites on cucumbers is not an easy task. This is aggravated by the fact that it is extremely difficult to notice the pest in the early stages of infection, and it successfully adapts to some drugs.

Carefully inspect the leaves of the plants and weed the soil, and if you notice the first signs of disease, do not hesitate to treat the cucumbers. When treating vegetables with chemicals, carefully follow the instructions and do not forget about safety precautions.