When the leaves on an apple or plum tree begin to turn yellow and fall prematurely, it may be a sign that your orchard hasfruit spider miteSee how to identifyforaging symptoms orchard spider mite , be sure to watchphotos of fruit spider miteand start fighting this pest to save your fruit trees. Here are some effective ways tocombating fruit spider mite- simple and quick home-made plant preparations and recommended spider killers.
Fruit spider mite - adult individual
Fruit spider mite - feeding symptoms
Fruit spider mite(Tetranyus viennensis) is a mite that most often attacks apple and plum trees, and also more and more often on pears. Adults and larvae feed intensively on both the underside and the top of the youngest apple and plum leaves. They prick the leaf tissue and then suck the juices out of them. This results in the formation of fine light yellow spots visible on the upper side of the leaf blade. With very numerous occurrences of the fruiting spider mite, the spots merge with each other, as a result of which the entire leaves turn yellow, then turn brown and fall off. The fruit spider mite feeds mainly on the lower or middle part of the crown of a fruit tree.
The female fruit spider miteis red in color, has an oval body shape, and is covered with long bristly outgrowths. The male is smaller than the female, has a more elongated body and is very mobile.Initially bright orange, it darkens and becomes red with age.
Fruit spider mite eggs - clusters of tiny red balls on tree branches
Fig. Aro, forum.PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
The fruit spider hibernates in orchards in the form of winter eggs(photo above). They are intensely red, in the shape of a slightly flattened onion. At the top they are provided with an antennae-shaped appendix to which a thread is attached, securing the eggs to the substrate. The larvae hatch in mid-April. Females can lay eggs without fertilization. The development of subsequent generations of the fruit spider mite in orchards lasts until the end of August.
Fighting fruit spider mite eggs
Raking and removing fallen leaves and shoots from the orchard is an important element of the fight against the fruit spider mite. They can be a wintering place for spider mites.
It is also extremely important to control orchards in order to search for clusters of winter eggs on trees.This treatment is often neglected, so thatcombating fruit spider miteis ineffective during the growing season. We inspect the orchards in winter or in the early spring, before the leaves appear. If we notice winter eggs on the branchesof fruit spider mite , we must prepare for spraying the trees.
We can use oil preparations such as Catane 800 EC, Promanal 60 EC or Treol 770 EC forcontrol of fruit spider eggsin orchards. They include paraffin oil, a natural substance, non-toxic to beneficial organisms and humans. By spraying with paraffin oil, we limit the hatching of the larvae from wintering spider mite eggs (we destroy the eggs), and in the case of already hatched fruit spider larvae, we create a natural barrier that blocks their respiratory processes. In apple trees, the treatment is performed in the bud break stage or at the beginning of the green flower bud. We perform the treatment on plums before flowering, in the period of white bud - during the migration of larvae hatched from winter eggs.
Note!Spray with oil preparations on a sunny day, when the air temperature reaches 5-8 ° C. Spray the preparation used abundantly so that the liquid covers every part of the tree crown.
Fighting the fruit spider mite during the growing season
The orchard control forof fruit spider mite feeding symptomsis also carried out systematically during the growing season. We do it every 14 days, and in periods of drought and high temperatures, even every 7-10 days.
In small backyard orchards or on allotments, an easy and cheap wayto combat adult forms of fruit spider miteis spraying with plant preparations, easy to do on your own. The components of such preparations are plants that are usually found in our garden and its close vicinity, or that we have at home.
Dandelion extract- 150-200 g of dried dandelion (or 1.5 kg of fresh, flowering plants with roots) pour 10 liters of water and leave for 24 hours.Then strain the solution and spray it several times on fruit trees. Spraying is done before bud break, after flowering, and then every 2 weeks if necessary. The dandelion also immunizes plants against diseases.
Onion Husk Extract- 200 g of onion husk pour 10 liters of water and leave for 3-4 days. For spraying, use an undiluted solution, previously sieved. In addition to spider mites, it also fights other pests, including honeys and aphids.
Garlic extract- Pour 250 g of ground garlic cloves into 10 liters of water, mix several times and drain after 15 minutes. We use after diluting with water in a ratio of 1: 1. Spraying is performed in spring and summer as needed. It also kills other pests, as does the onion husk extract.
When combating fruit spider mite in the orchardwe can also use spraying with environmentally friendly agents such as Agrocover, gardening potassium soap or in larger orchards - Siltac EC.They are very safe and effective preparations that do not contain substances that are toxic to humans and beneficial insects. Their effectiveness is based on blocking the breathing processes in adult spider mites and larvae.
In the case ofa very large number of fruit spider miteson apple trees or plums it is necessary to usechemical spider mitesFor this purpose, such preparations are used e.g. Magus 200 SC (plum 5ml / 5-7.5l water / 100m², apple tree 7ml / 5-7.5l water / 100m²), Nissorun Strong 250 SC (4ml / 5-10L water / 100m²) and Ortus 05 SC (10-15 ml / 10 liters of water / 100m²). Repeat the spraying every 7-10 days, from the moment of noticing the first symptoms of spider mite feeding until the end of August.
Note!When using chemical spider mites, their rotation is very important (we alternate at least two different preparations), because successive generations of fruit spider mites very quickly become resistant to the substances used chemical.
MSc Eng. Agnieszka Lach
