Spider mite: habitat and photo, what does the parasite look like, a description of the common and red species, and why is it considered a pest for plants and indoor flowers?

This small parasite can cause a lot of harm to your crop if you do not notice its appearance in time. The spider mite can destroy not only all the plants in your house, but also in the garden.

It is important to notice the first signs of his presence in time in order to preserve your green plantings.

Consider a detailed description of the parasite and why the tick is considered a pest. Talked about methods of control and preventive measures.

Description of the arthropod and how it looks - photo

The spider mite is a representative of the arachnid class, a plant pest. Its size is 0.2-1 mm. This arthropod has pronounced sexual dimorphism - females are much smaller than males, their body is elongated. Adult pests have addition without segmentation, whole, division into segments can be conditional, they are used in a more detailed study of the tick.

Arthropod performs touch with the help of bristles, which are located around the entire perimeter of the body. It is also covered with a special cuticle, it forms special shields. The spider mite can be pale or greenish yellow with dark spots - these are internal organs that are visible on the back.

Spider paws of ticks end with a clawing device, with which they are held on the leaves. The female genitals are located on the abdomen, in the male - in the back of the body. The arthropod oral apparatus is a piercing-sucking type. He punctures the leaves of plants and sucks out the juice from there.

Life expectancy and developmental phases

In warm weather, the spider mite's lifespan is short - from two to four weeks. In winter, females are in hibernation for about two to three months.

The most favorable time for reproduction is dry weather, when the temperature reaches 25 degrees. Fertilization takes place internally and without spermatophores - special capsules that are filled with seed. This species may also have a virgin development, then males with the same set of chromosomes come to light.

In its development, the spider mite goes through the following phases:

Egg. This arthropod has a translucent diameter of 1 mm. Females attach them to a stem or leaf. In the winter season, eggs are able to survive the cold, because they are laid in cracks in the cortex or in fallen leaves.
Hemispherical larva. She is already very similar to an adult, but has 6 legs instead of 8.
Protonymph. Has 4 pairs of legs and a color similar to the species.
Deuteronymphus. Only females have this stage.
Adult tick - neoteny.

Parasites reach full maturity 10-20 days after appearing in the egg.

Habitat

On plants in a greenhouse

Pests get into the greenhouse on clothes and tools of the gardener, or on the hair of an animal, which could get into the room. It is almost impossible to avoid getting spider mites in the greenhouse.

It is difficult to recognize the first stages of plant infection. But, if you look at the sheets, you can see white dots on them - this is the first sign of infection with parasites. Usually they are located on the back of the plants near the main vein. After some more time, you can see that all the plants were covered with a thin cobweb, and then the infection will spread to the rest of the vegetation in the greenhouse.

On indoor flowers

Indoor flowers - this is one of the most favorite places for spider mites. He comes to the apartment from the street on clothes, or pets bring him.

Parasites like to settle on the underside of the leaf, so they are so hard to notice. Most often, the owner of the plantings sees the infection already when it has spread around the perimeter of all the leaves and the stem.

In nature

In wildlife, arthropod can inhabit virtually all climatic zones. Most like moist forests, shrubs and clearings, densely overgrown with tall grass.

They can affect all plants of open and closed soil. They are resistant to temperature changes and can reproduce in almost all conditions - only their activity and the number of eggs produced are reduced.

On the currant

A common habitat for spider mites is currant bushes. The parasite is attracted by the fruits of the bush, but their occupation of the plant may be different in time. This may be after the end of the ovary. In this case, the spider mite can cause significant damage to the crop if you do not intervene in time.

If you notice the presence of a parasite even when the berries ripen or ripen, then the crop is not in danger, however, a tick can spoil the green leaves of the bush.

On calathe

It settles on the back of the sheet, it will not be easy to notice it. The first thing you will see is white or yellow spots, which are formed as a result of piercing a leaf with a tick.

To prevent early reproduction, inspect the calathea in a timely manner. What if you have already discovered a pest on a calathe? If the tick has spread, then you need to quickly eliminate it. To do this, you need:

Remove all affected leaves.
Change soil.
Rinse the plant thoroughly under running water.
Then, inspect and wipe the leaves of the flower every day.

Use insecticides for spraying.

Common Worm

Red

Where does this type of parasite live? It can live on almost all domestic plants. Prefers a parasite:

calla lilies;
balsamins;
lemons;
cenoraria;
roses;
nightshade;
orchids.

In this species, females are larger than males, they are purple in color, and their length reaches 0.5 mm. Males are smaller - 0.3 mm. The species prefers to live in heat, and a humid environment becomes fatal for them.

Red spider mites lay eggs of the same color and fix them either on the web or on the leaf of the plant. The six-legged larva goes through all stages of the development of the tick before becoming an adult.

Ordinary

it the most common type of spider mite, it is distinguished by its many-eating nature. The habitat of this species is quite extensive, it can be found on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. His diet is wide - it is a variety of fodder, grassy and ligneous plants. He prefers to destroy crops not only in the garden, but also destroys indoor flowers. The peak of its activity is July-August. Females are larger than males, their size is 0.4-0.6 mm, and males 0.3-0.4 mm.

Adult spider mites can be greenish-gray or yellow. They like to settle on the lower side of the sheet, hidden from the eyes, and densely cover it with their web. They live in colonies, 8-18 generations can grow in a year, depending on conditions.

Females who, bearing eggs with offspring, prepare for wintering acquire an orange-red color. They hide in the soil or in the bark of trees. If the climate has a year-round existence, then the parasites produce offspring even during the calendar winter.

The most common spider mite harms:

cucumbers;
cotton;
soybeans;
currants;
apple tree;
wild strawberries.

Gallic

This tick has a slightly elongated body and reaches a length of 0.3 mm. It may be white or red. Its distinctive feature is that it does not have organs of vision and respiration. Also, this species can carry various viral diseases.

The gall mite forms on the sheets various growths in which it lives and multiplies. The carriers are the wind, as well as various planting materials.

Damage and why is it considered dangerous?

Spider mites, especially the common one, can rightfully be considered the main cause of crop failures and spoiled fruits of plants. They feed on the plant cell sap. To suck it, they have to pierce the leaves, which means to hit the normal structure of the plant, violate its integrity.

Since the spider mite is difficult to detect due to its small size, gradually with constant exposure to the parasite, the plant begins to wither and dry, and then dies. Moreover, spider mites can also be carriers of various other infections, for example, gray rot.

Signs of infection

At the very early stage, it is difficult to notice the presence of a spider mite on the plant, because he likes to settle on the back of the leaf. The first thing you can see on the damaged sheets is spots of parasite excrement. The upper side of the leaf will then begin to become covered with yellow spots, which gradually grow. From this color from green becomes as if marble. This is the first stage of infection.
The second and last stage is the web, which appears on the landing later. If the accumulation of ticks on the affected plant is too large, then the spot becomes white. They grow rapidly, forming entire zones of a similar color. After this, the leaves begin to fall off, flowering stops, if there are buds on the plant, then they die without blooming.

Reasons for the appearance

The activation of the spider mite occurs in the winter, when the air in the apartment becomes dry and warm. Plants at this time practically do not water and are not sprayed, and such an environment becomes ideal for the appearance of a pest.
You can also bring an already infected flower home from a store or market, and parasites can spread from it to other plantings.
Also mite carriers are animals, birds, parasites.
Appear from poor care and from infected tools that you cultivate in a garden or greenhouse.

How to fight?

There are various ways and methods to combat this pest:

Chemicals - Acaricides and insectoacaricides (Akarin, Apollo, Flormayt, Omayt, Sunmayt, etc.).
Folk remedies - cyclamen root, garlic, dandelion, chamomile, horseradish, tobacco, horse sorrel.
Biological method - the use of the enemies of the spider mite - the phytoseyulus mite and the amblyseus mite. Their favorite food will be the pests that hit your plant.

We wrote about the best tools for combating spider mites here.

Preventative measures

Spray plants and wipe with a damp sponge.
In the dry period, closely monitor.
Inspect all plants and seedlings brought into the house.
To etch the soil.

Spider mite is a dangerous pest. Infection can be prevented if you regularly monitor your plants and respond in time to all changes in them. The parasite is very difficult to remove, so it is better not to allow infection at all.