Spider mite on balsam: home treatment, how to deal with a pest

A spider mite often appears on a houseplant balsam. It can be quite difficult to spot him. Pest control usually begins after damage to the flower, when the leaves are covered with black dots and a thin cobweb. You can fight the tick with folk remedies or with the help of chemicals. In order to prevent a pest from attacking a balsam, you should use preventive methods to protect the balsam from insects.

Brief description of the plant

The perennial indoor plant balsam is also called the flower Vanka wet and Impatiens.It is very whimsical in care, but beautiful, with a bushy stem and oval, serrated leaves. Balsam blooms from May to December with irregularly shaped flowers of white, yellow or red.

What a pest

Spider mites are the most common among the Arachnids. It is a small, convex-backed, flat-bellied insect that is yellow to green in color and red in females. The size of the females reaches one millimeter, the males are half as much. They reproduce very quickly - from laying eggs to growing up, it takes, on average, two weeks.

How to identify

Among the indoor representatives of the flora, the spider mite, first of all, chooses balsam - because of its succulent stems and leaves. Detecting a pest is quite difficult, given its meager size. Looking at the flower, you should pay attention to the red dots, which may be female spider mites.

If this step is missed, then black dots with a thin cobweb on the leaves are the reason for immediate pest control.

Reason for attack

The main reason for the attack of insects on the plant is drought. The pest feels great in a dry and hot environment. If the flower is rarely watered and not sprayed with water, there is a high probability of damage to the balsam by a spider mite.

Possible consequences

If the flower is not rid of the disease in time, it may die. A lot of pests accumulate on the leaves, the greens of Impatiens turn white and look burnt, cobwebs entangle the flowers. As a result, the balsam sheds leaves with flowers and dies. The spider mite also poses a threat to indoor flora growing nearby.

How to fight at home

There are two ways to fight spider mites: by resorting to chemicals or using folk remedies. It all depends on the degree of infection of the plant.

Acaricides

Acaricides are chemicals designed to kill mites on crops. Effectively affect the parasites of animals and birds.

Aktellik

Aktellik is a chemical substance of the second hazard class, toxic to people, animals, birds. Completely safe for plants.

When processing balsam with Aktellik's solution, the active ingredients of the drug get into the juice of the plant, thereby destroying spider mites in hard-to-reach places. Also, pests are destroyed by the vapors of the drug, the result can be seen the very next day. One ampoule of the drug is diluted in two liters of water.

Actellik's disadvantage is a strong, unpleasant odor. Therefore, it is better to process the plant on the balcony with the windows open.

Sunmite

Sunmite is an odorless mite repellent ideal for houseplants. When spraying, it is necessary to treat leaves, stems and topsoil. Sunmite destroys eggs, larvae, adult insects within four hours and continues its action for three days.

One gram of powder must be diluted in a liter of water. After processing, the remaining product is not subject to further storage.

Apollo

Apollo is considered one of the most effective preparations. It fights many types of ticks, when spraying it destroys not only adult insects, but also their larvae. This tool does not pose a danger to pets and people. But during the treatment of the plant, as with any acaricides, one should not forget about safety rules. Dilute one drop of the drug in a liter of water.

Rules of application

If it becomes necessary to use acaricides at home, you should follow a few rules.

1. First you need to prepare the workplace, remove excess items, food from the surface.
2. Put on rubber gloves, respirator.
3. Before starting the preparation of the solution, read the instructions
4. When spraying acaricides, people and pets should not be in the room.
5. It is necessary to process not only the plant, but also the place where the flower was located. Two hours after treatment, ventilate the room and do a wet cleaning.

Treatment with folk remedies

Not all indoor plant lovers resort to the use of chemicals to combat spider mites. Many people prefer proven folk remedies.

Before applying the infusion, it is necessary to remove the leaves and flowers damaged by the mite. Rinse the plant with a warm shower jet; after the balsam leaves dry, treat with a folk remedy.

Note! When an indoor flower is infected, nearby plants should be inspected for infection. After - do preventive spraying.

Garlic composition

One of the popular folk remedies for pest control is garlic infusion, which is not difficult to prepare.

Pass a small head of garlic through a press. Transfer the resulting slurry to a jar, pour 0.5 liters of water into the container, close with a nylon lid. Keep garlic infusion in a dark place for five days. After the composition, strain, dilute with water one to one, process the plants.

Dandelion roots

A dandelion root infusion is popular among gardeners. In this recipe, the root of the plant can be replaced with leaves.

Heat five liters of water to 40 degrees, add four hundred grams of crushed dandelion root. Cover the container with liquid with a lid, let it brew for three hours. After the broth, strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve. Process the plants with the resulting broth.

Prevention

It is possible to rid a plant of a spider mite, but the appearance of this pest will adversely affect the flower. Therefore, it is easier to prevent the appearance of the parasite than to try to get rid of it.

There are a few rules to help prevent balsam infection:

1. Check the plants every day for the first signs of a mite.
2. Twice a week, wipe the leaves of the flower with a damp cloth. In the process, rinse the fabric in hot water.
3. Follow the watering of the plant, do not let the soil dry out.
4. Spray regularly. Dry air and lack of moisture can lead to spider mites.
5. Fertilize on time.
6. Make sure the surface of the earth is clean, remove fallen leaves in a timely manner.
7. A houseplant just bought is not recommended to be placed next to other flowers. First you need to make sure that the plant is not infected, for this the flowerpot with a flower is isolated from other plants for three weeks.

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