Comprehensive Introduction and Control of Red Spider Mites
An introduction to the related information of the Flower Clinic, comprehensive introduction and control of red spider mites, next, let's get to know together.
Also known as cotton red spider mites, commonly referred to as big spiders, big dragons, or sand dragons, the species found in China is mainly the cinnabar leaf mite, belonging to the Arachnida class, Acarina order, and Tetranychidae family. It is widely distributed, has diverse feeding habits, and can harm more than 110 types of plants. There are many species of red spider mites on jujube trees, with the dominant species in jujube-cereal intercropping orchards being the truncate leaf mite, which has a wide range of hosts, including jujube trees, cotton, corn, beans, and various weeds and vegetables. It is distributed in Hebei, Beijing, Henan, Liaodong, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places in China, as well as in Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and other countries.
(1) Adult females are deep red with black spots on both sides of the body, elliptical in shape.
(2) Overwintering eggs are red, while non-overwintering eggs are light yellow and fewer. (3) Larvae Overwintering generation larvae are red, non-overwintering generation larvae are yellow. Overwintering generation nymphs are red, non-overwintering generation nymphs are yellow, with black spots on both sides of the body.
【Occurrence Pattern】It occurs in 13 generations per year, overwintering as eggs. Overwintering eggs usually start to hatch in early March and are completely hatched by early April. The first 1-3 generations mainly breed and cause harm on ground weeds, while the fourth generation and onwards cause harm on jujube trees, intercropping crops, and weeds simultaneously. They start to enter the overwintering period in mid-to-late October. Eggs mainly overwinter in the bark crevices of jujube trees, ground soil crevices, and the bases of weeds. After hatching in early March, they leave the overwintering sites and move to early spring weeds to cause harm. The maximum distance that newly hatched larvae can travel within 2 days is about 150 meters, and they can die of starvation if they do not find food within 2 days. By late April, when jujube trees start to sprout, some of the red spider mites on ground weeds start to move up to the trees to harm the jujube trees, mainly by climbing up the trunk. All active stages of the red spider mites can move.
【Control Methods for Crop Red Spider Mites】Based on the biological characteristics of jujube red spider mites, agricultural, physical, and chemical control measures can be applied. (1) Manual Control: Before overwintering eggs hatch, scrape the tree bark and burn it集中, then paint the trunk with lime water to kill most of the overwintering eggs. (2) Agricultural Control: According to the hatching patterns of overwintering eggs and the habit of feeding and breeding on weeds after hatching, till the land early in spring, clear ground weeds, and maintain a weed-free field during the hatching period of overwintering eggs, causing the red spider mites to die from lack of food. (3) Physical Control: Before jujube trees sprout and before red spider mites are about to move up the trees to cause harm (around late April), apply无毒不干粘虫胶 to form a closed sticky ring about 1 cm wide on the trunk, reapply after about 2 months, which can prevent red spider mites from moving up to harm the trees, with an effect of over 95%. (4) Biological Control: There are many types of red spider mites in the field, mainly including Chinese grasshoppers, mite-eating ladybirds, and predatory mites. Among them, the population of Chinese grasshoppers is the largest, and they have a high predation rate on red spider mites. Protecting and increasing the number of natural enemies can enhance their control over the population of red spider mites. (5) Chemical Control: Applying 40% miticide EC 1000-1500 times solution, 20% mitacuron WP 2000 times solution, 15% daminothidazole EC 2000 times solution, or 1.8% abamectin EC 6000-8000 times solution can achieve ideal control effects.
【Control Methods for Flower Red Spider Mites】During the cultivation of flowers, red spider mites are common pests that can harm flowers such as roses, milans, jasmines, kumquats, begonias, osmanthus, and finger citrons. These insects are very small, less than 1 millimeter in size, round or oval, orange or reddish-brown. Due to their small size, they are not easily detected, and by the time their damage is noticed, the flowers have often suffered significantly. The mode of harm is piercing the leaves with their mouthparts to suck sap, which destroys chlorophyll, causing leaves to show grayish-yellow spots or patches, turn yellow, and fall off, or even completely defoliate. Red spider mites have a high reproductive rate, with a new generation being produced in as little as 5 days. They prefer high temperatures and dry environments, so under hot and dry weather conditions, they reproduce rapidly and cause severe damage. The insects often gather on the backs of flower leaves to spin webs and cause harm. The spread of red spider mites relies on their own crawling, as well as wind, rain, and operational carryover.
To prevent and control the harm caused by red spider mites, attention should be paid to observation in daily life. When leaf color is abnormal, the back of the leaves should be carefully checked. If individual leaves are affected, they can be removed; if many leaves are affected, spraying should be done early. Common pesticides include mitac, miticide, dimethoate, flower insect cleaner, and rapid kill. For home gardening, a flower sprayer can be prepared. In 400 milliliters of water, 4 drops of mitac or rapid kill or flower insect cleaner (equivalent to a 2000 times solution) can be added, or 8 drops of miticide or dimethoate (equivalent to a 1000 times solution) can be added. After adding the pesticide, shake well and spray immediately, ensuring uniform and thorough coverage, especially focusing on the back of the leaves. When spraying, it is best to move the potted flowers outdoors. If spraying indoors, do not get close to food or utensils. After each use, pour out any remaining pesticide solution and clean the sprayer with water.
The above comprehensive introduction and specific control methods of red spider mites, I hope you will like them!