Fighting mites or why strawberry leaves curl

You have probably encountered symptoms of strawberry mite infestation of strawberry leaves, or you simply cannot understand what happened to your strawberries, why their leaves began to become deformed (wrinkle and curl).

Read on in our article to learn how to fight strawberry mites on strawberries and what acaricidal preparations to spray strawberry bushes with.

Description of the pest

Garden strawberries are affected mainly by 2 types of mites: strawberry mites (Phytonemus pallidus), sometimes called cyclamen mites by florists, and the common spider mite (Tetranychus urticae). Fighting the latter is not much of a problem. Both specific acaricides and insectoacaricides from the organophosphorus group cope with it. The fight against strawberry is more complex, so the recommendations presented in the article are focused specifically on this type of pest.

The strawberry mite (Phytonemus pallidus) has a flattened, elongated, translucent body. Adults reach a length of about 230 microns. Due to its small size, this arthropod can only be seen through a microscope or a magnifying glass with 10x magnification.

Ticks have enormous fertility with a short period of larval growth. In one strawberry season, about five generations can appear in the beds. The peak of damage occurs at the end of summer. When the temperature drops to +10℃, the tick hides in leaf folds for the winter. Threshold of tangible economic damage from mites: 4-8 mites per leaf.

The tick feeds on plant sap and lives in the central bud—the heart. The youngest unblown leaves are affected.

Among modern varieties, Elsanta strawberry showed excellent resistance to mites

Green manure

Experienced gardeners know that some plants are very useful “neighbors” and are able to protect berry crops from various pests.

Beans

It is planted not only for harvest, but also for decorating hedges, gazebos, verandas, and also as an effective natural repellent. To protect strawberries and strawberries from mites, it is preferable to use lima beans.

Lavender

A beautiful purple plant can not only decorate the area, but also repel strawberry mites along with mosquitoes.

You need to choose not a mountain variety, but a narrow-leaved variety.

It contains a lot of essential oil, camphor, ocimene, linalool.

All these components are harmful to insects. Instead, the garden will always have a pleasant smell of flowers.

Catnip (catnip)

Catnip or, as it is popularly called, catnip, is a low plant with a pleasant, refreshing aroma.

It does not exceed 40 cm in height and has slightly spreading stems.

Its flowering occurs precisely during the period of tick activity - from mid-summer until autumn.

Pests cannot stand its smell, so they will leave the berries alone.

Tansy

An excellent alternative to pesticides is tansy.

It takes root well even in poor soil with a lot of clay; people consider it a weed due to its unpretentiousness.

The plant emits a subtle smell reminiscent of camphor, which has a depressing effect on the strawberry mite.

Tansy repels most insects including aphids, slugs, and caterpillars.

Rosemary officinalis

If the strawberry bed is located on a well-lit, flat area, you can plant additional rosemary.

It grows well in fertile soil with a neutral pH level and loves sun and warmth. During flowering, which occurs in the summer season, the plant emits an aroma that repels pests.

Unfortunately, rosemary is not able to withstand low temperatures, so it needs to be dug up for the winter.

Chamomile

Chamomile, beloved by many gardeners, is a good weapon against strawberry mites.

Its juice contains toxic compounds - cinerine and peritrin.

These two substances paralyze the muscles and nervous system of insects.

Flowering continues all summer, the plant is unpretentious to soil and care, and its flowers will delight the eye day after day.

Among flowering plants, you can plant calendula, dandelions, and marigolds next to the strawberry bed.

What harm does it cause, signs of defeat

The strawberry mite stops the growth of buds on the plant throughout the growing season. The tick is especially dangerous for adult bushes. Colonies of parasites settle on the underside of the foliage of succulent young greenery. The plant juices are drawn out, thereby depriving the bush of strength for further growth and fruiting. Pests can attack both mature bushes and new rosettes on the tendrils.

You can tell that strawberries have suffered from a mite infestation by the following signs:

• the growth of the bushes slows down greatly, then stops, the bushes become dwarf;
• young leaves began to appear in “waves” and became wrinkled and twisted;
• the leaves acquire a yellowish-oily tint and dry out at the height of the season;
• young leaves cannot open, their edges are fastened;
• on the back side of the leaf plates you can see a silvery coating;
• the fruits dry out before they have time to ripen;
• the bushes cannot tolerate winter temperatures and die.

These alarming signs on berry plantings cannot be ignored. Successfully fighting strawberry mites is not easy, but it is possible.

During processing, special attention should be paid to the center of the bush - mites primarily attack young leaves

Alternation of territory during disembarkation

There are many subtleties that are well known to experienced gardeners, and they relate to the correct planting of plants. It is recommended to alternate the area when planting strawberries. This is an important rule for growing it.

Plants can be replanted in their original place of growth 4 years after transplantation. Thanks to this, it is possible to reduce the likelihood that new seedlings will be infected with mites, the eggs of which may be in the ground.

By following simple rules, gardeners will save themselves from having to fight such a serious enemy as the strawberry mite.

When does the mite infect strawberries?

Most often, a gardener brings the pest into his garden with infected planting material. It is not difficult to spread the parasite throughout the beds during weeding and loosening through tools, clothing and shoes.

The tick becomes active when warm, humid weather sets in. The optimal temperature for the parasite to begin its destructive life activity is +20℃…+25℃, with a humidity of 80-90%. Direct sunlight is harmful to ticks. Therefore, it always hides on the underside of the leaf or on the stems near the ground.

Conditions that favor tick reproduction:

• planting strawberries in damp, shaded areas;
• lack of regular weeding and loosening;
• dense plantings of strawberries; uncontrolled bent formation;
• the proximity of the new strawberry bed to the old plots or nightshade crops.

Irregular feeding and poor cleaning of the bed after fruiting can also be considered factors that increase the risk of mite spread.

Processing of seedlings

Disinfecting planting material in water at 47-48C for 15 minutes helps against mites on strawberries. Heat treatment will also serve as nematode prevention. Disinfection of seedlings allows you to protect strawberries from mites for 2-3 years.

For processing, the bushes along with the roots are immersed “upside down” in a pan of water heated to the desired temperature. It is important to observe the temperature regime exactly, so you will need a good thermometer. Temperature over 48 degrees. is detrimental to the plant, and less than 40 will not have the desired effect.

After heating, the seedlings must be quickly cooled to a temperature of 10-12 degrees. To do this, you can use cool water in which to dip the bushes.

How to fight?

If a large plantation is infected, you cannot do without special drugs. But even their use does not guarantee that the area is free from parasites. The fact is that when processing bushes it is difficult to reach the underside of the leaf. In addition, chemicals cannot be used during flowering and fruiting. Therefore, the tick manages to grow colonies to enormous proportions.

Chemicals

Radical methods of control include spraying the beds with the following preparations with acaricidal properties:

• Actellik and Ridomil (Ridomil can be replaced with Switch) are diluted according to the instructions and treated while the flower stalks are extending. Repeated treatment after 7-10 days;

• Acaricides Sunmite, Omite – 2 treatments at weekly intervals;
• Tionex and Thiodan - work well, but very high toxicity (WHO class 1), no registration for strawberries;
• Masai is a systemic acaricide. Apply before flowering or after harvest. Concentration 5 g per 10 l. water. If the pest was very rampant last season, then add treatment in early spring and late autumn with Apollo (8 ml per 10 liters). Masai can be replaced with Envidor;
• Karbofos. Has moderate toxicity. Used against insects and arachnids. The solution is prepared according to the instructions (3 tablespoons per 10 liters of water). Treatments should affect both sides of the sheet plates. The weather should be dry and windless; after treatment, it is advisable to cover the plantings with film for 2-3 hours. During the season, the procedure is carried out twice;
• Fitoverm. A modern biological product popular among gardeners, which is used against many pests. Against the strawberry mite, 2-3 treatments are done with an interval of 3-7 days in dry, warm weather. An analogue of Fitoverm is the drug Aktofit (popular in Ukraine). It is better to treat with a biological product on a hot day, at a temperature below 18 degrees. such drugs have little effect;
• Kleschevit is an analogue of Fitoverm;
• Vertimek.

Experienced gardeners alternate medications, as the tick quickly develops immunity to a certain chemical.

Folk remedies

At the initial stages of infestation of beds with strawberry mites, folk remedies help. For this you will need:

• Onion peel. 200 g of husk is enough for a bucket of water. After 4-5 days, filter and spray at the beginning of the growing season, and twice after harvesting.
• Garlic. Chop 2-3 heads of garlic, add water, stir and strain. Treat infected beds immediately.
• Tomato tops. Fill a third of the bucket tightly with tops and cover with warm water. After 2-3 hours, bring to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Cool, stir, strain. Add 1⁄2 piece of laundry soap. Add water until the bucket is full. Spraying is carried out 2-3 times.
• Dandelion leaves. 0.5 kg. pour 5 liters of greens. very hot water. Stir the mixture for four hours. Then filter and spray the plantings.

When all else fails, the technique of “frying” the tick is used. To do this, in hot weather, cover the bed with strawberries with a plastic sheet for 2-3 days, pressing the edges tightly. The temperature under the film will rise to +50℃, the tick dies at this temperature.

Fighting spider mites

Many gardeners recommend crop rotation. This is a good and necessary method, but only if the planting material is new and not taken from your own garden bed.

To preserve the bushes it is necessary to use acaricidal preparations. On personal plots, you can give preference to the following groups:

• organophosphorus;
• avermectins;
• hormonal.

Organophosphorus preparations

The organophosphorus insecticide-acaricide Actellik kills the tick from the inside, entering the body along with its usual food.

Not all gardeners agree to use “heavy” chemicals in their garden beds. However, by choosing the right drug, you can even manage to destroy the mite in the spring and reap a clean and healthy harvest.

According to reviews from those who have already had experience using the drug, Aktelik is quite effective in the fight against spider mites.

"Aktelik" has the active ingredient primifos-methyl and has:

• Contact action. Once on the surface of the tick's body, it is absorbed and leads to the death of the insect within the first hours.
• Intestinal. Once on the sheet, it stays on it for 3 to 7 days, depending on weather conditions. Contact with the insect ends in the death of the latter.
• Fumigate. By releasing vapors, it kills the insect.

Peculiarities

To combat a large population of ticks, it is more profitable to purchase a large bottle of the drug.

• Using a product that has such a short decay period, it becomes clear that traces of it cannot be in the berry if spraying is carried out in the spring.
• The manufacturer protects itself and recommends carrying out treatments 20 days before harvest.
• If the mite population is too large, it is recommended to repeat the treatment after 10 days.

To prepare the working solution, you need to dissolve 6 ml of the drug in 5 liters of water. This amount will be enough to process a hundred square strawberry beds.

Avermectins

Actofit is a preparation of biological origin.

The most effective drug created on the basis of avermectins is “Actofit”. Gardeners prefer this drug for several reasons:

• processing can be carried out during the period of harvesting and ripening of berries;
• does not cause addiction to spider mites;
• Can be used at air temperatures above 20 ᵒC;
• low cost.

After dissolving 6 ml of the product in a liter of water and treating it, you need to take into account that the pest does not die immediately, but only after 2-3 days. The maximum effect is observed after 5–7 days.

Hormonal

The active ingredient in Apollo is clofentesine. The advantages of this tool are as follows:

• produces an oocidal effect (kills eggs);
• does not destroy adult individuals, but leads to sterility;
• Absolutely non-toxic to warm-blooded animals, bees and birds.

It is recommended to carry out the treatment after the strawberries bloom.

The solution is prepared from 2 ml of the product and 5 liters of water. The solution contains a dye and is pink in color. This is done so that it is possible to control the thoroughness of spraying, since the drug is of exclusively contact action.

An untreated egg will remain viable.

Popular scheme for treating strawberries against mites

• during the extension of peduncles and the temperature setting above 10 degrees. – preventive spraying with Actellik. It is necessary to thoroughly spray the middle of the bush and the back of the leaves.
• If affected bushes are identified, treat with Fitoverm or Actofit. These are biological products, so they can also be used on fruit-bearing bushes. It is necessary to collect all the ripe berries, spray them, and carry out the next harvest in a week. Actofit acts only on adult individuals, the tick larva hatches after 4 days, so the second treatment must be carried out at intervals of 3-5 days. Usually two treatments are sufficient.
• In autumn, preventive treatment with Actellik or Sunmite.

Prevention

To prevent the appearance and reproduction of strawberry mite colonies in the garden, it is necessary to follow preventive measures:

• purchase seedlings from trusted nurseries;
• Do not plant strawberries in shaded or damp areas of the garden;
• the planting scheme should be such that each bush is ventilated and illuminated; carry out loosening and weeding in a timely manner;
• trim the mustache, remove unnecessary rosettes;
• carry out timely feeding;
• remove infected above-ground parts of plants and burn them outside the site;

In regions where the strawberry mite has become widespread, it is recommended to choose strawberry varieties for planting that can resist the pest. For example, Zenga-Zengana, Elsanta, Honey, Albion, KE2.

Preventive actions

To prevent tick infestation, as well as to prevent it from multiplying in countless quantities, certain steps are taken aimed at creating conditions unfavorable for the pest and reducing the risk of its introduction to the site:

• selection of varieties resistant to mite attacks;
• purchasing strawberry seedlings from proven, reliable places;
• soaking purchased seedlings in hot water before planting;
• organizing a plantation in a sunny area without stagnant moisture;
• compliance with crop rotation rules;
• correct agricultural technology (regular loosening, weeding and fertilizing);
• cleaning leaves from the ridge after autumn pruning;
• spring dousing bushes with hot water.

Reviews

I like working with the drug Actofit the most. Prevention with this drug does not make sense; it disintegrates after 2 days, so I carry out the treatment only when the pest appears. I do 2 treatments at intervals of a week. If the temperature is about 30 degrees, then I reduce the concentration of the drug by a quarter.

Today there is no method that will give a 100% guarantee that the strawberry mite will not appear in the berry patch. It is recommended to use several agrotechnical techniques in combination for prevention and control.