The appearance of spots on the leaves of a plant signals the gardener about serious problems. It is urgent to take preventive measures to prevent the outbreak from spreading and not being left without a harvest. This danger is posed by the gall mite that appears on the pear. It feeds on the sap of the tree, weakening and depleting the latter. The harvest is scanty and of low quality. It is urgent to get rid of the pest and prevent its further appearance on the site.
Description of the pest
The gall mite, which lives on pears, belongs to the sucking species of insects. It cannot be seen with the naked eye, since the body of the pest reaches a maximum size of 0.3 mm. Using a sharp proboscis, it makes holes in the leaf and sucks out the cell juices from it. The mite can live everywhere where pears are grown.
In winter, mite larvae take refuge under the scales of leaf buds, and with the onset of heat, they suck out the juice from them, as a result of which the bud dies. During the same period, females lay eggs, and the larvae that grow from them continue to suck sap from the tree. In one season, 3-5 new generations of ticks grow.
Reasons for appearance
The gall mite spreads under the influence of human factors, with the help of insects and birds, as well as wind, which contributes to the appearance of pest larvae. Its occurrence on a pear can be provoked by a thickened crown, a prolonged lack of sanitary pruning, as well as an excess of fertilizers containing phosphorus in the soil.
Some stimulant drugs used in gardening can increase the number of gall mites. In addition, insecticides, which have been actively used recently, destroy the natural enemies of the dangerous pest. Diseases also greatly weaken the pear, making it accessible to the proliferation of pathogenic organisms.
What harm does a tick cause?
The gall mite can cause significant harm to a healthy pear, which is expressed in the following:
- slowing down the growth of young shoots;
- destruction of the kidneys;
- damage to buds and ovaries;
- significant reduction in yield indicators.
A pear affected by a gall mite suffers from a lack of nutrients, as a result of which it may not survive the winter and freeze out in extreme cold.
Measures to combat gall mite
Preventing the appearance of gall mites in the garden involves following simple agricultural practices. However, if the pest has already established itself on your favorite varieties of pears, you must act immediately.
Chemical treatment
Chemical methods of controlling gall mites bring the fastest results. In addition, they are recognized as the most effective and efficient.
"Apollo"
Apollo is a contact pesticide. It is capable of completely destroying pests without causing harm to the beneficial fauna of the garden. A special feature of the drug is that after treatment, not only adults die, but also young animals, as well as eggs laid by females. Processing is carried out in accordance with the instructions supplied with the product.
"Karate"
The drug Karate destroys not only female gall mites, but also their eggs. It is not recommended to use it if there is an apiary nearby. The active substance simultaneously destroys many other garden pests and their larvae.
"Fufanon"
Intestinal contact pesticide. It is based on an organophosphorus compound. In addition to the gall mite, it helps get rid of other pathogenic microorganisms. It is recommended to use if insects have acquired immunity to pyrethroids.
Biological pesticides
When fighting gall mites on pears, supporters of organic farming often give preference to biological pesticides, considering them harmless to the environment.
"Vertimek"
This drug contains a biological pesticide obtained by processing fungal waste products. Refers to the means of contact intestinal action."Vertimek" is used if the gall mite living on the pear has shown resistance to other acaricides. The active substance does not act through cell membranes, therefore it does not tend to accumulate in fruits. The effectiveness of the drug improves with increasing ambient temperature.
"Fitoverm"
When a gall mite appears on trees, effective control of it by spraying with pesticides is carried out before the buds begin to open or immediately after flowering. During the first spraying, the female pests that spent the winter in the buds of the tree are destroyed. The drug “Fitoverm” is well suited for this purpose. As a result of its influence, it is possible to avoid a wave of mass reproduction of insects in the spring.
Rules for preparing folk remedies
Folk remedies based on natural ingredients help fight the invasion of gall mites on pears. An infusion of dandelions, which is prepared as follows, has proven itself to be excellent. Take 1 kg of fresh dandelion leaves, pour 3 liters of water and leave to infuse in a dark place for 3 days. The resulting infusion is filtered, a little liquid soap is added and the pear is sprayed with it.
To get rid of gall mites, prepare an infusion from the herb calendula. Take 100 grams of flowers and boil them in 1 liter of water for 5 minutes, then infuse them in a dark room for 5 days. After this, the infusion is filtered, diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio and sprayed on the pear.
An infusion of potato tops shows an excellent result in the fight against gall mites.It is prepared from 1 kg of fresh or 0.5 kg of dried crushed tops, which is poured with 10 liters of warm water and allowed to brew for 4 hours, after which it is filtered, a little liquid soap is added and the pear is processed.
The prepared infusion can be used only for 24 hours, after which it becomes unusable.
Treatment of pears against gall mites is carried out in the morning or evening, as well as in dry cloudy weather. Under the rays of the scorching sun, droplets of liquid can cause burns on the leaves. In addition, some active ingredients lose their effectiveness under the scorching sun.
Prevention
Preventive measures aimed at combating gall mites on pears are aimed at not creating favorable conditions for the reproduction of the pest. It is necessary to correctly and accurately calculate the dosage of fertilizers used, especially those containing phosphorus.
It is definitely worth carrying out sanitary pruning of trees, removing dead bark, removing leaves with the onset of autumn and digging up the soil in the circle of the pear tree. Timely whitewashing of trunks with a lime solution also prevents the appearance of gall mites in the garden.
Growing weeds should either be completely removed from the area or mowed. In the latter case, the roots remaining in the ground will replenish the supply of nutrients. Treatment with chemical and biological agents, as well as folk remedies intended to destroy gall mites, is also recommended for preventive purposes. Its frequency is once a month.
A good result in preventing the appearance of pests on pears is shown by the use of hunting belts, for the manufacture of which burlap or corrugated paper is used.
