How to deal with bud mite on currants in the fall: control measures, photos and videos

Pest control

The kidney mite is found in all regions of Russia; there are currently no approved safe chemicals for its destruction. Let's consider the main methods of pest control. Shakespeare will tell you about growing winter onions in this material.

Agrotechnical measures

Proper agricultural technology is the main way to combat bud mites. Modern agrotechnical cost simplifications usually only contribute to the increase in the number of pests. Dense plantings, refusal to constantly cultivate soil between rows of bushes, non-compliance with crop rotation processes are factors that increase the likelihood of infection. To minimize the risk of bud mites appearing in the garden, you need to:

• choose the right place to plant a berry garden;
• select fertile, uncontaminated soil;
• carry out mandatory crop rotation within the specified time frame;
• cultivate soil between rows and under bushes;
• properly prepare and disinfect seedlings before planting;
• remove weeds in a timely manner.

In order not to wonder why currants do not bear fruit, regularly inspect the plantations and, if you find traces of the presence of pests, take action. Remove diseased bushes, drying branches, infected buds, and other plant debris that may contain mite larvae.

Chemicals

Currants are treated with chemicals before flowering and as soon as the flower stems are discarded. It is during this period that pests that have successfully survived the winter begin to migrate to uninfected young branches.

Use acaricidal, insectoacaricidal chemicals. A relatively gentle option is colloidal sulfur, which contains very few toxins. It is necessary to use preparations with sulfur, and not the substance in its pure form, since it can cause severe burns. Acaricidal preparations are ideal for spring treatments - hormonal, not as toxic as organophosphorus formulas. Main acaricides:

• Nissan;
• Judo;
• Forbid 4F;
• Movento;
• Aktellik;
• Kinmiks.

They have an effect of medium strength, mites can migrate and remain viable for some time after treatment. Therefore, several procedures are needed to completely cure the bush, with a break of 10 days. The air temperature during processing must be more than +5 °C, otherwise the measures will not give the required results.

Pesticides:

• Merpan;
• Thanos;
• Corado;
• Home;
• Bravo.

You can choose any of the above-mentioned drugs, do the treatments weekly - only 3 per season. The pause should be about 7 days.

Sulfur-containing products begin to be used after the buds begin to bloom.

The most popular is Karbofos. When the buds begin to unfold en masse, carry out the first treatment with a 2% decoction of lime and sulfur. Try to spray every leaf, bud and twig. This link will tell you about the benefits and harms of blue onions.

Traditional methods

Traditional methods are also widely used to destroy kidney mites, but with large-scale lesions they may not give the required results:

1. Boiling water - tie the lush bushes with a broom, tilt them to the ground and fix them in this position, then pour boiling water from a metal watering can over the bushes over the bark and branches. It is recommended to do the treatment in late February or early March, until the snow melts and the buds swell. Sometimes watering with boiling water is done at the end of autumn.
2. Garlic infusion - to prepare it you need to take 200 g of peeled garlic, minced through a meat grinder. The pulp is poured with a bucket of water and left for several hours. The prepared solution is passed through gauze or a sieve and used for spraying plantings.
3. Mustard infusion - 200 g of dry mustard powder is poured into a bucket of water and left to rise for 12 hours, filtered, and used to treat plants.
4. Dandelion infusion - take 200 g of plant roots, 50 g of green leaves, a bucket of water. Chop the plant mass, pour in, mix and leave for a couple of hours.

Folk remedies against currant bud mite

Some gardeners do not accept chemicals on their site. They fight against kidney mites using folk remedies. In the spring, before warm weather sets in, they spray the currant bushes with this infusion:

• onion peels;
• garlic;
• tobacco

Ticks are not able to tolerate the smell of these substances and from their exposure they lose the ability to reproduce.

After reading this article, you have gained an idea of ​​the main ways to combat currant bud mite. Choose the most suitable way to combat this pest, and treat the bushes in a timely manner to prevent crop losses.

Laundry soap

Soap can destroy kidney mites due to its high alkali content.

Preparation of soap solution:

• rub 200 g of soap, dissolve in 0.5 liters of water and leave overnight;
• In the morning, add 150 ml of sunflower oil to the mass, stir until smooth;
• Dissolve the resulting mixture in 10 liters of water, pour it into a sprayer and begin processing the bushes.

Spraying should be started within an hour after the final stage of preparing the solution. Later, the soap emulsion will begin to separate.

Planting onions and garlic

Instead of spraying with garlic and onion infusion, you can plant these crops directly under the bush. Their feathers, when sprouting, will emit a smell no less than the tincture. The tick will not be able to tolerate this smell and will disappear.

Tea brewing

Thus, to combat bud mites on currants, it is recommended to use tea leaves brewed in boiling water. The solution is made as follows: brew 20 tea leaves in a bucket of boiling water, then leave for a day.

After infusion, young cuttings preparing for planting are placed in the solution for 3 hours. According to gardeners, after such treatment the bud mite does not threaten currants.

Garlic tincture

This folk method is also used by many gardeners in the fight against ticks. To prepare a tincture of the required concentration, you need to crush 100 grams of garlic cloves, then dilute the resulting mixture in a bucket of water, and immediately begin processing the bush.

Attention: the bud mite cannot even tolerate the smell of garlic, so for prevention purposes, you can plant this particular spicy vegetable next to currants. In addition to the methods listed above, tinctures of poisonous or bitter herbs: wormwood, tobacco, dandelion can also help in pest control.

A decoction of onion peels is also useful: only it must be concentrated

In addition to the methods listed above, tinctures of poisonous or bitter herbs: wormwood, tobacco, dandelion can also help in the fight against pests. A decoction of onion peels is also useful: only it must be concentrated.

A mixture of ash and tobacco

The strong smell of tobacco is also repugnant to ticks. It is enough to dilute tobacco and ash mixed in equal parts in water 1 to 3. Then let this mixture brew for 24 hours, and then add another 7 parts of water and stir thoroughly. Finally, strain the infusion and spray the bushes.

Walnut leaves

In summer or autumn, it is worth collecting walnut leaves and drying them. As soon as it gets warmer in the spring, you need to prepare an infusion at the rate of 3 kg of leaves per 10 liters of water. Pour boiling water over the foliage, let it cool and spray the currant bushes.

Agrotechnical techniques

The bud mite is a malicious pest, so its mass spread on currants should not be allowed. Simple rules will help you avoid a long, tedious war:

• selection of currant varieties resistant to this insect ('In Memory of Potapenko', 'Nightingale Night', 'Shalunya', 'Yadrenaya', 'Nara', 'Black Pearl' and others);
• purchasing seedlings from reliable specialized centers and nurseries;
• regular watering and fertilizing of shrubs, timely pruning and thorough weed control, as well as cleaning of plant debris;
• regular careful inspection of plants and, at the first sign of a pest, taking immediate measures to destroy it

Bush processing

Plant processing involves the use of folk remedies, biological and chemical preparations, among which organophosphorus compounds are isolated due to their high toxicity.

Removing buds and shoots

In early spring (in the middle or second half of April), when enlarged buds are detected, infected shoots are cut and burned. After destroying the affected part of the plant, the bush produces new healthy growth. There are no pests in the soil.

Agrotechnical measures

Timely watering, fertilizing and treating plants, which will increase the plants’ immunity to the damaging effects of pests.

For planting and propagation, use only zoned, pest-resistant varieties.

It is very important that the planting material is not affected by the pest. To prevent infection, you can completely immerse a seedling or rooted cutting for 18-20 hours in a working solution prepared from agrovertin (10 g) and colloidal sulfur (40 g) in 10 liters of water.

Before planting, seedlings and rooted shoots can be kept in hot water (+40..+45 °C no more) for 15 minutes;

The larvae of currant bud mites cannot tolerate high air humidity. You can take advantage of this property and, during the first migration of hatched larvae (the first spring generation), drain the berry garden.

Every year, in early spring (early March), treat the dormant buds of black, red and white currant bushes (currants only) with fire.

Carrying out the procedure: After sanitary and thinning pruning of the currant bushes, use a blowtorch or gas burner at a distance of 8-10 cm to run along the branches 2-3 times from top to bottom, without stopping, so as not to burn the branches. Heating by fire will kill aphids and most bud mites without damaging the plant. Fire will not damage healthy buds covered with dense upper scales. Diseased buds are loose, the cover is torn by overpopulation of the bud by pests that lay eggs of future offspring. They are very vulnerable during this period and the fire (high temperature) burns and causes the death of unwanted “tenants”. Of course, not all females die with this method, but their activity decreases sharply.

During the same period, instead of fire treatment, you can “bathe” the currant bushes with a hot shower, spending 1.0-1.2 buckets of water on a large bush.

Carrying out the procedure: To process the bushes, it is more convenient to use a watering can with a sprinkler. Pour boiling water into a container. Above the bush, from a height of approximately 15-20 cm, we wash the bush. At low air temperatures, hot boiling water, when filling the waterer and until the water reaches the bush, will cool to +60..+70 °C. This temperature will not damage the plant, but will destroy some pests (the principle of action is the same as during fire treatment) and fungal infections.

Fighting methods

Chemicals

Such products are not on the list of favorites among summer residents, but they are very effective in the fight against parasites. However, they are very toxic, which can cause harm to humans, as well as beneficial insects and pets. In view of this, it is necessary to strictly follow safety regulations and act strictly according to the instructions.

Chemicals such as colloidal sulfur, acaricides, including the drugs “Neoron”, “Oberon” and “Nissoran”, as well as an insectoacaricide such as “Fufanon” have proven to be most effective in controlling pests.

Biological agents

Such drugs are more in demand because they are highly effective and at the same time do not harm either humans or the environment. The components of such drugs most often include fungal strains and bacteria.

Among all the products, experienced gardeners recommend Akarin, Fitoverm, Bicol, Boverin and Bitoxibacillin the most.

Treatment with these preparations is recommended before the flowers begin to appear. It would be best to start it a second time only after picking the berries.

Shrubs must be processed at temperatures above +15 degrees. If the weather is too windy or low temperatures are observed, then the plant will not benefit from treatment during this period.

When using medications, we strongly recommend that you strictly follow the instructions on the packaging. In addition, it is recommended to use different preparations several times for treatment, be sure to check them for biocompatibility before use.

Folk remedies

Such methods will be especially effective in combination with chemical or biological methods, and also if you begin treatment with parasites in early spring.

All folk remedies can be made with your own hands at home. To create solutions, components such as onion peels, tobacco, garlic or young green walnut shells are required.

For successful pest control, you can also plant plants such as onions or garlic near the currants. They are good at repelling pests. But we note that you should not eat such plants, especially if you have treated your plantings with chemicals.

To protect the bush, you can also make a solution, the preparation of which will require 10 liters of water, 10 grams of colloidal sulfur and 75 grams of Karbofos. All this must be mixed well.

Physical measures

This method is suitable only for those who are especially patient and only for early spring. It involves a thorough examination of the branches of the bush, as well as the removal of diseased buds. If there are more than 5 of them on a branch, then it should be cut off and burned along with the buds.

Also, try not to use too much chemicals. Then beneficial insects such as ladybug, encarsia, lacewing, hoverfly, chalcid and others will be able to help you in the fight against pests. They readily eat kidney mites. However, if you use a large amount of pesticides, you risk scaring away all the natural helpers from the plant.

Agrotechnical methods

These methods do not have a high level of complexity. They should rather be guided by preventive measures.

Initially, it is recommended to pay attention to the plant varieties. Try to purchase those that are most resistant to various kinds of diseases and attacks from harmful insects

We strongly do not recommend using for planting those seedlings whose health you are not sure of. Otherwise, this may lead to infection of healthy bushes.

Try to provide the shrub with the necessary amount of moisture and nutrients. Don't forget to water the plant to avoid drought and pest proliferation.

Regularly inspect the bush and prune those areas that are damaged. In addition, do not be lazy to remove the remains of old plants, as well as eliminate weeds, which are also distributors of parasites.

How to deal with bud mite on currants

The kidney mite hides inside the kidneys almost its entire life, so it is not easy to exterminate it. Using chemical acaricides, you can destroy a certain number of pests at the time of their mass migration to healthy bushes in the spring.

However, at the same time, there is massive pollination of bushes by bees and bumblebees, which makes the use of chemicals unacceptable. Therefore, measures to control the number of ticks are carried out mainly in autumn and early spring, before flowering.

Measures to combat bud mite on currants and other seedlings are conventionally divided into the following components:

• prevention against ticks;
• compliance with agricultural technology;
• chemicals;
• biological drugs;
• folk remedies.

Let's look at them in more detail.

Prevention against ticks

Preventive measures against kidney mites should include the following:

• weed control during the growing season;
• collecting leaves from the soil after leaf fall;
• spring and autumn sanitary pruning of bushes;
• use of healthy planting material for propagation.

Compliance with agricultural technology

This means timely completion of all planned technological work:

• irrigation of berry fields;
• fertilizing during the growing season;
• treatment with purchased acaricides or folk remedies;
• the use of varieties that exhibit resistance to this parasite;
• disinfection of purchased planting material with colloidal sulfur, at the rate of 40 g of the substance per 10 liters of water;
• Irrigation of bushes by sprinkling during the period of relocation of larvae;
• spraying currant bushes in early spring with hot water (65 degrees);
• manual destruction of ticks in the spring in swollen buds.

Appearance of the pest and its life cycle

The kidney mite (species name Cecidophyopsis ribis) has a length of no more than 0.2 mm and a width of 0.04 mm. It has an oblong (worm-shaped) body, light in color, with 2 pairs of legs. Most often it affects black currants, less often red and white ones. Pests settle in the buds of the plant, where they spend almost their entire life.

The spread of the currant bud mite occurs with seedlings that were taken from an infected mother plant, as well as with the help of bees, bud moths, equipment, and on the clothes of a gardener who has been in contact with the infected bush.

In one season, the pest produces 5 generations, 2 in spring, the rest in summer and autumn. In March, overwintered females lay eggs in the kidney (from 50 to 100 eggs over a period of 3-6 weeks), from which larvae appear in 3-7 days, which turn into adults in 10-14 days.

Before the plant blooms, pests move into new buds along the bark and leaves, most of them die. The survivors (approximately 1%) colonize the buds, where they lay eggs again.

Causes and signs of tick appearance

Spider mites and kidney mites manifest themselves differently.

Kidney mite

The pest enters the garden with infected planting material or penetrates from neighboring areas.

The currant mite cannot be seen with the naked eye, but the results of its harmful activities are clearly visible:

1. In late autumn or early spring, unnatural buds appear on the bushes - increased in size, spherical. Their number depends on the susceptibility of the variety.
2. At the beginning of the season, the swollen buds dry out or belatedly produce underdeveloped leaves and do not bloom.
3. Productivity is falling.
4. Sometimes signs of viral infections appear along the way: deformation and contrasting mosaic variegation of foliage are observed; healthy buds produce ugly inflorescences.

Spider mite

The parasite actively colonizes bushes in hot, dry weather, moving from other affected plants and neighboring areas.

Signs of appearance:

1. Small yellow spots appear on the leaves, which gradually grow.
2. The leaf blades acquire a pale green mosaic color, gradually turn brown and dry out.
3. Thin cobwebs are visible on the bottom of the leaves.
4. When the pest is actively spreading, cobwebs can be noticeable on shoots and even on berries.
5. Plants look depressed and grow poorly; fruits are not filled to standard sizes; Premature leaf fall is observed.

Expert opinion

Stanislav Pavlovich

Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert

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IMPORTANT! The earlier pest control begins, the greater the chance of success and the less crop loss. https://www.youtube.com/embed/kCzGlUNs74Y

Methods to combat currant mite

Not everyone knows how to deal with bud mites on currants correctly. The use of pesticides during the period of mass reproduction of bud mites is prohibited. This is explained by the fact that at this time the currants bloom wildly and the berries are set. Many drugs are dangerous for insects that pollinate the plant. Therefore, treatment of blackcurrant diseases must begin in the spring and after harvest.

To get rid of parasites on currants, different methods are used.

Biological

This method involves collecting buds affected by bud mites, since they contain a huge number of pests. They should be removed before they begin to burst. The procedure is quite labor-intensive, since it is necessary to remove all infected buds, carefully examining the currant bush. It must be carried out with gloves. The collected buds are burned or doused with boiling water. This method does not provide a 100% guarantee of getting rid of parasites. They can also be found in other buds that have a normal appearance, but the number of pests in them is simply not so large.

Bud mite on currants

Biological drugs

For people and their environment, biological products are less dangerous than pesticides. They are quite effective, but have a short duration of action. Most of the products on the market belong to the third safety class. Biocarcides are used to control pests in the spring, when the air temperature reaches +16°C. The following drugs have shown good effectiveness:

1. Akarin. Inexpensive product, available in ampoules. Cost from 14 to 20 rubles. To treat currants, dilute 20 ml of the drug in 1 liter of water and spray the currant bush with the resulting solution. After 3 days, the procedure should be repeated.
2. Bitoxibacillin. The product is available in powder form in different packaging, so the price ranges from 22 to 42 rubles. To obtain the composition, you need to dilute 100 g of powder in a bucket of water. Spray 2-3 times per season, taking a week break between procedures.
3. Fitoverm. The cost of the package, which contains a 2 ml ampoule, is about 20 rubles. When destroying parasites, the drug shows good results. There is a table on the package according to which the dosage should be selected.

Chemicals

Not all chemical preparations for bud mite are suitable for combating this parasite on currants. Some of them belong to the third safety class. The most effective are highly dangerous acaricides and insectoacaricides of the second class

It is recommended to use them in rare cases, strictly observing safety precautions.

Insecticides for kidney mites

You can treat currants against mites using the following drugs:

1. Kontos. For spraying, you need to dilute 1 ml of the product in 3 liters of water. The result is visible 10 days after treatment. Price – 129 rub.
2. Vertimek. To destroy kidney mites, you need to mix 1 ml of Vertimek and Envidor or instead 1 g of Nissoran, dilute in 1 liter of water. Spray the plant with the resulting mixture. The cost of the drug is 35 rubles.
3. Envidor. To obtain a solution, dilute 2-3 ml of the product in five liters of water. The price of the drug is 47 rubles.
4. Nissan. The product is available in powder form, the cost of packaging is 110 rubles. Has a wide spectrum of acaricidal action. To prepare the mixture, you need to dissolve 1 g of powder in 1 liter of water.

After collecting currant berries, it is recommended to re-treat the bushes using stronger preparations: Nitrafen, Bi-58, Kleschevit, Antiklesch, Phosfamide, etc.

Experts recommend alternating acaricidal agents; treatment must be carried out strictly following the instructions. When spraying, wear eye and hand protection.

Folk remedies

To combat bud mites on currants, gardeners use folk remedies:

• Dandelion root infusion. To prepare the mixture, you need 50 g of leaves, chop 200 g of peeled roots, add 10 liters of water and leave for 3 hours.
• Garlic infusion. To prepare it, you need to chop 200 g of garlic, add 10 liters of water, leave for several hours, strain and spray on currant bushes.
• Mustard tincture. Mix 200 g of mustard powder with 10 liters of water, leave for 12 hours, filter the resulting mixture and use it to wash currants from mites.

Folk remedies for fighting kidney mites

Control measures

It is difficult to catch this secretive insect, but it is possible. First of all, before the leaves bloom, carefully examine the branches of the bush and, if you see buds on them, immediately remove them and burn them. If there are a lot of such buds, cut off the shoot completely.

It is better to remove severely affected shoots completely. In the future, you will need to spray the currants with a suitable preparation. The main emphasis should be placed on the moment of the first migration of ticks from one bud to another, which coincides with the period of budding of the bush. It is important not to miss this particular relocation of the pest, which will prevent its further spread.

Chemicals

During the bud protrusion phase, treat the berry plant with a solution of a low-toxic non-systemic acaricide or insectoacaricide, for example, Envidor, Kontos, Nissoran, Oberon, or the like. Since the migration of mites lasts up to 4 weeks, repeat the treatment with one of these preparations immediately after the end of flowering, and again after 10-12 days to consolidate the effect. It is not worth using more toxic products (“Famidophos”, “Dimetrin”, “Accent”, “Danadim”, etc.) during this period; systemic acaricides can be used after harvesting.

The first spraying is carried out in the budding phase. Colloidal sulfur has proven itself well in the fight against this pest. Treatment before flowering is carried out with a solution of 10 liters of water and 10 g of powder; during the next spraying, the dose of colloidal sulfur is halved. However, you won’t be able to fight this enemy on gooseberries using such a chemical: it causes burns on the leaves.

Number of spring treatments and their timing

To ensure that treatment against ticks does not become a “blank shot”, it is necessary to take into account the development cycle of these insects, which is closely linked to air temperature. In spring, the larvae of kidney mites show their first activity when the temperature ranges from 10 to 13 degrees Celsius.

However, their exit from the buds and movement to other currant bushes usually occurs after 3 weeks, at a temperature of +18 degrees.

In accordance with the development cycle of the parasite, it is necessary to plan the timing of treatments. There should be three of them during the spring-summer time.

First treatment against kidney mites

It is aimed at exterminating successfully overwintered females and newly emerged larvae. This treatment should be done a few days before flowering.

Second treatment

As soon as warm weather sets in, the development cycle of the second generation of larvae is completed. At this point, the currant bushes should be sprayed with insecticide again. If you are late with this procedure, the larvae will have time to become adult insects and lay eggs. The second treatment is carried out approximately 8-10 days after the first.

Third treatment for kidney mites

The third spraying is safety. Its goal is to exterminate the surviving young females so that they do not have time to lay eggs. This treatment begins 9 days after the second spraying.

Biological drugs

Adherents of eco-farming who do not accept chemistry can use biological acaricidal preparations to spray currants, for example “Fitoverm”, “Akarin”, “Vertimek”, “Bikol”, “Bitoxibacillin”, etc. Use bioacaricides at the same time, preparing the solution according to the instructions for the selected drug. But in this case, remember that such protective equipment will be effective only at a certain air temperature, so carefully read the characteristics of each of them.

Signs of infection

Since ticks mainly attack the kidneys, the first signs of infection appear in these areas. As they reproduce in the middle of the offspring, the bud enlarges and one can easily notice the significantly larger size that distinguishes them from others. Then it deforms, they change their shape.

Also in autumn, when the leaves fall from the bushes, you can easily distinguish between healthy and infected plants. If these are healthy buds that develop correctly and receive the components necessary for growth, then they have a regular rounded and elongated shape, externally covered with dense scales. If it is an infected currant, then it will have buds that are large, irregular in shape and will not have a smooth surface, but tears.

In spring and early summer, you need to pay attention to any changes. Infected bushes will have young leaves of irregular shape, color

The leaves seem very rough to the touch, deformations may be observed, and have a very light color.

Shoots, not receiving enough substances, stop developing. We all know that ticks are carriers of viruses, this also applies to ticks. They spread a virus that infects the plant, these include leaf reversal, witch's broom, and double flower. Unfortunately, if a plant is infected with this virus, it cannot be treated and must be destroyed.

Popular folk recipes

It is possible to defeat the currant bud mite in the cold spring using bioacaricidal folk remedies, which include an infusion of:

• green walnut shell;
• tobacco;
• onion peel;
• garlic

How to fight kidney mites? You can protect currant bushes by planting perennial onions or garlic around them. For pests, such a smell will be unbearable; in such an environment, the possibility of reproduction is lost. If any chemicals are used in parallel, then such garlic and onions are not suitable for food. Fighting ticks with herbal preparations is not a 100% guarantee; this will only slow down the reproduction process, but not stop it completely.

Don’t know how to treat currants against ticks in the spring? In order to get rid of currant mites, they often resort to the use of colloidal sulfur, the treatment of which can be carried out before the end of flowering. To prepare the solution, you need 10 liters of water, 75 g of karbofos and 10 g of colloidal sulfur.

Sulfur is a rather dangerous product; when preparing the solution, precautions must be taken to avoid burns to young leaves. Therefore, when re-processing, after harvesting, the concentration used is halved

It is worth noting that sulfur is most effective at temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius.

Due to the long-term effect of the drug and the rapid formation of the crop of currant bushes, the product is used once during the period of maximum budding and protrusion of buds.

How dangerous is the currant bud mite?

Based on the level of harmfulness, the currant bud mite belongs to the group of very dangerous pests of garden and berry fruit crops. In one year, 1 female currant bud mite gives 5 generations (2 spring and 3 summer-autumn), which is about 15-40 thousand pests. In the process of development, currant bud mites have adapted to tolerate climatic disasters in protected conditions (buds, shoots, galls, etc.), which complicates the fight against these pests. The developed adaptability is so reliable that if drastic protective measures are not taken, berries (black, red, white currants and gooseberries) can die in one season.

Signs of damage by currant bud mite

The currant bud mite mainly affects the buds of the plant. By autumn, deformed, damaged buds increase in size and begin to differ in external shape from healthy ones.

On currant bushes affected by the currant bud mite in the fall after the leaves fall, two types of buds can be clearly distinguished:

• Healthy buds, normally developed flower buds, rounded elongated and elongated leaves, covered with outer dense scales.
• Patients are swollen, round, resembling a tousled miniature head of cabbage. They are swollen with a huge number of wintering mature female ticks, which are ready to reproduce with the onset of warm weather.

During the spring-summer period:

• The change in shape, size and color of leaves on the tops of young shoots is alarming.
• The leaf blade becomes rough, leathery to the touch, light in color, and may be deformed.
• The shoot stops developing. Witches' brooms appear on the stems. This is a viral infection of plants, the carriers of which, along with other pests, are bud mites. They are carriers of viral diseases such as leaf reversal and double flower disease. There is no treatment. Diseased plants are destroyed.

Why is mite dangerous for currants?

When the mite population is high, the leaves become marbled, and over time they become brown and dry out.
At first, the photosynthetic surface of the leaf is reduced and thereby the physiological balance is disrupted, then the currant loses leaves and shoots, the yield decreases and the winter hardiness of the plant deteriorates. Ticks that feed on juice can be carriers of viral and bacterial diseases of currants. In addition, the web worsens the aesthetic appearance of the bush.

How to deal with a pest

You can successfully resist ticks using folk remedies or using purchased special preparations. First, it is better to try folk remedies, since they have a number of advantages:

• they are free, or very inexpensive;
• components can always be found at hand;
• they are safe for people and plants;
• quite effective.

You can successfully fight ticks using plain water. In case of single lesions of currants by mites, it is necessary to water the bushes using the sprinkling method. The pest does not tolerate high humidity and will leave your plantings.

In addition to folk remedies, you can destroy mites on currants by using special chemicals called acaricides. Usually, such methods are resorted to in the most difficult situations, when treatment with home remedies has not produced results or when the pest damage to the bushes is serious.

The frequency of currant treatments with acaricides and the time interval between them depend on the air temperature. The development cycle of the pest is also taken into account, which also depends on the ambient temperature. So, at a temperature of +21 degrees, it is recommended to carry out 3 treatments with an interval of 8 days. At a temperature of +30 degrees there should be 4 treatments, and the time interval between them is reduced to 5 days.

Use of special drugs

As we have already said, the use of acaricides should be resorted to in case of massive mite damage to the crop and before the onset of the flowering phase. If the bushes are not supposed to be harvested, then processing can be carried out at any time.

The packaging of the drugs contains detailed instructions for use, which must be strictly followed. The pest is highly resistant to chemicals and is unlikely to be eradicated by treatment alone. To increase the effect, it is recommended to alternate drugs.

To destroy a tick, 3-4 treatments will be needed. This is due to the fact that the drug does not kill the eggs and you will have to wait until the larvae are born from the eggs.

To kill insects, use:

• Apollo;
• Floromite;
• Oberon;
• Sunmite;
• Flumite.

Preparations based on colloidal sulfur, as well as hormonal ones, have gained great popularity:

• Kontos;
• Envidor;
• Nisoran;
• Forbid 4F.

They are recommended for use during the period of migration of female ticks and during mass births of offspring. This period occurs during the bud break of plants. For a good result, it is recommended to give 2 treatments in a row with one of these drugs with an interval of 10 days.

The next period of time when you can deal a strong blow to a tick is the end of summer - beginning of autumn. After picking the berries, it is recommended to treat them with organic phosphorus preparations:

• Bi-58;
• Rogor-S;
• Phosphamide.

Currant bushes that have not yet bear fruit can be treated with the following preparations:

• Danadim;
• Accent;
• Dimetrin;
• Pilarmax.

To prevent ticks from developing immunity to any drug, you need to alternate agents during treatment.

Using traditional methods

In the fight against spider mites and kidney mites, various infusions from plants that have a strong aroma or a lot of bitterness have been widely used. The following compositions are considered the most effective of them:

• decoction of green walnuts;
• garlic infusion;
• infusion of shag or tobacco;
• infusion of dandelion leaves;
• infusion of onion skins.

Among the undoubted advantages of folk methods is their absolute safety for people and animals. Therefore, they can be used at any time.

The use of pesticides against currant bud mite

For “lovers” of quick measures, you can offer several chemical preparations for treating plants.

Ticks are arachnids, so they are destroyed not with insecticidal preparations, but with acaricidal and insectoacaricidal ones.

Please note! The use of chemicals if used incorrectly can be harmful to health. Therefore it is necessary:

• observe personal safety measures (gloves, goggles, hat, respirator or multi-layer bandage, gown);
• strictly follow the instructions;
• When used in spring and autumn, it is recommended to alternate medications so as not to cause an addictive effect.

The most vulnerable period for currant bud mites is when the larvae move to new places. During the phase of budding and leaf opening, the first wave of hatched currant bud mite larvae enters the open space.

Movement to new territories lasts 2-3 weeks. It is during this period that you need to carry out at least 2 sprayings with an interval of 8-12 days.

Among the pesticides used against the currant bud mite during this period, acaricidal drugs are used:

• Endidor;
• Forbid 4F;
• Nissan;
• Vertimek;
• Akktelik;
• Contos.

The next period for using pesticides against the currant bud mite is to treat the bushes after full harvesting (so that children do not eat such delicious last berries from the bushes). It is recommended at this point to use acaricidal drugs with a stronger effect:

• BI-58;
• Rogor-S;
• Phosfamide;
• Sun Mite;
• Nitrafen.

Treatment of currants with sulfur preparations

Among sulfur preparations against currant bud mites, colloidal sulfur (Sulfaride) and karbofos are used. They can be used to treat the bushes and soil around them until flowering ends. A solution of colloidal sulfur is prepared at the rate of 10 g of the drug, and 75 g of karbofos per 10 liters of water. Sulfur is far from a harmless drug and, at the dosage used, can cause burns to young leaves and their loss. Therefore, repeated spraying (after flowering) is carried out with a solution of 2 times less concentration. The highest efficiency from treating currant bushes with colloidal sulfur solutions occurs at temperatures not lower than +20°C.

Currants form a harvest in a short time, and the effect of the drug can last a long time. Therefore, chemical preparations are used once, only during the phase of bud extension and the beginning of mass budding. Further use of pesticides is prohibited. A transition to the use of more gentle means for human health when exterminating pests is necessary.