Have you noticed that your beloved plant is suddenly covered in a seemingly eerie and mysterious web? Have you ever thought about how that spider web got there? If you have seen a lot of cobwebs on your plant and the plant is showing signs that it is not healthy - yellowed or brown leaves - then your plant is most likely infested with spider mites, which are a common pest. The other possibility if you see cobwebs on plants is that spider moths have infested your plants. Like you thisDetect and combat pestswe can tell you below!
What are spider mites?
Because they are so tiny, spider mites are almost unnoticed by their hosts. Only when you notice their web on the plant do you know they were there.
Spider mites often attack:
Beans, cucumbers, roses, orchids, hydrangeas, apple trees, oleanders, tomatoes, gardenias, petunias, yew, among others
Recognize spider mites
They use their sharp mouthparts to suck the sap from the plants and then consume it. Although they are quite small, spider mites live in colonies that include more than a hundred of their own kind. These tiny mites feed on plant sap and live on the underside of your plant's leaves. If you look closely, you can see the mites moving gently across the leaf.
An infestation of spider mitescan occur on plants, which are grown either indoors or outdoors. Spider mites cause damage to plants by penetrating and damaging plant cells. Because they are so small, an infestation can begin almost overnight, and the damage to your plant can be seen in a relatively short period of time.
Signs of a possible spider mite problem:
- If you have a spider mite infestation, your plant's leaves may begin to yellow or fall off prematurely, which is one of the first signs of an infestation.
- If there are a large number of insects, the web can cover the entire plant.
- If the spider mites force the plant to lose its leaves, the plant is susceptible to sunburn.
- A heavy infestation of spider mites can not only inhibit the development of the plant, but also lead to the death of the plant.
Spider webs on plants – causes of the infestation
- dryness
Spider mites are attracted to a dry environment because they cannot survive in a moist environment.
- Underwatered plants
Concern about plants getting too much water is common, but it's also possible to kill plants if you don't give them enough water. A plant that has not been watered adequately and whose soil is dry will attract spider mites to the leaves.
- Too much nitrogen
Many gardeners worry that their plants aren't getting enough nutrients. But giving them too much of it can do more harm than good. For example, giving your plant too much fertilizer can make it susceptible to spider mites.
Fight spider mites successfully
Use only natural remediesabout the pestssuccessfully get rid of. These methods will help you:
- The leaves should be washed or sprayed regularly with cold water - mites avoid an environment that is both cool and damp. Many will probably get carried away by this.
- Use a damp sponge to wipe each individual leaf of the plant by hand.
- Spray or wipe the plant again with a milder solution of dish soap and water. Add about half a teaspoon of liquid soap to 350 ml of water.
- Neem oil can be used to effectively clean the plant leaves. The oil forms an additional barrier on the leaves that is toxic to the mites, and as a pleasant side effect it gives the plants a high-gloss appearance.
Cobwebs on plants – get rid of cobweb moths
Web moth caterpillars have a large appetite and will devour virtually any plant material they can reach with their small lips. This includes the bark of the tree, but also leaves, stems and flowers.
The caterpillars attack:
Bird cherry, blackthorn, fruit trees (e.g. apple trees and plum trees), poplars, poplars, willows, hawthorn
Recognizing spider moths
The web moth belongs to the family ofYponomeutidae, which belongs to the order Lepidoptera and includes many different species of insects. Adult white web moths feed on the nectar of flowers, while the caterpillars eat leaves and other plant matter. The females lay their eggs on the leaves of the plant. Web moths are the adult moths that fly in late summer and have white or grayish markings and black dots.
Fight web moths
The larvae of web moths are capable of damaging crops and crops. Since mating typically produces a significant number of eggs, this should be taken into consideration. However, the infestation can only last a month or two - by the time summer comes, the webs are usually removed and your plants will fully recover.
These methods help combat it:
- There is always a solution - you can fight the web moth mechanically. The procedure itself is simple, but you should put in some work and spend some time on it. To do this, you should get a spatula, walk around the garden and remove any cobwebs created by the web moth.
- Also, try to hose down trees and leaves in early spring and September to create the highest water pressure and then get rid of the caterpillars.
- Attract the predators of web moths and caterpillars –for example parasitic waspsand birds.
