What does a tick look like and how to fight it on strawberries? - briefly
Ticks are small, oval, brownish arachnids about 2–5 mm long, enlarging to a visible, engorged shape after feeding. Control on strawberry plants includes frequent scouting, removal of infested leaves, use of approved acaricides, and maintaining clean, well‑drained beds to lower humidity.
What does a tick look like and how to fight it on strawberries? - in detail
Ticks that infest strawberry plants are tiny arachnids, typically 0.2–0.5 mm long, oval‑shaped, and reddish‑brown to tan. Their bodies consist of a capitulum (mouthparts) and a globular idiosoma covered with fine hairs. Adult females are larger and more visible than males; both sexes possess eight legs, though the front pair may appear elongated. Eggs are spherical, white, and laid on leaf undersides in clusters of 10–50. Nymphal stages (protonymph, deutonymph, and tritonymph) resemble miniature adults, gaining color and size with each molt.
Effective management combines preventive, cultural, biological, and chemical tactics:
- Sanitation: Remove plant debris, weeds, and fallen fruit that harbor overwintering stages.
- Crop rotation: Alternate strawberries with non‑host crops for at least two years to break the life cycle.
- Resistant cultivars: Choose varieties documented to exhibit lower tick infestation levels.
- Canopy management: Prune excess foliage to improve air circulation and reduce humidity, conditions favorable to development.
- Monitoring: Inspect leaf undersides weekly with a hand lens; record populations to apply controls only when thresholds (e.g., >5 ticks per leaf) are exceeded.
- Biological control: Release predatory mites (e.g., Phytoseiulus persimilis), lady beetle larvae, or lacewing adults that consume all life stages of the pest.
- Botanical sprays: Apply neem oil or rosemary extract at 1 % concentration, adhering to label rates, to deter feeding and oviposition.
- Synthetic acaricides: Use acaricides with distinct modes of action (e.g., spirodiclofen, abamectin) in rotation to avoid resistance; respect pre‑harvest intervals and maximum residue limits.
Integrated pest management relies on early detection, threshold‑based interventions, and diversification of control methods to sustain strawberry yields while minimizing chemical input.