Anyway, #InternationalRockFlippingDay finds: a vine weevil (*Otiorhynchus* of some kind), and a bryobiine spider mite, see e.g. *Petrobia*.
#bugstodon #DailyMitePic #arachnids #mites #SpiderMites #insects #beetles #weevils #Coleoptera #Curculionidae #Entiminae #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae
Background Entomopathogenic fungi are increasingly used as bio-inoculants to enhance crop growth and resistance. When applied to rhizosphere soil, they interact with resident soil microbes, which can affect their ability to colonize and induce resistance in plants as well as modify the structure of the resident soil microbiome, either directly through interactions in the rhizosphere or indirectly, mediated by the plant. The extent to which such direct versus indirect interactions between bio-inoculants and soil microbes impact microbe-induced resistance in crops remains unclear. This study uses a split-root system to examine the effects of direct versus indirect (plant-mediated) interactions between an entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium brunneum, and resident soil microbes on induced resistance in tomato against two-spotted spider mites. Additionally, the study explores how these interactions influence the composition and diversity of soil fungal and bacterial communities. Results Resident soil microbes reduced the efficacy of M. brunneum to induce resistance against spider mites. This reduction occurred not only when resident microbes directly interacted with the bio-inoculant but also when they were spatially separated within the root system, indicating plant-mediated effects. M. brunneum inoculation did not affect rhizosphere microbial diversity but led to changes in fungal and bacterial community composition, even when these communities were not in direct contact with the inoculant. Conclusions This research highlights the impact of both direct and plant-mediated interactions between bio-inoculants and resident soil microbes on bio-inoculant-induced pest resistance in crop plants and underscores the importance of assessing potential adverse effects of fungal bio-inoculants on native soil communities.
#Arachtober 3: spider mites (family Tetranychidae)! These tiny herbivorous mites are the bane of gardeners and farmers the world over. Spider mites in the subfamily Tetranychinae leave sheets of a very fine silk they produce, finer than spider silk, over heavily infested plants.
This plant in a nearby park showed the telltale "stippled" look of spider mite feeding on its leaves, and tiny mites could be seen especially on the leaf undersides.
I cannot stress how tiny they are. If you can get a good phone picture of individual mites without magnification, they're probably not spider mites.
#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #SpiderMites • #Acari #Acariformes #Tetranychidae #Tetranychinae
I sprayed everything with insecticidal soap. Also, I used it preemptively on Piilu and Macropetala clematises. My arm hurts from squeezing that atomizer bottle, but it seems to work - sampled individuals look unalive and do not move.
The plan is to repeat spraying Buddleia later this evening, and then rinse and repeat next weekend.
Went for a walk this morning and I found the most amazingly spider mite-infested patch of cosmos!! _Tetranychus_, I think, maybe even _T. urticae_. I noticed the leaves had that speckled look to them and looked closer.
While they're hardly rare, I myself almost never spot them, and this is the first time I've been able to get macro photos of them.
#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #SpiderMites #Acari #Tetranychidae #Tetranychinae
I found a really effective and safe method of getting rid of spider mites on your houseplants and seedlings that I want to share with you here:
The agent used is Potassium-based liquid soap (all liquid soaps are made with Potassium Hydroxide or KOH). Ideally, you'd find a "horticultural soap" or "insecticidal soap" that doesn't contain fragrances or other additives, but most plants, even young seedlings, will tolerate a bit of that with the method I'll describe and if you buy the cheapest soap dispenser refills you can find they won't have much of the additives anyway or there wouldn't be any profit in selling it.
Anyway, what you do is make a whole lot of foam out of your liquid soap. Use high pressure water hose or similar over uneven surface that you squirted your liquid soap over. Once you've got your foam nice and thick, start coating your plants with it, also from underneath the leaves and try not to let too much of it fall onto your soil / substrate / growth medium. Thick enough foam should stick to leaves where you applied it. Do this in the shade of course and let your plants remain covered in foam for 5-10 minutes, then gently wash it off with water. Let the plants dry up in shade before moving them back to where you keep them. Do not let the plants sit covered in foam for too long and wash it off while it's still a thick foam. You don't want too much of that to leak into your growth medium (but a bit of it should be fine).
And that's it. You'd have washed off most of the spider mites because liquid soaps are also "surfactants" i.e. they make the water less viscous which will make it reach into the crevasses it otherwise wouldn't and make the surfaces too slippery for insects to cling to. Your plants will now also be covered with a very thin film of KOH-based solution (Potassium is lethal to soft-bodied insects). It will kill both adult spider mites as well as their tiny eggs they deposit underneath the leaves. And the surface of your plants will be too bitter for pests to feed on for a minimum of a week after you've applied the foam, possibly longer. But do inspect your plants on occasion for mite damage and see if you have to apply the soapy foam again. Other, larger insects such as moths, bees and beetles visiting your plants can, involuntarily, carry stowaway spider mites on their bodies back onto your plants as they collected the mites from other plants they visit.
Obviously, this should only be done on plants that you don't intend to eat and/or before they start flowering and developing edible fruits, but your plants should tolerate this treatment well, even seedlings of soft-leaved plants (e.g. pepper, tomato, eggplant,...). I produced so many viable seedlings this year, despite spider mite infestation I was fighting using this simple method of pest control I had to literally beg neighbors to take my seedlings so I won't have to discard them. Happy gardening!
In this comprehensive article, we will dive into pests that commonly afflict houseplants, from tiny aphids to stubborn spider mites, providing you with organic, natural strategies and easy to understand tips to identify, prevent, and eradicate these nuisances. Get ready to reclaim your indoor oasis and have a pest-free environment in your home again! According
Referenced link: https://phys.org/news/2023-05-caterpillar-repel-spider-mites-agriculture.html
Discuss on https://discu.eu/q/https://phys.org/news/2023-05-caterpillar-repel-spider-mites-agriculture.html
Originally posted by Phys.org / @physorg_com: http://nitter.platypush.tech/physorg_com/status/1653060221558767618#m
Study: Caterpillar traces repel #spidermites and may help agriculture @SciReports https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-28861-0 https://phys.org/news/2023-05-caterpillar-repel-spider-mites-agriculture.html
Competition for resources is everywhere in nature. It is a much riskier life for an animal whose competitor is hundreds' of times larger than itself. Tiny herbivorous pests such as spider mites are no strangers to this fate.
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