GreenlyBig bud mite: how to recognise and treat it
Pest
Symptoms
- In late winter some buds are abnormally swollen and round, like tiny cabbages, instead of slim and pointed.
- Swollen buds dry up in spring and give no leaves, or only stunted leaves and few or no flowers.
- The mite spreads reversion virus — bushes with fewer-lobed leaves and poor crops year after year.
Organic treatment
- On lightly affected bushes pick off the swollen buds in winter and dispose of them away from blackcurrants.
- Spray sulphur in spring while the mites leave the old buds as the buds open; follow the label.
- Dispose of heavily affected bushes after the fruit has been picked and replant in autumn with new certified stock.
Chemical treatment
- Few acaricides are still permitted against this mite; sulphur (see organic treatment) is the preferred spray in Europe.
Reference information, not a guarantee. Read and follow the label of any product: dose, safety and the days to wait before harvest.
Prevention
- Buy bushes certified free of big bud mite and reversion.
- Choose 'Ben Hope', which is partially resistant to the mite.
- Check bushes in winter for swollen buds; lightly affected bushes can still crop well for several years.
Plants it affects
Sources
Figures checked against these sources.