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Spider Mite Detection and Control

March 17th, 2009 Posted in Spiders & Other Arachnids

Whether you grow oranges or an ornamental garden, you are not safe from the hunger of spider mites. These tiny bugs can ruin anyone’s garden or house plants in a short period of time if left uncontrolled.

This article will detail the spider mite and its habitat and give you some handy pointers on how to prevent and kill spider mites in your home and garden.

What are Spider Mites?

Spider mites are small little mites about the size of a pin head. Their size makes them difficult to see without some sort of aid. Because of their small size, these critters create a protective webbing to insulate their eggs and themselves from natural predators and weather. These webs are visible especially when the mites are found in high populations.

They eat plant matter and are not too picky about what kind; so, they can be a bit of a hassle for gardeners and tree lovers alike.

Habitat

Spider mites thrive in dry conditions and feed best in arid climates. This can be even more harmful because most of their natural enemies do better in more humid conditions.

Spider mites also do quite well in greenhouses. Because of their small size they can find their way into greenhouses while their natural predators are kept out.

Natural Predators

• mall lady beetles
• predatory mites
• minute pirate bugs
• big-eyed bugs
• predatory thrips

Why Spider Mites Become a Problem?

A small number of mites on a plant is common and should not raise alarm; however, when the number of these hungry fellows increases, they can have very damaging effects on a plant.

The elimination of the spider mites’ natural predators causes their effects on plants to increase. When these natural enemies are killed by insecticides, spider mites are left with no natural predators to keep their numbers in check.

Sudden droughts can cause an outbreak of spider mites. Since these mites prefer drier weather, a long stretch without water can cause a huge burst of spider mite activity.

The conditions that your plants are living in can increase the impact of spider mites too. Dust leads to an increase in spider mite activity. Dirt paths and walkways around plants may lead to an increase in mites on those plants.

Identifying a Spider Mite Problem

Their small size makes spider mites difficult to locate and detect, so the first sign of trouble will occur on the leaves of the plant. But to make sure, look on the underside of the leaf for:

• Webbing
• Eggs
• Small black dots that are moving

As I said before, a small number of mites is normal, so to check the number of mites, take a piece of white paper and shake a leaf over the paper. The mites will be more visible on the white paper. Shaking them will disturb the mites and cause them to run around like crazy. Doing this can give you an idea of number of mites you’re dealing with.

Make sure there are mites present when you treat the plant. Sometimes mites move on, and the plant will recover shortly after they’re gone.

Plant Symptoms

The affected plant will be one of the first indicators of a spider mite problem. If one of your plants has a spider mite problem, look for these symptoms:

• Flecking—giving a speckled appearance
• Discoloration (a bronzing color)
• Scorching leaves
• Plant death

3 Ways to Kill Spider Mites

1. Watering—Providing adequate water during dry periods can help reduce the likelihood of an outbreak of Spider mites. Hosing the plant with strong water can wash away and kill the pests. This water bath can also disrupt egg laying which prevents further problems. Also, water dirt pathways and walkways regularly to keep the dust down to further prevent an infestation.
2. Predatory Mites–there are many sites online where you can purchase and introduce predatory mites into your garden. Predatory mites only eat spider mites and will not harm your plants. They eat all the spider mites until there are none left, and then they die. Make sure before purchasing that you are getting the correct mite for your weather conditions; also, some species are host-specific so it’s important to identify what kind of spider mite is bothering you. DO NOT USE PESTICIDES THAT WILL KILL THE PREDATORY MITES!
3. Pesticides for outside use–Try EcoSMART Organic Lawn Insect Killer an environmentally-friendly safe and effective pesticide on infected areas and on surrounding plants or mulch. For severe infestation continue the treatment in 2-week intervals because getting rid of spider mites can be tricky.

If you’re using another pesticide make sure that the product gets rid of mites. There are not many insecticides that get rid of spider mites, and they can even increase your spider mite problem by eliminating their natural predators. Also, more strains of spider mites are developing a resistance to insecticide. So, it would be a good idea to use the watering method in addition to the pesticides to get rid of spider mites.

Treating Spider Mite Infestation on House Plants

• Trim and remove heavily infested leaves
• Treat all susceptible plants
• Wash plants in the sink or shower periodically
• Wipe leaves of the larger plants with a wet rag
• Apply treatments such as pesticides like EcoSMART Home Pest Control in a 1-2 week interval as long as the mites are still a problem.

Christine Hellberg