Detailed information on Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae)

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paulobessa

(Zone 9a) | April 2014 | Negative

As a long term gardener, for 20 years, this is surely the worst pest you can have indoors or in a greenhouse.

It's much more damaging and quick-spreading than aphids, it is much more difficult to deal with, than say slugs. Definitively worst than cabbage butterfly. Spider mites are a nightmare. They can be large scale destroyers.

Much has been said here: they spread like hell. They prefer dry conditions, so using a water hose on your plants, or washing them under the tap can work, but you need to repeat treatment every 5 days. Forget a few days, and your plant will be quickly turned dead.

Another option is moving your plants outdoors during rainy weather. If conditions are not like this, then you must think of the third factor.

Sp... read more

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commanderbunn3y

Starke, FL (Zone 9a) | August 2013 | Neutral

I actually prefer getting spider mites above mealy bugs any day just because they are easy to get rid of! This is my secret recipe for Voodoo spray, it kills almost all small insects. One quart spray bottle add 1 tblsp Palmolive, 2 tblsp Epsom salts fill the rest with water. Spray weekly until the problem is gone. They hate moist environments so syringing daily will help tremendously!

If your plants are in direct or bright light you may want to wash the mixture off, it could burn the leaves of some plants.

Oh, be sure the dish liquid is not a degreaser! That will burn the leaves.

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SpiderMight

| June 2013 | Neutral

I've been planting tomatoes for the past four years. It was not until after I tried composting my rose trimmings that the spider mites appeared.

I wonder if another factor is the amount of dirt around my tomato plants. I am trying to create a walk way and cover it with a brick layer, and I would like to add a layer of wood chips as well all around my tomato plants.

But until then, it looks like I have a triple threat of too much of a dirt environment and using the wrong material when composting. I compost by digging holes and throwing vegetation into the hole and covering it up with dirt.

I have been simply wiping the tomato plants with one hand only, which I then don't touch or contact in any way until I have thoroughly washed it.

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Green_Tay

| December 2010 | Neutral

i recently had problems with spidermites, i used a neem oil solution and applied every 6 days or so, did that twice and that has seemed to done the job.... for now

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HolyChickin

Fort Lauderdale, FL | June 2010 | Negative

**cries** I am completely INFESTED!! Is there anything on the planet more EVIL than these things?!?! I am thinking no.

I have a slew of hybrid tea roses as well as a few climbers and a couple of miniatures, I also have tomatoes, bell peppers, Serrano Peppers, and some spices. It all started with my parsley. I noticed the leaves were turning yellow... thought maybe its getting too much water so I kind of took it easy on the watering... that didn't help so I started REALLY inspecting. I saw these teeny weeny little reddish brown spiders. I did some research and found it was spider mites. Found out REAL quick, they are no joke!

So I sprayed the parsely down with insecticidal soap and waited to see what happened. It didn't occur to me to ISOLATE the infected plan... read moret. DUH! Of course, the insecticidal soap didn't do squat... and the mites spread. They moved onto my rosemary (that croaked), moved onto the mini roses (two of those croaked), NOW they have taken up residence in my hybrid teas and one of my climbers. Oh man...

I spray Neem on a regular basis... currently I am on a 7 day regimen. Just sprayed neem last Wednesday... the spider mites said "THANKS FOR THE COCKTAILS LADY!! ANOTHER ROUND PLEASE!!"

I am totally freaking out over here!! I went off the deep end this morning and sprayed the dickens out of EVERYTHING with the garden hose from underneath hoping to blast the little buggers into outerspace. Usually, I give my roses a gentle watering and am very careful not to get the leaves wet to avoid blackspot... but this morning; water was flying like it was a water park, leaves were airborne, harsh language was being used along with the phrase "Die, Die, DIE!" The neighbors probably think I am a nut case!!

As hot as it is, I am sure within an hour, the leaves were completely dry and the evil little vamps are having a party.

Since I know what is waiting for me, this afternoon in my desperation, I stopped by the garden section at the local hardware chain and was directed to use Malathion... after a little research I am finding that might not even work. So now I am a little hesitant about using it.

Tonight, I am going out there with a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol and am going to town. After the leaves dry, I am going to spray with Malathion and pray for a miracle. I also ordered some Avid Miticide (I hope to get it in a few days)... A friend told me it's the best stuff to use against these devils.

I will let you know who comes out on top but as the score stands now:
Spider mites = 5 dead / 9 infected
Me = 0

**sigh** I am growing very frustrated. It's making me think that maybe gardening is not my thing... but I am not going out without a fight. If I have take them out with a homemade flamer thrower; I will. SO if you see a story in the news about a bunch of hybrid teas engulfed in flames, you'll know my will is finally broken.

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tikipod

(Ang) Bremerton, WA (Zone 8b) | April 2010 | Neutral

I bought some herbs this year and they came with a free gift - spider mites. So far my treatment has helped and they only seem to be in the indoor plants I bought.

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zelda54

Buffalo, NY | May 2009 | Positive

The only thing you need to do to control spider mites is spray them off with the hose and use insecticidal soap regularly.

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MonMon

| March 2009 | Negative

These creatures are an absolute pain in the ass to get rid of. I noticed they mostly go for new shoots and buds. Signs on your plant are stunted and damaged new leaves, with the other leaves of the plants drooping and getting spots .The webs are first noticeable in the bends of branches. Eggs are on the underside of leaves, tiny black spots.

My houseplants cought some last year, not sure HOW since I lived on the 5th floor flat of an apartment block in the middle of the city. They really like rose plants, which I had one of on my window sill. They then went to the Jalopeno pepper plant. I thought I'd gotten rid of them after having given the plants a thorough shower and spraying them with insecticide. Brought the plants back to my mother's house. Forgot to warn her about the... read more

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Pugzley

Lake Elsinore, CA | February 2009 | Negative

The red spider mites started on my bush beans and zucchini first, they spread like crazy, I used everything from diatomeceous earth to sevin dust on them, sprayed red hot pepper and garlic and soap, nothing killed them. They were too far gone before I knew what they were. They wiped out all of my plants, but didn't seem to be as crazy about the tomatoes as the other veggies. I ended up yanking all my plants except eggplant, okra and tomatoes that were least affected by them. They are devils.

This year, I have started using Stylet Oil as a preventative on all plants I am growing outside. I believe if you allow them to get a foothold, even for a few days, you're doomed.

If you have spider mites, you must act pre-emptively against them, otherwise, you're going ... read more

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morrigan

Craryville, NY | July 2008 | Negative

as an avid gardener, especially of indoor plants since we in the northeast, I have found red spider mites to be ubiquitous. They are hard to get rid of, and tend to favor dry conditions and sunny locations. I have been trying a Neem Oil and soap mist to control them - I'll let you know how it goes. But they CAN spread like wildfire if you have them on a houseplant, isolate the plant and check any others that were in close proximity to the affected plant.

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chironex

N Las Vegas, NV (Zone 9a) | April 2008 | Positive

I received 2 plants from an ebay seller about a week ago and noticed the spider mites on them. I prefer to use organic controls and remembered that I had some Stylet Oil. This took one spraying mixed at 1 oz per gallon. The mites were gone in one day. Stylet oil is great for control of fungal diseases, Aphid-transmitted plant viruses and phytophagous insects and mites. It is made of refined white mineral oil. It also helps with powdery mildew. I used it in a vineyard with great success. I would sell this to you in smaller quantities, but it is EPA controlled, so repackaging it would require a license and MSDS, blah, blah, blah....sorry.

Available at http://www.stylet-oil.com from JMS Flower Farms in Vero B... read more

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kaimana

Laupahoehoe, HI | March 2008 | Neutral

I treat infestations of my citrus trees with regular applications of wettable
sulfur

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GEORGE1948

Harpswell, ME | December 2007 | Positive

I RAISE ORANGE TREES IN MAINE. THEY ARE IN BIG CONTAINERS.....ON THE DECK IN SUMMER AND IN MY SUNROOM IN WINTER. THIS IS THE WORSE YEAR FOR RED SPIDER MITES. THEY HAVE TAKEN OVER. I HAVE SPRAYED THEM WITH JUST ABOUT ALL THE COMMON SPRAYS..... AND I FEEL THEY ARE JUST BATHING IN IT. IS THERE SOME SORT OF ''BOMB'' THAT I CAN SET IN THE SUNROOM TO GET RID OF THE LITTLE BUGGERS?

THANK YOU.

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VbSparky

Dansville, NY (Zone 6a) | November 2006 | Neutral

very very bad bug , really hard to get rid of.

Barely visible to the unaided eye, mature two-spotted spider mites bear the characteristic black spots that are their namesake. Adults are straw yellow; nymphs are merely smaller versions of adults and range from pale yellow to pale yellow-green. Two-spotted spider mites reproduce extremely fast and can overwhelm plants by sheer numbers. Leaves of plants infested with spider mites show a distinct spotted effect called stippling. Spider mites cause stippling because they feed on plant cells one at a time. Like their name suggests, spider mites can spin webbing; heavily infested plants are typically covered with the fine webbing they use to disperse from old plants to fresh ones.

Spider mites are known for their abi... read morelity to reproduce quickly. Adult two-spotted spider mite females can lay hundreds of eggs in a lifetime. Eggs hatch in 2-4 days; nymphs develop in 2-4 days. Adults can live up to 21 days and respond well to hot, dry environments.

you can have 1000's in a matter of days... application needs
to be done every 3 to 5 days to catch the new mites that
just hatched.

Predacious mites, such as Phytoseiulus persimilis, can be used to control two spotted mite. Under certain conditions this phytoseiid mite can completely eradicate twospotted mite from a greenhouse.

Alot of products can be use to control them. 3 of the best
that i have heard of on the internet is a product called
FLORAMITE .. very expensive .. 300 bucks a quart.
Floramite SC is a selective miticide that provides outstanding control of a variety of mite pests on greenhouse, shadehouse, nursery, field, landscape and interiorscape grown ornamentals. Floramite provides quick knockdown through contact activity and long lasting residual control of more than 21 days. Because of its unique mode of action and selective nature, Floramite is easy on predacious mites and beneficial insects, making it ideal for resistance management programs. Floramite controls Two-spotted mite, Pacific mites, Strawberry mites, European Mites, Cyclamen Mites, Citrus Red mites, Southern red mites and Spruce spider mites.

another product is called Avid and Stirrup M

Avid $140.00 per 8 oz.
The most effective eradicant for adult red spider and two-spotted mites. Avid contains abamectin, a naturally derived compound that penetrates leaf tissue to form a reservoir of active ingredient that works long and hard. Won't mar the beauty of flowers or foliage plants. Prevents infestations when used regularly. Eradicates all generations of mites when used three times, three days apart. Works great with the pheremone, Stirrup M Rate: 1/4 teaspoon per gallon.

Stirrup M $25.00 per 8oz
This extremely effective pheremone is a sexual attractant for red spider and two-spotted mites. Added to your miticide spray it attracts spider mites to the Avid or Kelthane, ensuring no escape for the little suckers! Rate: 1/4 teaspoon per gallon.

another good way to control them is to blast your plants with
a spray of water .. just like its raining outside ..
thanks for the rain , or we would be neck deep in spider mites

Spider Mite

Tetranychusurticae

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