Spider Mites

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skaz421 Wesley Chapel, FL(Zone 9a) Jan 20, 2006

Could somebody tell me what spider mites are, what they do to plants, how do you know if you have them?

Thanks. Steve.

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Equilibrium Jan 20, 2006

Spider mites are actually not an insect but an arachnid therefore traditional insecticides will not work on them. You would need a miticide such as Bio-Neem.

Spider mites are very tiny and if you don't see well, they can often be overlooked but you will generally see evidence of their dirty work on the leaves.

The most telltale sign of a spider mite infestation would be whispy white webs in and around the plant.

Spider mites damage plants by piercing the cell walls with their stylets to suck out sap. Although many plants don't die from actual spider mite infestations, the puncturing of the plant leaves it vulnerable to other pathogens.

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skaz421 Wesley Chapel, FL(Zone 9a) Jan 20, 2006

Thanks. I kept hearing nasty things about them - now I'll know what to watch for.

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konkreteblond Burleson, TX(Zone 8a) Jan 21, 2006

The bad thing about spider mites is that you sometimes don't notice them until the leaves are already falling off the plant. If leaves start yellowing and falling off, for no apparent reason, check very closely. They usually attack when it's dry, as in no humidity like here in Texas!

I have some plants that I'm growing from cuttings and currently keeping them in the bathroom until they can be planted in the Spring. As usual, I started seeing some yellow leaves so I raised them up to the sunlight and could see the tiny little webs. I just washed them off under the faucet and that will take care of them for a while. It's not that easy outside tho. lol You can spray them off with water since they are so tiny. I did that last year when it was so dry and they started attacking my milkweed.

I doubt you'll have the dry air outside in FL, but if so, that's the time to make sure you keep your plant leaves misted too.

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