Spider mites

[firestar]

Is there a way to stop an infestation in a plant once it's already started and how do you avoid it in the first place? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[davethefurryfish]

Depends on the plant, there are some bug killer sprays that will do spidermites. regular misting (allowing the foliage to dry off inbetween sprays is good practice - depending on the plant...)

 

[asiakim]

mites bad

 

[asiakim]

is there spiders that eat them?

 

[worldwatcher]

Quarentine the plant ...there is a product called safers soap you can buy or put about 4 tbsp of ivory dish soap (or any mild soap) in a spray bottle ,fill with water. Spray it really well twice a day for about a week, that should kill those pesky little guys.

 

[chipmunk]

Someone once told me to lightly dust my orchids with cinnamon as a pesticide. It seems to work as they haven't had any problems with pests of any kind.

Worldwatcher's advice about quarentine is good too and the soap. ^.^

 

[worldwatcher]

chipmunk, thanks for the tip on cinnamon, I always have trouble with orchids. I am excited to try this.

 

[Particle]

Spider mites get their name because they produce a web like structure in their presence.

Treatment I would only recommend on plants that you donot intend to eat. You CAN apply pesticides to plants you around going to eat, but its upto you =P

Easiest method of treatment would probably be a pyrethium spray. DONOT use a regular household spray for cockroaches, flies, ants, ect. It does contain pyrethium, but its not specialized for plant usage.

Pyrethium sprays typically have two components. One is the actual pesticide which will kill the pest on contact. The other is a microfilm, which does just that, leaves a light film coating over everything that it touches, which chokes off the insects supply of oxygen and killing it.

Thing with spider mites is, any chemical methods of control/removal will NOT kill the insects eggs. You must carefully manage how you go about this, because you will need to make an application of the pesticide once, will kill off the adult and juvenile populations, but you must then about 4-6 days later make another reapplication in order to kill off the insects that have hatched from the eggs after the pesticide has become inert.

Remember that, using chemical to control weeds,insects, ect, pests in general, are LAST RESORT MEASURES. However, due to advertising and easy availability, everyone believe that it is the first thing that you do.

There are specific natural control measures for certain insects that you should attempt first. One can be, finding another plant that will help deter them from the area, and placing that plant near the target plant. Another could be using a predatory insect to get rid of them. A good one is the lady bird beetle, they eat aphid up like candy, not sure how they go with spider mites, but they should do the trick. Ofcourse the problem there being, lady beetles will eventually move on =\

Hope any of this information helps. I try to use my memory and not to resort to any resources for my information, so I cannot guarantee accuracy =D

P e a c e.

 

[IMHZbondslave]

Unfortunately, I cannot speak from successful experience because I did not follow this advice myself. However, when a friend of mine, who is an avid gardener, walked through my garden several weeks ago she pointed out a Spider Mite infestation on one of my rhodies. When I asked her what to do about it she suggested two things: 1) Spray the plant hard with water from a hose. 2) Use a spray bottle and spray the plant with a mixture of water and dish soap.

Then, just today, I read in a magazine that said the best way to keep the pests away is to keep the plant really healthy. They recommended both compost top dressing and compost tea.

I wish you luck, my friend.

 

[VeronicasImage]

Safers is what we use to handle this also. I invest in all their products.

 

[Pike]

same problem! i jus sprayed em criters with windex