Spider Mites 101

Just hearing about spider mites makes my skin crawl. If you have plants, chances are high you have probably dealt with spider mites at some point. I have a lemon tree that they love and out of all my houseplants, that is the one they like to stick to the most.

What are Spider Mites

They are common pests in gardens and on indoor plants. Spider mites will pierce the leaves and plant tissues with their mouths and suck the juices out to feed. They can cover leaves and stems and are noticeable because of the tiny silk webbing they leave. These mites are incredibly small and hard to see with the naked eye. Sometimes if you get the lighting just right, you can see them hanging out on their webs.

Spider mites reproduce very quickly which makes them somewhat hard to control. I’ve had several instances where I think I’ve got them under control, only to come back a week later and all their little eggs have hatched and started a whole new generation of leaf killers. Infestations cause yellowing and/or stippling of leaves, leaf drop, and can even kill the plant if left for long enough.

How to Control Them

The first step of controlling them is regular inspection. The easiest way to spot spider mites to with a flashlight in a dark room. I’ll wait until it’s night and shine a light on the leaves and stems of my houseplants. When I see these kinds of webs like in the pic above, I know I have a problem. If I have leaves falling off then I know it’s gotten bad. Spider mites like to go to other plants also, so if you have them on one plant, make sure to thoroughly check the plants around it for mites as well.

Once I notice a spider mite problem, I take the plant to the shower or sink. I’ll give it a good spray down of neem oil and let it sit. I make sure to get all surfaces of the leaves and let the neem oil drip off. It’s messy and smelly so I like to open a window or turn on a fan to help air out the room. Neem is a natural oil made from the Neem Tree that is used as an insecticide. It makes it so the pests cannot feed, grow or reproduce.

After the neem has sat on the leaves and working its spider mite magic, I rinse everything off really well. This is why a shower or the sink is the best place to tackle these pests. I focus the water stream on the leaves and branches. (Spider mites can be washed off with water alone but their eggs may be left behind and then you have to start all over again in a week). After I have sprayed the plant down really well, I’ll take a clean cloth and individually wipe down the entire plant, making sure to get each leaf and stem. This is kind of a lot but for me, It’s worked the best at getting everything off and keeping those spider mites away longer.

Once I have wiped every nook and cranny, I’ll mix up some foliar spray (leaf fertilizer) and spray the leaves well. Spider mites suck the nutrients out of the leaves and I find this helps replace them a little quicker. After I spray the foliar spray, I’ll let everything dry completely before putting it back in the window or under its light. If the leaves are wet, they can burn under a light or in the sun.

One last precautionary method I like, is to apply tape with a sticky substance called Tanglefoot. I’ll wrap a piece of painters or masking tape tightly around the main stems and then dap some of this tanglefoot on the tape. This stuff is STICKY so try hard to not get any on your clothes, hands or hair (ask me how I know this). It doesn’t come off easily. It will help trap future mites and help keep them under control. You can see I used it in the picture above on a green piece of tape.

After that, you just have to be vigilant on checking your plant. It takes spider mite eggs 3-5 days to hatch if conditions are good, so check your plant over the next week to 10 days to see if there are any new webs forming.

One last thing to mention is that pests tend to find the weaker plants to feed off of. Somehow they know. Many plants can fight off pests and disease themselves if they are healthy. It’s the weak ones that tend to struggle with infestations so make sure you are watering well but not overwatering, fertilizing, and that the temperature and light conditions are ideal for that plant. A humidifier may also help in the winter when the air is drier.

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