How To Get Rid of Spider Mites

Spider mites are tiny sucking pests that can wreck havoc on any plant and/or garden. They are classed as a type of arachnid, relatives of spiders, ticks and scorpions. Adults are reddish brown or pale in color, oval-shaped and very small.

Mites live in colonies, mostly on the underside of leaves, and feed by piercing leaf tissue and sucking up the plant fluids. Feeding marks show up as light dots on the leaves. As feeding continues, the leaves turn yellow and may dry up and drop off.

Spider mites are most common in hot, dry conditions. They are also very prolific, which is why heavy infestations often build up unnoticed before plants begin to show damage.

Large populations are often accompanied by fine webbing.

Control

Once you identify that your have spider mites, here is a quick regimen to get rid of the pests:

• isolate your plant while treating it for mites.
  • it’s important to make sure you removed the infested plant so your other plants won’t become victims as well.
  • Afterwards, check all of neighboring plants to ensure the infestation has been isolated.
• prune away leaves that are heavily webbed and infested
  • These leaves are already a lost cause due to heavy damage, it will benefit your efforts more to remove the leaves and the pests with it.
• wipe your plant leaves with alcohol swab or spray with an alcohol mix –  half alcohol and half water everyday for the next 7 days. Soap mix can work in substitute for alcohol as well.
  • this is the most important part. Consistency is really key to getting rid of spider mites. After seven days of treatment, give your plant and deep inspection to ensure all pests are gone. If not, continue for 7 more days.

Prevention

You best bet is to monitor your plants often. Check under their leaves and stems for pest.

Spider mites are a horrible way to lose your plants and this can be a huge problem before you notice it, but if you check your plants daily and follow the short regimen above, you’ll be okay.