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A common pest of houseplants is spider mites. They favor conditions that are warm, dry, and low in humidity. Plant leaves with feeding damage have stippled or chlorotic patches. There may also be webbing. Fortunately, they are relatively simple to manage.
The two-spotted spider mite is the most prevalent spider mite on houseplants. The adult is about 1/50 of an inch long, oval in shape, and has eight legs. Although it might be brown or orange-red, the body is often greenish or nearly translucent. A 10X to 15X magnifying lens makes it easy to see the two dark dots on its body. Insects are not spider mites. They belong to the arachnid family and are closely linked to ticks and spiders.
If you don’t know what to look for, it’s quite easy to miss these small creatures, who love to feast on your delicate plants. Now, let’s understand everything there is to know about spider mites on plants, including their characteristics, identification, removal, and prevention.
If you’re wondering “what do spider mites look like?” here are some things that might help you notice them. Without even knowing what to look for, it’s almost impossible to identify anything. Spider mites on plants are extremely difficult to identify because they are almost tiny in size. Spider mites are often brownish-red in color, however because they are so tiny, it can be challenging to identify their hue.
Their webs and excrement, which resemble a very thin, well connected network of webs flecked with tiny white particles that could almost be mistaken for dust, are typically enough to identify them. These white particles, which are actually the waste of the spider mite population, can occasionally also show up on the tips of leaves, giving them a dusty appearance.
Stippled leaves are a sign of an infestation, and leaves that have been badly impacted by spider mites may curl, dry out, and eventually fall off your plant completely.
Spider mites can be challenging to treat because of their size. Spider mites can readily hide in the cracks of your plant, and because they are so tiny, it is impossible to notice them all on a single plant. We advise taking the following actions to cure spider mites on plants as soon as you become aware of an infestation:
In order to prevent spider mites from spreading to other healthy plants, carefully remove your plant from the area, being careful not to rub any of its leaves against any other plants. It will be easier to treat your plant if you move it outside when the weather permits or temporarily relocate it to your bathtub or shower. To stop spider mites from spreading, you should maintain your plant in quarantine and away from other plants even after you’ve treated it.
To get rid of spider mites and their leftovers, you can spray your plant outside, in a sink, or in a bathtub. Additionally, this will aid in removing their blanket-like webbing. Spray all of the leaves’ tops and bottoms as well as the plant’s stems thoroughly. You can wrap a plastic bag over the base of your houseplant to prevent it from being too wet and to prevent spider mites from getting into the soil. This will assist, but it might not completely stop the water from escaping. However, as long as they have a drainage hole and can sufficiently dry off, most plants won’t mind the additional water.
Cleaning your plant’s leaves is the next step in getting rid of spider mites. We simply sprayed all the leaves, but it’s still a good idea to give them another wipe. This will guarantee that your plant is free of any spider mites or webbing that resisted the thorough rinse. Doing a thorough job is essential for steps two and three. In fact, leftover webbing can repel any pesticides, causing your plant to get infested again quickly.
It’s time to choose your favorite pest control treatment now that your plant has been cleansed completely. Additionally effective are insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils like neem oil. Regardless of the product you decide to use, make sure to thoroughly spray the entire plant, paying particular attention to the undersides of each leaf and any nooks or crannies where spider mites can hide. Go mad! If you don’t spray your plant thoroughly, it may become infested again.
Once your plant has been treated, store it somewhere separate from your other plants. Although the spider mite population infesting your plant should have been eliminated throughout the treatment process, it is always possible that some survived. The last thing you want is for the spider mites to resurface and start infesting your other plants as well.
Following your first application of your preferred pest control solution, you should reapply three more times, spaced three days apart. Following this, you should give your plant two or three further treatments, once every two weeks. No matter where they are in their life cycle, this will assist guarantee that all spider mites are eradicated.
Examine your plant carefully after completing the aforementioned treatment method. Check for any indications that spider mites may still be present, such as stippled leaves, webbing, or spider mite excrement. You can put your plant back in its spot among your other houseplants if you don’t notice any signs of spider mites, but you should still monitor it.
In the event that the spider mites somehow survived the nearly two-month treatment period, they will start to proliferate and reappear within the next few months, at which point you will need to resume the therapy.
To assist prevent any resurgences, we do advise examining plants that have previously had spider mite problems and applying your preferred pesticide once a month.
Taking these preventative steps could help halt future infestations before they even have a chance if spider mites appear to be a recurring problem in your home and among your plants. Therefore, here are some suggestions we have for preventing spider mites.
The best approach to make sure your plants stay healthy is to keep a careful eye on them all and be aware of their state. Examining your plants on a regular basis will assist with more than simply spider mites!
Spider mites can be acquired in two main ways: either by coming into contact with your plant outside or by bringing an infected plant inside. Therefore, it’s crucial to carefully inspect any plants you place outside during the warm months of the year before bringing them inside. You may also prevent unintentionally bringing houseplant pests into your home by carefully checking any new plants you bring home.
Additionally, treating plants as soon as you bring them inside after a long period on your porch or as soon as you get them home from the store is always a good idea. Given that early infestation symptoms might not be noticeable, this is a strongly advised preventative measure.
Even though Leaf Shine is typically considered a cosmetic product, it can actually assist your plants repel pest infestations! Applying leaf shine to your plants’ leaves on a regular basis, particularly to those that are more vulnerable to spider mites, forms a barrier between the pest and your plant, making it more difficult for them to consume your plant’s leaves.
Another excellent strategy to stop pest infestations is to use systemic pest control treatments. You may either make a tea and use it when you water your plants, or you can sprinkle Systemic Houseplant Insect Control on the soil and water it in.
After that, the solution is absorbed by your plants’ roots and incorporated into their living tissue. This means that if pests do come into contact with your plant, they will be killed right away after consuming it because of the toxins it now contains.
It’s a good idea to treat your plants on a regular basis, especially those that are more vulnerable to spider mites. By doing this, any pests that might be present on your plant will be removed before they have a chance to cause serious harm or turn into a full-blown infestation.
Furthermore, taking this prophylactic action is far simpler and easier than dealing with a whole army of houseplant pests, even though it might seem like a waste of time and money. Not to mention that it will shield your plant from harm that could take weeks or months to heal.
Spider mites attack almost any indoor plant that is kept in hot, dry circumstances since they are not choosy about what they attack. However, it seems that croton, English ivy, and elephant ears are among of the most popular kinds of houseplants.
As soon as possible, remove the infected plant from other plants. To get rid of as much of the bug as you can, start by giving the leaves a vigorous water spray. As long as the weather is warm enough for your plant, you can do this in the shower or outside using a garden hose. Until you are positive that the spider mites have been eradicated, keep the plant away from other people.
Determining the precise origin of a spider mite infestation is quite challenging. Spider mites may have gotten on a newly acquired plant or, if you move your houseplants outside during the summer, they may spend the winter indoors. It might also occur when vegetables or cut flowers are brought into the kitchen from the garden.
