Spider Mite Control
Description: Common across North America, many species of the spider mite (family: Tetranychidae) attack both indoor and outdoor gardens and can be very destructive in greenhouses. They 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 and when their natural enemies have been killed off by insecticide use. They are also very prolific, which is why heavy infestations often build up unnoticed before plants begin to show damage. Large populations may be accompanied by fine webbing. Host plants are many and include strawberries, melons, beans, tomatoes, eggplant, ornamental flowers, trees and most houseplants.
Spider mites are not true insects, but are classed as a type of arachnid, relatives of insects that also includes spiders, ticks, and scorpions. Adults are reddish brown or pale in color, oval-shaped, and very small (1/50 inch long) - about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Immature stages resemble the adults except only smaller.
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