How to Get Rid of Spider Mites

For all the garden lovers, protecting your plants from the mites is not only a Herculean task but also a nightmare, especially, from spider mites also known as two-spotted mites.

How do you know whether your plant is affected by Spider Mite?

If your plant has flecking, discolored leaves and you find that under the leaves of a plant, there are small transparent eggs, protected by a silk web like structure, you can be very sure that your plant is affected by spider mites. The eggs are laid near the veins of the leaves and upon hatching, feed on the cells of the plant, thereby, killing the plant. They get the name “spider” from their web spinning.

Spider Mites strive on climate which is hot and dry-a very dangerous problem for a horticulturist and a farmer! Why? Because spider mites grow at a very fast rate which catches a farmer off-guard. Not only does a farmer have to protect his plant from droughts but also from mites like this which eats gardens away in no time.

Farmers face these kinds of problems more because the natural enemies of spider mites are killed by the pesticides they use and they cannot keep the plants in a moisture filled atmosphere because some plants require sunlight which is the most viable climate for these predators!

Now some solution has to be found to solve this problem! What is it?

First, if the plants are kept in pots they can be moved to a place which has more moisture so these pests are not given a chance to spin their web! Outdoor plants can be sprayed with cold water so that these mites can be drowned. But one has to be very careful in doing so because too much cold also will kill some of the plants. By providing shade to the affected plants you can prevent the spider mites from spreading and can ultimately kill them. If it is an indoor plant, drawing the shades in the afternoon can help in keeping the plant alive.

Second, you can use Alcohol and water. Alcohol not only kills us if consumed in large quantity but also kills spider mites! A mixture of 1:1 Alcohol and water, when rubbed on the leaves affected by spider mites will kill the mites and as it gets evaporated faster, it causes very less damage to the leaves. Don’t want drunk plants now do we?

Third, you can protect the plant by allowing the existence of natural predators in your garden. We live under a wrong assumption that all mites are bad for the plant but, it is not so. Natural predators like small lady beetles, predatory mites, minute pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs etc., are enemies of spider mites because they are food for them. These natural predators can be obtained by mail-order and can be released in your garden. This can be a big relief for you because you won’t be loosing your plant, you don’t have to use pesticide and yours and your plant’s enemy is killed.

Fourth, you can use Miticides. This should be tried as a last resort. Even if the above mentioned treatments fail then think twice before you go in for using miticides because they are not to be used on vegetables or herbs. Anything that contains pyrethoids can be used as miticides and they should be used once in 5 days till all the spider mites are eradicated. Some of the miticides which contain pyrethoids are Avid and kelthane.

Use of miticide can be considered as the first option by a farmer growing flowers in his garden, because this kills and eradicates spider mites at a much faster rate than others.