What is spider mites ?
Spider mites are not actually insects, but a type of arachnid related to spiders and scorpions. They often live on the underside of the leaves piercing leaf tissue to suck up plant sap.
What can cause spider mites ?
- Spider mites prefer hot, dusty conditions
- Excessive nitrogen fertilization can cause a plant sap sweeter, leading to an increase attack of sucking insects like spider mites.
- There is also some family plants that attracts spider mites such as Croton, Calethea,Alocasia and their delicate often paper-thin leaves are a magnet for these critters
Where can you find spider mites in plant ?
- My first tip to find the spider mites is by checking either the underside of leaves or stems.
- If your leaf starts curling, and yellowing it's a sign of infection from spider mites or scales, they suck the fluids out of the leaves, with too little watter, the leaves begin to fold in on themselves
How to spot spider mites ?
The first signs of a spider mite infestation are usually small, light-colored dots or flecks on the leaves. This is due to damage caused by spider mite feeding.They suck the fluids out of the leaves
- Look closely and spot tiny specks moving on the top or underside of the leaves
- When wiping those tiny spercks away with tissue, red spider mites will leave rust coloured streaks
With too little water, the leaf begin to fold on themselves turning curled and crinckly and That's because of spider mites, mealy bugs or scales sucking on the fluid of the leaf
How to get rid of spider mites
- Use mixture of alcohol and water to remove and kill visible spider mites
- To kill the eggs of the plant, spray the plants with a strong stream of water would knock it. The strong force of water usually smashes the eggs and kills the adults as well. The water also damages the webbing, which disrupts the egg-laying process.
Why do spider mites keep coming back?
- It might be because the conditions you provide for your plants are ideal for them (dry, hot, dirty conditions). Dusty areas are usually dry, and they provide the perfect cover for these pests. Because they look like specks of dust, and having dust around a plant can allow them to disguise themselves.
- You need to keep checking on your plant if it was infested previously, it's likely that you never got rid of them
