How to Spot and Control Spider Mites on your Summer Plants

In the heat of summer, spider mites can cause problems on vegetables and flowers. Here is a way to tell if you have spider mites.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• white sheet of paper
• miticide or insecticide
• water

1. If the leaves of your plants are yellowish, stippled or sometimes even reddish in color then you may have spider mites. Spider mites are very tiny, about the size of pepper grains, and can cause damage by sucking sap from the under side of leaves.

2. Look for a cobweb over flower buds, between the leaves or on the backs of the leaves. This may also be a sign of spider mites.

3. About the best, most positive way to check for spider mites is to hold a piece of white paper under a suspected infected leaf and tap the leaf sharply. It you do have spider mites you will see tiny, green, red, or yellow specks dropping on the paper. These specks will crawl be crawling around if it is spider mites.

4. You can control spider mites by using a miticide or insecticide. Play close attention to the back side of the leaves because that is where the spider mites will be.

5. If you don't want to use insecticides then you can spray the foliage with a heavy spray of water to help reduce the number of spider mites. Some plants will not tolerate this heavy of water spray, so be careful.

Tips & Warnings

• Apply insecticides or miticides in the cool of the day to prevent burning of leaves.
• Do not get over heated yourself when working outside in your garden.
• Use gloves when using pesticides of any kind.
• Do not spray pesticides on a windy day as it may come back and get on your skin. If it does wash right away.
• Follow directions for any pesticide you purchase

Resources

• eHow Home and Garden Topic Guide