How to Exterminate Red Spider Mites on a Paver Patio
Red spider mites are plant predators that damage the leaves and stems of plants. While difficult to kill, they can be exterminated using a combination of procedures including cold water, insecticidal soaps and a natural predator mite that eats the spider mites faster than they can reproduce. Permanently ridding your patio of the mites requires getting rid of them on your plants as well. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Garden hose
- Insecticidal soap
- Spray bottle
- Phytoseiulus persimilis mite
Instructions
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1
Inspect all plants kept on or near your patio for infestation by the mites. Look on the underside of the leaves for small red dots that are barely visible to the eye, or multiple fine webs. A leaf that appears dusty and covered with yellow dots is a good indicator of an infestation as well. Move any affected plants from the area, placing them far away from other plants for treatment.
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2
Saturate the patio with cold water from a water hose once a day for a week. Paver patios are good at drainage, so you'll need to pool the water onto the patio to make certain you have an amount that's sufficient to drown the mites present.
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Mix insecticidal soap with water following the soap manufacturer's instructions. Place the mixture into a handheld sprayer and then spray the patio with the mixture every three days after performing the saturation.
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Treat infected plants by introducing the predatory mite Phytoseiulus permilis to the plant. Release the mites at sundown the day you purchase them from a garden center as they'll need to begin eating immediately. Spread the mites across the foliage nearest the heaviest of infected areas. The mites eat the red spider mites then starve, ridding you of both the predator and the prey.
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5
Check the patio for continued infestation after a week of water treatments. If pests remain, repeat the process. Examine plants for infestation after you've finished with the patio treatment. Once they're cleared of mites, return the plants to the patio.
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Tips & Warnings
Cut away affected leaves as a quick method of reducing the mite spread rate and to keep the damaged areas from affecting overall plant health.
