They might be so tiny that you can barely see them, but their destruction will be very visible.
What Do Spider Mites Look Like?
Spider mites are very small, almost invisible to the naked eye, looking like tiny moving dots. Up close, they are actually arachnids (like spiders) meaning the adults have 8 legs. They are less than 1/20 of an inch, so they are only slightly bigger than the thickness of a sheet of paper. They're oval in shape and can be red, orange, yellow, green or brown.
In Virginia, we have several varieties of spider mites, including oak spider mites, southern red mites, European red mites, boxwood mites, clover mites, hickory spider mites, and a huge variety of others. Each variety of mites has a preferred vegetation, which include (depending on the variety of spider mite) most trees, garden vegetables, houseplants, greenhouse plants, and flowers.
As spider mites overwinter as adults in soil and the underside of leaves, or as eggs that hatch in the spring, many varieties of spider mites are most active in late spring, with the damage being most visible and irreversible in the summer.
Are Spider Mites Harmful?
Spider mites won't hurt humans, but they'll sure cause enormous damage to vegetation. They can sicken or kill plants by sucking the contents out of the leaves, leaving light colored dots. Next, the leaves will turn copper or yellow and fall off. With infestations, the entire plant will begin to look damaged, decline, and then die.
In some ways, the damage of spider mites mimics the damage often associated with heat stress or drought, which can make it difficult to identify a problematic infestation. If in doubt, make sure to check your plants for mites. You will see what look like tiny moving dots and/or silk webbing on leaves and branches.
How Do I Get Rid of Spider Mites?
Spider mites prefer plants that are already stressed due to low water, so making sure your plants have sufficient water will help stave off these pests. (Be super careful not to overwater your plants, though, because that will attract a variety of other unwanted harmful insects.)
Because natural predators of spider mites can sometimes be eradicated with natural DIY pesticides or remedies, be aware that these methods may actually increase your spider mite population. The best pesticide is a full-spectrum professionally applied barrier that will not only eliminate the natural predators of spider mites, but the spider mites themselves.
As these pests are most damaging in the late spring, getting an early barrier in place will be key to protecting your plants, garden, and trees from these arachnids.
Call us today to help with all your pest control needs. We'd love to help!
To learn even more about local pests that we have in Central Virginia, check out our pest library
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