Plant pests can be a major source of stress and frustration if you care about maintaining a beautiful landscape. One of the most troublesome pests is the teeny-tiny spider mite.
Spider mites truly are “small but mighty.” From Rocky to The Karate Kid — to almost any other classic sports movie ever made — if we’ve learned anything, it’s that the little guy can win. However, in the case of the tiny-but-powerful spider mite, this is one time we’d like to see the underdog lose.
Spider mite damage can be severe if left untreated. The key is understanding what you’re dealing with. That’s why we’re here to answer all of your common questions about spider mites on plants.
Jump to:
What are Spider Mites?
What do Spider Mites Look Like?
What Outdoor Plants are Most Prone to Spider Mites?
Understanding Spider Mite Damage
Can Plants Recover from Spider Mite Damage?
How to Get Rid of Spider Mites: The Best Treatment for Spider Mites
How to Prevent Spider Mites
Choosing Tree Spraying Services in Cincinnati, Dayton, OH and Northern Kentucky
What are Spider Mites?
Spider mites are a common plant pest. They are not insects but are more closely related to spiders (hence their name). Spider mites belong to the family “Tetranychidae,” which includes about 1,200 species.
The trouble with spider mites is that they can decimate your landscape trees and shrubs by sucking plant juices out through the leaves.
Though small (adults average only 1/50th of an inch), the spider mite’s power lies in its numbers. Spider mites on trees and shrubs can rapidly multiply. That’s because some female spider mites have an average lifespan of 30 days and can produce 100 eggs on average in their lifetime. Since some young spider mites can complete their development in as little as five days, new generations are quickly reproducing. This means that, if not addressed, you can develop a total infestation in a matter of days.
What do Spider Mites Look Like?
These arachnids (in adult form) have eight legs, an oval body, and no antennae. They can be different colors like red, brown, yellow, or green. Due to their tiny size they are very difficult to spot with the naked eye. People typically say they look like tiny moving dots when they closely examine infected leaves.
You might also try to hold a sheet of white paper beneath a branch and give it a shake. On a piece of crisp white paper, you may be able to see them scurrying. You could also drag your hand across the paper as squishing them will leave tiny streaks.
Because they’re so tiny, most people notice spider mite damage before ever spotting spider mites themselves.
What Outdoor Plants are Most Prone to Spider Mites?
There are quite a few plants in Cincinnati, Dayton, OH, and Northern Kentucky that can be infected by spider mites. Some of the plants that are commonly infected by spider mites include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Burning Bush
- Spruce
- Boxwood
- Arborvitae
- Juniper
- Hemlock
- Pine
- Douglas Fir
- Hemlock
These are just some of the plants that spider mites can attack. To give you some idea, the spruce mite, despite its selective name, actually feeds on more than 40 different species of conifers — and that’s just one type of spider mite. There are many different species of spider mites found in Northern Kentucky and Ohio.
Understanding Spider Mite Damage
Spider mites use their piercing mouthparts to feed on the chlorophyll in plants. This removal of chlorophyll can lead to white spots, which are early signs of spider mites. Later signs of spider mites on plants are browning and dropping leaves, which happens as more serious damage is done.
Many spider mites also produce minuscule webbing, which is another telltale sign that you’re dealing with this pest.
Can Plants Recover from Spider Mite Damage?
Yes, our technicians share that plants can recover from spider mite damage, particularly if it is not too extensive or severe. Plants that have been impacted by spider mites might require some TLC to bounce back.
But this is a key reason why it’s important to try and spot spider mites early on. Having a plant health care technician on your property regularly can ensure that early signs of spider mites are spotted.
How to Get Rid of Spider Mites: The Best Treatment for Spider Mites
Preventing severe spider mite damage means implementing spider mite treatment protocols. When it comes to success, the right approach really matters. For instance, it’s important to rotate your miticides with different modes of action so that the mites do not become resistant to the product being used.
In addition, it’s also important to note that there are both harmful and beneficial mites on your trees and shrubs. The beneficial mites actually eat the harmful ones. However, if a general miticide product is used, it’s going to kill all of them. It’s critical to use a selective product that won’t kill the predatory mites.
At Oasis Turf & Tree, we use separate tanks for our insecticides and our miticides, an extra step that a lot of companies don’t take. A lot of tree care companies will just mix tanks and spray everything. However, there may be other beneficial insects in the landscape that feed upon spider mites. By killing those off, you give spider mites the upper hand.
Another differentiator is that we’ll also make the hard recommendations when they’re necessary. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your landscape is to remove the plant.
A lot of tree services in Cincinnati, Dayton, OH, or Northern Kentucky will not want to tell you that and will just keep on spraying and getting paid for their work. However, we’re actually scouting and determining the best course of action for each plant — even if it's removal. If your plant is too far gone, we’re not going to just keep spraying it and making money off of something which no one can restore.
How to Prevent Spider Mites
Preventing spider mites in the first place is the best way to deal with this destructive pest. Unfortunately, by the time that you notice damage from a spider mite problem, chances are you already have a severe infestation that has been going on for a long period of time.
While you may not have realized that your plants were slowly becoming dull, it’s probably been happening, right under your nose, for quite a while. It may take a long period of time to save your plant and restore it to its intended beauty.
That’s why the best thing you can do for your trees and shrubs is to protect them with preventative care.
Choosing Tree Spraying Services in Cincinnati, Dayton, OH and Northern Kentucky
Being part of a tree and shrub care program can help ensure that your trees will better withstand pest problems as well as disease and environmental stressors. Choosing a tree spraying service that will take a customized approach to your landscape will be key in protecting it.
Don’t let the might of the powerful spider mite bring you down — or the power of any other pest or disease, for that matter. By choosing a company that can address your problem and also provide protection going forward, you can take back your landscape and claim victory over these destructive pests.
If you want to learn more about tree and shrub health care for your Cincinnati, Dayton, OH, or Northern Kentucky home, call us today at 513-697-9090 to get your quote, let us help you choose a stand-alone program or bundle it with other services, and then sit back and relax knowing you’re in good hands.
Image Sources: mites on leaf, two-spotted spider mites, spruce mite, mite webbing, predatory mite