I just use the shower setting on my hose and just blast the plant from close range. I don't lift every leaf, just position the nossle toward the bottom and aim up the plant. I might do the plant next to it too.

I've used neem and soap (either homemade dish soap concoction or Safer) against them successfully.

Wanted to report that I used neem oil and that has definitely helped. I have done 4 treatments and the spider mites are mostly gone now. Only wish the neem was cheaper!

With these aphids or mites or whatever they are, all over some of my crowder peas as I try to pick them today (late July in Virginia), they leave an orange stain on my hands from their guts rupturing as I pick the beans. And don't say they only attack stressed plants. These pea plants are absolutely beautiful, and very healthy and full of peas, growing well, except for this bug infestation. I want to know if the presence of all these swarming giant flies, like big house flies, on the infested plants is related to the infestation? Are they causing the mites, OR are they feeding in some way on the tiny buggies? There is some direct correlation between the buggies on the peas, and the high presence of these flies also crawling on the same plants. Non-infested pea plants don't show the presence of the giant houseflies. Any ideas? Thanks.

Sorry I have no idea what the big houseflies could be, but if you see small green flies, they are good.

I battled the spider mites on my beans, and reported that I thought the neem applications had done it, but it might have been some beneficial flies that did it!

I have been noticing these small green flies in my garden, quite a bit of them. I looked them up, and they are called "long-legged flies" and it turns out, are beneficial. Spider mites are on their menu!!

Here is a link... Look down the table on for "long-legged flies"

http://allthingsplants.com/ideas/view/wildflowers/117/Welcoming-Beneficial-Insects-to-the-Garden/

Here is another:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-25_long-legged_flies.htm

Safer soap is cheaper than neem oil (which only lasts 6 hours once you mix it up) and easy to use. From my sad experience I'd say you have to get the spider mites early on in the process before they suck the life out of the bean plants. And it helps to have an LED microscope so you can spot them early on and also see how many are still alive after you've sprayed them. You can also see their eggs with it. The one I use (I have 3) I bought at Amazon, it's chinese but works amazingly well once you get used to it's small size. Here's a link if you want to check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002E0MU70?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Besides spraying the undersides of the leaves, remember to get the stems...that's how the spider mites get around, up and down the stems.

I'd sure like to know where to get some of those long-legged flies here in S. California. I'll be watching for them, they'd put on a lot of weight eating the spider mites around here.

John