if you have a local high end nursery.. they may also know what the current local plague is ...

way to much spraying.. IMHO ...

ken

Well, these are the reasons I think I have spider mites:

1.) I see the webs and cannot see the pests.

2.) I lose clusters of leaves at a time

3.) My next door neighbors had them and sprayed chemicals to get rid of them.

I absolutely agree, far too many sprays out there, although, again, I'd use them at this point if they actually worked. I can try to check with local nurseries and the University. Thanks for responding. I'm really a my wits' end. I also have whiteflies killing my evergreen trees and what can only be described as a plague of thistle taking over the place. This used to be such a beautiful garden.

The University would be your bet choice. They can recommend the right things to do. Spider mites are very hard to see with the naked eye. You should take some leaves in with you in a ziploc baggie. They should have a microscope or a magnifying glass to look at them with.

People spray strong poisons to eliminate some pest not understanding that the poison will also kill off the predators of that insect pest which will allow that pest to increase in population and cause even more problems. A nursery probably would not be the best source of information since they will probably try to sell you the product of the month rather than provide good information. I find that frequently

Perhaps this article will be of some help.

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html

kimmq is kimmsr

Thank you both. The nursery recommended chemical miticides. I have yet to hear from the university. I'll keep you posted. I keep disrupting the webs when I see them. Maybe that will help.. I'm certain to lose the cherry tree I think.

SM's don't make webs big enough to disrupt, and can be washed away with a strong spray of water. I wonder if you have tent caterpillars?

I'll bet that Tiffany is on to something. Everything about the description says tent caterpillars, to me, including the fact that it a cherry tree

Wow, I've never heard of them... I'd better read up. Just to be clear, they are currently killing everything from my maple trees to my dogwood and rhododendrons. The only things they seem to leave alone are hydrangeas, viburnum, and daisies.

Yeah, I don't have tent caterpillars.