Thanks again neighbor! Yeah I'm afraid I've waited too long to treat these......... I did diligently spray some off the shelf stuff from Walmart, obviously to no avail......... Didn't know what I was dealing with until I took a plant to our extension agency where they put a leaf under a microscope.... The rest is history.... Gotta say I'm pretty discouraged,to say the least.... I'm one of those that goes all in when I take on a project & failure isn't an option... :( Timing is devastating as we are entering our second week of the DTFM where I planned to sell some annuals & cut flowers. So much for that idea...... I'll try Kontos in the future, but I'm not sure how I'll rid my GH of these damn things..... Another investment will be a microscope that will enable me to examine ANYTHING that an outside vendor sells me....

I've since done some reading about the TSSM, and yes they're truly war-like ! Even the unfertilized eggs hatch into females & the fertilized eggs become males.... As you mentioned, they also gain tolerance to certain miticides...

Oh my. I'd be in tears. Drat!

Hello again gltrap,

" Another investment will be a microscope that will enable me to examine ANYTHING that an outside vendor sells me.... "

I did not know about Spider Mites. So Spider mites wiped out my indoor zinnia project one year in the past. Their tiny webs are very noticeable, even though they might not be. That year I noticed the webs and the tiny dots moving about on them and thought I was seeing the "cob spiders" that I presumed must be what cause cobwebs. (The cobweb phenomenon is interesting.) But, after a week or so, all of my zinnias died and I realized that they weren't "cob spiders" and I did some research. My son had a microscope, which I borrowed and discovered that I had Two Spotted Spider Mites. However, I also had an 8-power magnifier that was quite capable of viewing them crawling about on their webs.

I no longer bring cuttings of zinnias in from the garden to use in my Indoor Zinnia Project. That was just a means of infecting my indoor zinnias with outdoor problems that remain under control outdoors due to natural enemies and harsher conditions. In addition to Spider Mites in my indoor zinnias, I have also had to deal with outbreaks of Aphids (the female baby aphids are born in live birth already pregnant, which seems impossible, but Nature "finds a way"), and thrips. The thrips actually attacked my eyes and face, I guess for the moisture. And destroyed my indoor zinnias.

Fortunately a routine dose of a systemic insecticide/miticide will prevent those indoor pests. In the case of Spider Mites, early systemic prevention is required, because a cure is too late. I will use my bottle of Kontos at the first sign of a telltale Spider Mite web. So far I haven't had to use it.

You have my sympathy. If it is any consolation, most people learn about Spider Mites the hard way. I certainly did.

ZM

Well ZM......... You know the old adage, "Misery loves company". LOL......... It doesn't alter the outcome but at least I don't feel quite so bad about not acting sooner... I first noticed my snapdragons showing wilt but thought it was an isolated issue...... The fact is, TSSM don't fly, so their invasion is slow.....

I knew I had a problem with White Flies last year& they can overwinter like mites, so I bombed my GH before putting anything in it this year.... Took care of the WF, but somewhere along the line I picked up the mites... Emailed my one & only plug vendor about the problem (because I'm guessing that's where all this got started) & he was less than kind.... I was receiving plugs from him that were dropping leaves in 3-4 days.... He's willing to refund your money, but that hardly solves the problem if you're now infested.....

I had white fly in my light setup and they are easier to get rid of than spider mites. Any time I've had spider mites the only solution I found is to ditch the plants and scrupulously clean up everything. 2 years ago I brought white fly in with my ivy geraniums I was over wintering. They too were bought from a vendor but I never noticed damage outside. I fought them most of the winter and then threw out those plants close to spring and I thought that was the end of it but when I brought in clean plants last fall they showed up again. I went to the dollar store and bought a bright yellow sheet of Bristol Board. I cut some cards out of them slathered them on both sides with Vaseline and hung them from my lights. I took each pot to the sink watered them so the soil wasn't loose, turned them upside down and ran the stream of cold water over the undersides of the plant. I did this every time I watered and in between they got a good spray of Neem oil. I continued this regime until a good while after I saw no more sign of them. Now my light set up is free of them. When I bring in plants from now on They will get the water and Neem oil treatment before I bring them in even if I see no sign of anything

gltrap, I'm so sorry for your crop loss. I'm going to make some suggestions about diagnostic tools which will save you money, be easy to use, and even fun!

Please don't spend a lot of money on a microscope! Yes, I am ALL for the purchase of this tool, but you do not need an expensive one. Spider mites are actually visible to the naked eye....even if they appear as dust.

All you need is an inexpensive student stereo dissecting microscope, which shouldn't cost more than $50-$60. Amazon has some nice options.

You will also appreciate a good lighted pocket microscope, mine was less than $15.

I use a good magnifying glass, too! Not a teensy jewelers loupe but a 5X-10X lens with a handle. Truthfully, that's all you really need to see tiny spider mites.

Go forth and conquer!

I appreciate your input on the microscope topic! I've been looking on Amazon but wasn't sure about quality issues....

ZM if you read this.... Where are you purchasing your Kontos? The price is shocking! Do Your Own Pest Control was the cheapest but it's unavailable...

Read the reviews but just remember that for spider mites and insects you do not need a sophisticated piece of equipment. A good student model is perfect. It needs to have a light.

Bought this one for $60.00.......

Product features

• 10X & 20X widefield binocular stereo magnification power
• Optical Glass Lenses offers sharp images
• LED illumination powered by 2AA batteries
• Great for viewing insects, plants, rocks, stamps, coins, fabrics, fingerprints, electronic circuit boards, etc.

Hi gltrap,

Nice looking microscope. I like the two eyepiece feature. The one I borrowed from my son has just one eyepiece.

" Where are you purchasing your Kontos? The price is shocking! "

You can say that again. I bought it several years ago from an outfit in Florida. That was before Bayer acquired the rights to it. The price was quite high back then. I mentioned in my message above that it was expensive.

You don't need a microscope to see the TSSM webs. They do look like cobwebs, and you can see the little dots moving on the webs. The little dots are the spider mites.

I rarely use my son's microscope. I use an Orion 10x42 monocular to inspect my plants, both indoors and in the garden. It can focus very close, as close as 20 inches (actually my sample can focus a little closer than that) and it can focus all the way out to infinity. Its 10 power lets me see very small insects and mites, so it acts sort of like a handheld low-powered microscope/telescope that I can take anywhere. It has been called a macroscope. I have used it to spot hawks sitting in distant trees and thrips and aphids on my indoor zinnias. I got it after my spider mite outbreak, so I haven't seen mites indoors with it yet. There is a whole world of interesting micro-insects in the outside world here in East Central Kansas that I can't identify. Some have strange behaviors.

ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)