Hi Bonnie, are you sure it is spider mites? They are very very tiny and easy to miss and misidentify. They like warm dry conditions. If air circulation is poor then it does not help either. If the plants are kept very congested then it hampers air circulation too. Having a fan in the room helps solve a lot of common problems.

My suggestion will be to get horticultural oil (HO in short) from HD or Lowes (the concentrate is like $10). Day 1 spray the leaves especially the underside. Day 2 and 3 use a rubbing alcohol spray diluted 1:1. Day 4 use oil again and then repeat with alcohol. You may need another round of HO treatment. I always keep a spray bottle of diluted alcohol handy and if I suspect something fishy and I use that for spot treatments. You cannot totally eliminate all pests,but you can put up a good fight. Remember that these concoctions really do not have any residual effect - means it just knocks out the pest on contact. Neem has some residual effect but for a day or two. But you have to get cold pressed neem and mix it yourself with proper soap for it to be effective. For edibles systemics are not a good idea but they can keep pests at bay for a considerable length of time after one application.

I have tried a concoction of HO, a drop of soap, and some rosemary essential oil. I am not sure it will kill them all, but it will certainly help. I think once you have an infestation like that all you can do is keep them at bay. Every time you spray, you will inevitable miss a few and they will just multiply, so in a couple of weeks, you'll be at it again. I think it was Mike that years ago recommended that I spray every three days for 7-10 days because that would kill off any re-growth. Good luck Bonnie!

Laura, agreed! Once you get the mites inside, it use to be impossible to completely rid them until I was able to stick them back outside. Then I would spend the entire time while they were outside making sure they were gone. NO one is completely safe from pests and that is what happens when we bring nature inside. The same goes for caged birds. Everything is all about prevention and that is whay we all stress about treating our trees befeore they come in, and even then it may not work.

The good thing is that we CAN control them and it's a huge start. The products recommened are what I would use and it does a good job at controlling any pests. Consistency is the key so that even the nymphs or eggs are smothered.

I just don't like using dish washing soap. It use to damage some of the flowers and leaves on mine.

Mike

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions and advice. This year my greenhouse is extra crowded and, yes, the air circulation isn't good. I will spray again with a dormant oil and try the alcohol spray as well, (not the same day of course!). Lol. I'm fairly sure it is spider mites. Teeny tiny with tiny little webs. Normally I keep the humidity up higher than I have this year and the heat lower. I have never seen them this bad. especially on my key lime. It seemed to be covered with them. It is in the southern end of the greenhouse and it seems to stay warmer on that end.

I can not wait until it warms up enough to bring everything out of the greenhouse!!!! So sick of the crazy weather. A week ago it was 77 degrees, then 42, now back up to the low 60's!! It is all over the place

I thought that stupid groundhog predicted a early spring!!!!! Big sigh!!!

I mix a solution of pyrethrin and insecticidal soap, take all the plants outside and spray very thoroughly, making sure to get all the undersides of the leaves. Then it's a good idea to give it another spray 10-12 days later just to get any of the ones that may have been missed.

I do also pyrethrin and insecticidal soap. Quite effective too. I like to rotate the pesticides. But my goto is alcohol since it does not leave any residue when it dries (except what the water already has). I have stopped using neem since it is the biggest mess maker and if not done right can damage the leaves of some plants pretty badly.

I tried a neem spray last year and did not like it, and it did not seem to help any. Maybe I didn't spray enough? I'm going to try the alcohol in a couple of days, then wait a day or so and spray with dormant oil. Just the soap spray yesterday seems to have helped. Or at least they don't look as bad as they did.

Redneckgirl, can you find a way to put them all outside while you treat them? It only has to be above freezing to do it)))

If you have many trees, that is not going to do it. If you have one or two, better chances in door treatment might if you keep up with it the way you are going to do this.

Mike

Mike, they are pretty large and hard to handle, and I'm afraid if I take them out I won't be able to get them back in. Lol. My greenhouse is packed. I need to cull a lot of plants this year. Or at least dedicate the greenhouse to citrus only. Find a different place to over winter the gingers, bird of paradise, staghorn ferns, cane begonias, and brugmansia's!