Different brands of miticide will have different instructions printed on the label. Follow your specific brand’s instructions as closely as you can to deal with mites. If you have an active mite infestation, look for a miticide that kills on contact and prevents future nests from hatching. There are preventative miticides that you can spray in your garden to prevent mites from showing up.
Avoid applying insecticidal soap to sensitive plants.
Dormant oil works by coating your plants in a protective oil which gets on the mites when they get on your plants. Dormant oil can kill or damage trees if you apply it after new leaves have just grown.
If your plants turn yellow after spraying them with summer oil, stop using it until the plant’s color returns. You may see neem oil on the shelf next to dormant and summer oil at your local gardening store. While neem oil is an excellent organic alternative to many chemical pesticides, it is generally ineffective at combatting mites.
Leave your ladybugs in the refrigerator for 20-45 minutes before you release them to calm them down and reduce the chance that they fly away after they’re released. Ladybugs will also eat other pests, like aphids. This makes ladybugs a good choice if you want to control all the pests in your garden.
Predator mites will kill spider mites, russet mites, and broad mites. There are a few other species that they won’t feed on though. Predator mites generally won’t attack other pests. This makes them a good choice if you’re only trying to get rid of mites. You can tell the difference between spider mites and predatory mites by looking at the mite’s body. If it is shiny and not spotted, it is a predatory mite.
Trying to attract pirate bugs is a good idea if you planned on doing some flower-planting anyway. It can take the tiny predators a while to show up though, so this is not a good idea if you have a big mite problem. Pirate bugs will bite humans if you mess with them, but they aren’t dangerous. Pirate bugs are smaller than 1⁄5 inch (0. 51 cm) and have an oval-shaped body. They are usually black or purple and have wings.
When a plant is wet, it is hard for plant mites to adequately feed on it. Different plants have different water needs. Do not water a plant every day if it requires drier soil. Rinse stronger plants with a firm stream of water. This will knock mites off and remove their webbing. Mist plants with a spray bottle to keep them humid in the afternoon.
Mites deplete resources from plants and cause their leaves or petals to dry up faster than they normally would. If you find yourself continuously picking up dead leaves every day, it may be a sign that you need to step up to a chemical insecticide.
If you can, rearrange your unaffected plants into clusters with as little space between them as possible. This will trap humidity in the area around the bottom of your plants and keep mites from wanting to make your garden or planted pot home.
Mites are naturally attracted to sunny areas, especially after noon when they’re most active. Keeping your plants in the shade can deter mites from sticking around.
When a colony of mites is overwintering, they are dormant and you may not see any mite activity. Continue treating, watering, and shading affected plants throughout the cold season even if you think the mites are gone.
