SPIDER MITE CONTROL

   This article is about SPIDER MITE control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   This article will detail the spider mite.
You will learn a brief biology of this pest,
how and why it is a nuisance around the home
and how to control it. Any place a product
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   Spider mites are little red arachnids which
exist throughout the United States. They are
very small - smaller than a poppy seed - and
are many times confused with clover mites
or chiggers. (If you need information on either
of these other mites, be sure to go back to
our article archives where you will find in
depth articles posted.) Spider mites used to
be strictly an outside pest. They would infest
cotton, corn and other food crops causing
enough damage to ruin the harvest. Awareness
and treatments for this pest has enabled
farmers to control populations, but the
spider mites have remained persistent. They
are now common around the home choosing to
live on any plant or shrub they can find.
Juniper, arborvitae, succulents and pine
trees are common hosts, but just about any
vegetation will do. In recent years, spider
mites have found their way inside. The increase
of plants in the home and the practice of 
keeping some plants outside for the summer
and inside for the winter have allowed the
spider mite to become an indoor pest. They
do not commonly migrate inside but in fact
are being carried in by the homeowners and
horticulturists.
   Plants that have spider mite damage will
have the mites themselves, web like material
on the bottom sides of plant leaves, bronzing
of the plant stem and leaves where activity
is highest and in extreme cases, plant death.
Unlike other mites, spider mites can reproduce
quickly. Several cycles may be complete in 
one season. If conditions are good, they may
go through all cycles in under a month. Their
cycle includes egg, nymph, two molts of the
nymph and then adult. Since they don't migrate
quickly, most populations will grow around
each other, slowly moving outward as their
population increases. The main part of their
nest is usually where damage is most prevalent.
Expect to find dead leaves and plant parts.
Upon closer observation, you will see the mites
feeding or slowly moving if you disturb
them.
   Spider mite control should be implemented
as soon as activity is diagnosed. This will
prevent further damage and help to  minimize
treatments. However, spider mite control will
almost always take several treatments. This 
is because the spray will not kill eggs. 
Consequently, eggs will be hatching following 
your first treatment. To insure you kill all
activity, treat once a week for 3-6 treatments.
This schedule is necessary in the warmer months
when cycles develop quickly. If it is the
off season and development is slower, treat
2-4 times every two weeks. Don't waste your
time with standard materials like dursban or
diazinon. Like most arachnids, spider mites
are not too vulnerable to these active ingredients.
The best material for spider mite control is
called CYFLUTHRIN. This concentrate uses a synthetic
pyrethrin which has no odor and is very active on
mites. More importantly, it is very gentle
on treated plants. Use it to treat as many 
plants that you believe may have activity.
Spider mite activity may be centralized,
but don't limit your coverage area to just
the active plants. The more you cover the
better protection you will get. Cyfluthrin can
be used inside for household plants which have
activity. If possible, take the plant
outside for treating purposes. You can bring
it inside once the spray has dried. Be sure
to inspect all plants in the home to catch
any activity before it is too late. In most
cases, treating plants around the infested
one is a good practice. Cyfluthrin is gentle
enough to use and getting the mite before
it causes damage is important.  If the spidermites
have moved off the plants and have been found
in the home, use Cyfluthrin to spray all
baseboards, moldings and any other location
activity has been found. This will insure
they will not be able to establish themselves
in the structure.
   If the mites are being found on an edible plant
or tree which will produce fruit or vegetables,
you will need to use something other then the
Cyfluthrin. There are several choices and you
must make your decision based on how each product
works. The safest product to use which only kills
nuisance insects when applied is INSECTICIDAL SOAP.
This material can be applied to any plant and though
it will kill insects when applied, it is important
to understand that it provides no residual. This
means you will have to use it over and over - sometimes
once every couple of days - to break the cycle of
most any spider mite infestation. The benefit of
Insecticidal Soap is the fact that it is so safe
to use presenting no hazard to anyone that might
be eating the produce or plant. If you want something
a little stronger, you should apply PERMETHRIN CONCENTRATE.
This product will last 7-14 days providing a mild
residual so that there is something left behind to
kill off rogue mites which are missed with the
first spraying. It is both odorless and very effective
on just about any pest and is probably the single
most used insecticide on vegetable and fruit plants
in the world.
   Once you decide which product to use, do your
applications with one of our PUMP SPRAYERS. We have
several which will work well for this job. They
range in size and price so match one up with the
type of treating you will be doing. Furthermore,
is you are deciding to get either Cyfluthin or
Permethrin Concentrate, be sure to get some
SPREADER STICKER to add to the tank mix. This material
enables the active ingredient to better "cover" and
"spread" over the targeted plant so you are less likely
to miss key areas where some mites may be nesting.
There is no need to use Spreader Sticker with 
Insecticidal Soap; in fact Insecticidal Soap has
many of the same qualities as Spreader Sticker
so it will do a good job of covering targeted
plants regardless.
   One last option you might consider is the use
of PERMETHRIN DUST. Like the sprayable Permethrin,
this product will provide residual that can last
2 weeks or more. The other advantage of using a
dust is that you can clearly see where you have
treated. Since the dust will leave a white powdery
film over areas where it lands, one can clearly
see just where it has been applied. Use a HAND DUSTER
for small jobs or a DUSTIN MIZER if you have a
lot of dusting to be doing and expect to be
treating over the course of the growing season.
The Dustin Mizer is very efficient and will allow
you get complete coverage with little effort.
Dusting is a much faster way to treat targeted
plants then spraying and is rapidly becoming a
favorite amongst farmers and weekend gardeners
alike.
   Spider mites are persistent pests which
can kill most any plant. They reproduce
quickly and will move inside if given the
chance. Treat once a week for several weeks
to insure you have got the entire population.
Use Cyfluthrin in a hose end or a pump sprayer
to get the best results. Once under control,
try to inspect every month or two and be
sure to treat again if they reappear.

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