Spider mites...or paranoia?

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janelle75 Oakland, CA Nov 17, 2008

I've noticed thin strands of webbing on a couple of my plants (hoya and croton). Is it spider mites? I've carefully examined the underside of the leaves and can't find any telltale "moving dots". The hoya has stippling on just one or two of its leaves, but otherwise seems healthy. Should I treat them just in case? Also, what ratio of alcohol-to-water is appropriate?

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dp72 Woodway, TX(Zone 8a) Nov 17, 2008

Some people advocate using alcohol mixed with water for mealybugs, but I don't recall reading about using it for spider mites. Unfortunately, if alcohol were a satisfactory treatment for pests on plants, the ratio of alcohol to water would have to be of sufficient strength that it would also cause cellular damage to the plant tissue. There are a few people who monitor these posts who inexplicably consider the posting of information such as that as rude, condescending, preachy, ugly, mean-spirited, and I forget other terms they have used in the past. For them, my answer would be, use any concentration you wish, even including full-strength alcohol.

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Nov 17, 2008

It could be spider mites--the mites themselves are very tiny so unless your eyes are really good they can be very hard to see. I'd start by giving your plants a bath, trying to rinse off the undersides of the leaves as best you can, then when the plants are dry try spraying the undersides of the leaves with neem or some other product that lists spider mites on the label.

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haworthialover Nevada, MO(Zone 5b) Dec 29, 2008

You could try tapping leaves over a whtie piece of paper. Sometimes it is easier to see them moving against white. I had really tinu webbing on a bunch of my plants. I freaked thinking I had somekinda spidermite invasion. I actually found a tiny spider on it one day, and no sign of spider mites. Keep your eyes out I guess, and good luck!

dp72 That is too funny LOL

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Katlian Carson City, NV(Zone 6b) Dec 29, 2008

Hi Janelle, (That's my name too, just spelled different)
I have had spider mites and real spiders at various times and I've noticed a few differences between them.

Spiders can spin their webs much farther from the leaves than the mites can. If some of the web is more than 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the leaf surfaces, it's probably a spider.

The mites seem to congregate at the top of the plant while spiders usually spin webs between stems or from stem to a nearby object.

Two spider mite deterrents that I have found particularly useful are humidity and insecticidal soap. I had a lime tree at work with a very persistent colony of mites that were completely gone after I used the soap. We've been running a humidifier 24/7 this winter and I haven't had any problems with mites lately.

Janel

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