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Spider-Mites!

© a.k.a. MBR

Spider-Mites (Tetranychus spp.) are parasitic pests which are arachnids and members of the Order Acarina. They occur naturally in nature throughout North America and in other regions around the world.

In cold winters, most will die off, but some eggs will survive and hatch in the Spring to renew the outdoor colonies. Others will be lucky enough to migrate into houses, barns, greenhouses and other buildings to continue growing and breeding.

Outdoors, Spider-Mites are not usually associated with large amounts of crop damage because of natural predation which controls the population. Indoors without the presence of predators, where they are able to get access to virtually unlimited food sources such as in greenhouses full of tomatoes, beans, or other plants, they can breed and form populations which can virtually obliterate thousands of dollars worth of plants. They do this by feeding on the plants using their sharp, piercing mouth parts to get access to the nutrient-rich "sap" inside leaves and stems. The damage they inflict weakens the plants to the point where they become susceptible to diseases such as viruses and bacteria.

Spider-Mites are very small, but can be recognized with the naked eye as tiny white-gray dots on the underside of leaves which appear in the presence of silky webs which harbor hundreds of eggs. Under magnification, they look like tiny, little spiders. "Two-Spotted" Spider-Mites (Tetranychus urticae) are very common and more hardy than some other varieties making them worthy adversaries. They can be differentiated from other species by the obvious black spots present on them.

Control of Spider-Mites can be arranged though the use of "organic" concoctions made up of Tobasco©® sauce, alcohol, tobacco, soaps, garlic, etc., but we have found that it is more practical and efficient to decimate the mite population using organic Pyrethrum(in/oid) sprays or insecticidal soaps as this allows for quick plant regeneration without the possibility of toxic shock occurring due to the buildup of control agents in the plants' tissues and surrounding soil. Another option is to import stealth assassin squads of predators including P. persimilis, A. fallacis, Feltiella, and Neoseilus californicus, but again, this option is not as fast-acting as the Pyrethrum spray. Pyrethrum sprays are supposed to be quite safe and non-toxic to humans, and he are reported to degrade quickly, but can also be rinsed off if desired.