Is it possible to get rid of spider mites?

Question

I have spider mites on my jade, rubber plant and african violet. I have rinsed the jade and rubber off in the shower a couple of times to try to get rid of them, but they are still infested. Do the sprays with insecticidal soap and pyrethrin actually work?

Answer 1

Hey Mossy,You already have good answers as to how to get rid of spider mites, now I'll tell you how to prevent them. They love dry air, they thrive in it. You need to add humidity to your plant area, you can use a humidifier, or mist during daylight hours, preferably on a sunny day, you can grow your plants on wide saucers of damp pebbles. You can wipe down the leaves of your plants from top to bottom and remove mites and other pests this way if you do not want to use insectisides in your home. Go gentle on the jade and violet, our you can do what I do when I'm checking for insects at work, put on a pair of cheap wooly gloves and start wiping the leaves, stems,and trunk. With every wipe of your plant, wipe your gloves on a hand towel, so not to spread the mites. More than likely their will be eggs left behind, so a practice of manually cleaning your plant every two weeks, it takes an egg three weeks to hatch, so stay a week ahead of them.
And with more humidity and a cleaning every two weeks mabe you can rid yourself of these pests and others. P.S. Your rubber plants is a good candidate for the shower. Next time you need to water the rubber tree, put it into the shower that morning [preferably on a sunny day] and take it out at the end of the day. I shower all my plants. The bathroom window is an excellent place to grow plants. Good Luck to ya Mossy.

Answer 2

Hi,
Here is a link that may be helpful: http://www.bonide.com/

I have been using a "Systemic" houseplant insect control by Bonide.
I had been having the same issues with spider mites on the fuchsias that are growing in my house.
This product seems to be doing a good job.
You will notice an odor for awhile though, but just cover up with some of your soil.
You can get this stuff at Lowes, or online.
It's not very expensive.
This treatment contains, DI-SYSTON, and comes ready to use.
I have mine in the 8 oz size.

Regards

Source(s):

http://www.bonide.com

Answer 3

Yes, those insecticidal sprays work well. You can make a simple insecticidal soap from a few drops of dishwashing liquid in a quart of warm water. Put it in a spray bottle and use it on the mites.

The soap spray acts by washing away the waxy coating on the skin of the mites and subjecting them to dehydration.

Answer 4

I have tried soap solutions but with no luck. I just put the plant in a big garbage bag and spray "Raid" into it and close tight. Leave for about an hour and then remove your plant. There won't be any mites left or leaf spots from soap solutions.

Answer 5

If the insecticide says it treats Spider Mites, then it will most likely work. Also try Seven "dust" that stays on the plant and does a great job at preventing bugs from spreading and multiplying.

Answer 6

save yourself some money and just use regular dish soap, mix about a teaspoon per quart and spray on the plants every few days, It will kill the live mites but not the eggs, pay special attention to under the leaves that is where those little sap suckers like to hang out. African violets dont really like water left on their leaves

Answer 7

I've found Ivory soap diluted in a spray bottle works great on spider mites, are they reddish in color?

Answer 8

YES-DEFINATLY!!! i hate those things and i find that "7 dust" or a few drops of light dish detergent in a half gallon of water works realy well for that but you got to do treatments carefully, every 2 or 3 days or you will ither kill the plant or keep the mites. as for the 7 dust, you can get it at wallmart, major department stores with a green house, greenhouses and farm and garden suply stores everyware.

(nasty little things.)

Answer 9

Try vegatable oil, table spoon of liquid dish detergent, and water mixed together and spray it on the plant

Answer 10

Try Bayer Tree and
Shrub. Please read directions.