I am battling spider mites on my houseplants. For the moment they seem
to have receded - last week I moved them out on the balcony (to lower
temperature and extend the reproduction cycle) and sprayed twice (3
days interval) with a different systemic insecticide (imidaclopride &
dicofol).

Ocasionally, I can still see one or two moving up or down a blade.

Can you advise me what to do to get rid of them?

Sincerely,
Alexandra

"GH" wrote ...
I am battling spider mites on my houseplants. For the moment they seem
to have receded - last week I moved them out on the balcony (to lower
temperature and extend the reproduction cycle) and sprayed twice (3
days interval) with a different systemic insecticide (imidaclopride &
dicofol).

Ocasionally, I can still see one or two moving up or down a blade.

Can you advise me what to do to get rid of them?


Are you sure it's Red Spider Mite as they are just about too small to see
with the naked eye.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Spider_mite

They like dry conditions so spraying with water every day helps, make sure
you spray the undersides of the leaves too. Keeping the plants in more moist
conditions helps too.

--
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

Bob Hobden writes

"GH" wrote ...
I am battling spider mites on my houseplants. For the moment they seem
to have receded - last week I moved them out on the balcony (to lower
temperature and extend the reproduction cycle) and sprayed twice (3
days interval) with a different systemic insecticide (imidaclopride &
dicofol).

Ocasionally, I can still see one or two moving up or down a blade.

Can you advise me what to do to get rid of them?


Are you sure it's Red Spider Mite as they are just about too small to see
with the naked eye.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Spider_mite

I can see them ;-)

They like dry conditions so spraying with water every day helps, make sure
you spray the undersides of the leaves too. Keeping the plants in more moist
conditions helps too.

Wiping the underside of the leaves with a damp tissue will remove quit a
few.

If they prove to be resistant to your available chemicals, there are
biological controls. Probably difficult to remove every last one with
either chemicals or predators, so Bob's cultivation advice is important.
--
Kay

"GH" wrote in message
ups.com...
I am battling spider mites on my houseplants. For the moment they
seem
to have receded - last week I moved them out on the balcony (to
lower
temperature and extend the reproduction cycle) and sprayed twice (3
days interval) with a different systemic insecticide (imidaclopride
&
dicofol).

Ocasionally, I can still see one or two moving up or down a blade.

Can you advise me what to do to get rid of them?

Imidacloprid will almost certainly see them off, but it's systemic so
don't expect a quick knock down, it needs time to be absorbed into the
plant and circulated through its tissues. Then more time for the mites
to suck up a lethal dose and more time for toxin to work.
The others have also given you some good cultural and identification
advice.
--
Rod

My real address is rodthegardeneratmyisp

On 5/12/06 14:11, in article
, "GH"
wrote:

I am battling spider mites on my houseplants. For the moment they seem
to have receded - last week I moved them out on the balcony (to lower
temperature and extend the reproduction cycle) and sprayed twice (3
days interval) with a different systemic insecticide (imidaclopride &
dicofol).

Ocasionally, I can still see one or two moving up or down a blade.

Can you advise me what to do to get rid of them?

Sounds an ideal case for biological control. We use it all the time here
and buy it in from commercial suppliers like Kopperts. It works and it
works well but you must not use any chemical sprays or lose your nerve! My
husband was one of the pioneers of this treatment in this country and he is
now in his 70s. So - look at this site and research some others:
http://www.defenders.co.uk/about_us.htm
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

Thank you Sacha, it would have been a good idea. I tried to get the
phytoseiulus persimilis and they came all dead in the package through
the post.

Besides now I had I already sprayed with Imidacloprid and Dicofol and
I'm afraid now it's may be too late to use organic controls.

Now, following Kay's advice I wash the plants leaves with a solution of
dishwashing liquid and water every other day and I spray with
insecticide once a week. They have reduced in numbers but they are
still there I think... Some leaves still show signs of attack.
Maybe I should spray the outside of the pots and the area around them
as well...

Humidity and cold weather have reduced their number considerably. A big
thank you, Bob, for your help!

On 7/12/06 11:41, in article
, "GH"
wrote:

Thank you Sacha, it would have been a good idea. I tried to get the
phytoseiulus persimilis and they came all dead in the package through
the post.

Oh, bad luck. I do hope you got your money back because the bio controls
aren't cheap!
snip
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

There was no warantee; but I'm only hoping to get rid of the mites now.
Do you know if the advice to spray with a fish meal or kelp solution is
of any value?

If I change the earth, will I be able to use Phytoseiulus (if nothing
else works)?

GH writes
There was no warantee; but I'm only hoping to get rid of the mites now.
Do you know if the advice to spray with a fish meal or kelp solution is
of any value?

If I change the earth, will I be able to use Phytoseiulus (if nothing
else works)?

No, the systemic insecticide you have used will be in the plant rather
than the soil. You'll be able to use biological controls eventually, not
sure how long you need to wait.

I'm not sure how well the biological controls work on the domestic scale
- I suspect they will give something like a 99% clearance, which is OK
when you're using them routinely every year in a greenhouse, but the 1%
(or whatever) that they miss is enough to start up a new infestation.
--
Kay

On 7/12/06 21:48, in article
, "GH"
wrote:

There was no warantee; but I'm only hoping to get rid of the mites now.
Do you know if the advice to spray with a fish meal or kelp solution is
of any value?

I've just talked to my husband about this and he knows nothing about the
fish meal or kelp idea. He says that some years ago they used to spray
plants with liquid seaweed which is probably the same as kelp. The general
opinion was that it didn't cure the problem but controlled it to some
extent. As Bob has said, the spider mite thrives on dry, warm conditions.

If I change the earth, will I be able to use Phytoseiulus (if nothing
else works)?

Not if the chemical is still on the plant. Some are very persistent and
last for several weeks. Ray queries if the Phytoseilius you got were indeed
dead. Ours come in small plastic bottles and we shake them over the plants.
It is almost impossible to detect life or movement without a magnifying
glass and they look like large grains of white pepper with a salmony
coloured tinge to them. I'm just a bit concerned that you might have had
viable bio controls that you thought were dead and that the chemical spray
you then used killed them off!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

I bought the Phytoseiulus in June when I had the first spider mite
invasion on the basil and French beans. Because we wanted to eat the
beans and the basil I only tried organic control methods - (planted
garlic in the pots, sprayed with stinging nettles and horsetail and
alternatively with soapy water; in the end as a last resort I bought
the Phytoseiulus and poured them over the soil). I assumed they were
dead because I couldn't see much improvement over the following months
but they might have died also after arrival because we had high
temperatures this summer.

It probably takes time to learn how to have healthy potted plants. I
never had problems before with the amaryllis hippeastrum. Probably
different climates have different effects and I didn't realize when we
moved here. It's a pity.

Thank you very much for your advice. I'll wait and try again with
phytoseiulus in the spring; organic methods could be the most efficient
as all my plants are in open air on the balcony most of the year.

GH writes
I bought the Phytoseiulus in June when I had the first spider mite
invasion on the basil and French beans.

Were these indoors our outside? RSM isn't usually a problem outdoors.

Because we wanted to eat the
beans and the basil I only tried organic control methods - (planted
garlic in the pots, sprayed with stinging nettles and horsetail and
alternatively with soapy water; in the end as a last resort I bought
the Phytoseiulus and poured them over the soil).

They needed to be applied to the plant. They don't move very fast, so
need to be on the plant with the RSM, and will move to touching plants.
Did the supplier not supply directions? - if not, you need to change
supplier!


--
Kay