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Spidermites (Tetranychidae)
are
actually spiders with eight legs and small, whip-like mouthparts
uniquely designed for ingesting sap. They are a common greenhouse pest.
They can be brought into a mite-free home from outside, and will wreak
havoc on your environmental capsule. Just the sight of them is enough to
send me (normally a |
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peaceful
and fun loving creature) into a murderous blood-lust, and I have to KILL
them all, before it is too late! Watch for pinpoint spots on the leaves
(stippling) and then you'll find these characters on the lower side of
the leaves. They are very tiny, but under a magnifying glass you can see
three stages: |
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Egg:
(tiny yellow clusters
next to the center leaf-vein) |
You can see
the webs easily when you mist the plants. The earlier you identify and
eradicate them, the better for you and your children. If the mites get
out of control, they can be very hard to get rid of. Prevention is the
key. practice cleanliness of tools and hands, and keep the area swept up
at all times. |
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Larval:
(a very small dark dot,
not moving) |
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Adult:
(larger dot which lays
eggs and runs pretty fast!) |
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Here is a
means of effective pesticide-free removal. Put your plant in the shower,
and, using a constant flow sprayer, set the nozzle to semi coarse spray.
Leaning it into the shower, hose the plant down from the underside of
the leaves. This will physically remove the mites, carrying them off the
plants and down the drain, which is where they belong!! Repeat in a few
days to get the hatched mites left behind, or the infestation can recur.
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