Spider Mites on Houseplants - How Can You Tell?

Spider mites are one pest many homeowners have on their houseplants but are not aware of them because of the mites size.

You may need a magnifying glass to see them. They are only about 1/50 of an inch. Like the scale and mealy bugs, spider mites have piercing/sucking mouth parts. They love the dry, warm environment they get indoors.

How can you tell if spider mites are alive and well on your houseplants?

Look for damage on the undersides of leaves. You may see tiny, rust-colored specks and webs. Plants with spider mite damage have a sickly appearance, possibly, yellowing of the leaves and overall lack vigor.

The plants may also appear “dusty”.

If you think you may have spider mites but just can’t tell, try this. Hold a piece of white paper under a leaf, and give the leaf a good hard tap. If tiny, rust-colored specks fall on the paper, your plant has has the common red spider mite. The mites (which are about the size of fine sand) are very easy to see on a white background as they try to run for cover and crawl around.

Spider mites are so small that trying to wash them off with a hose or spray will most likely be unsuccessful.

Look at some of the insecticidal soaps and our favorite natural insecticide - neem oil. Make sure you - READ AND FOLLOW THE LABEL before applying anything to your indoor plants and wear appropriate safety equipment when applying any chemical.