Red spider mites may pose an unexpected problem for your garden plants especially those of the capsicum, potato or tomato variety. Because these pests often cannot be seen, one should check for the signs they leave behind on the plants they like to feast upon. A spider mite will kill a leaf slowly; brown spots slowly appear as the insect sucks the life from a plant's tissue, leaving the dead tissue in its wake. You may notice that an infestation will start at the top of a plant and work its way down; the reason mites do this is because the air tends to be drier and warmer near the top of the plant, a climate that they favor.
These creatures live on the undersides of leaves and usually cannot be seen. In the case of a rare and extreme infestation, the red mites will gather together and appear as tiny red dots on the bottom side of a leaf. You will notice fine webs that appear on the plant as well and these can be seen with a little more ease. Although they are not exactly spiders, these mites are closely related to them hence the webs. With careful inspection, you may be able to see these tiny, mobile red dots as they devour your plant's leaves.
The mites feed on the plants' cellular structure, and leave behind a trademark yellowish spot as they eat their meal. If you examine these leaves with a magnifying glass, you will see speckled marks where the mites have been feeding. The speckling will be apparent on the top part of the leaf as well, even if the damage initially occurs beneath it. Unfortunately, insecticides do not always have the desired effect in combat against these tiny creatures. Their miniscule size serves to protect them because they are able to crawl into the plant's tiny nooks. Their ability to create webs also helps them in their defense against insecticides.
Anyone who had spider mites during the previous year should keep a vigilant eye on their plants when the next spring arrives. These creatures can hide close to the veins of the plant and are sensitive to the hours of the day. They are able to hibernate in small cracks within the plant, completely avoiding the poison you try to inflict upon them. These mites can multiply at alarming rates in conditions that are both hot and dry. Because their lifecycles are greatly affected by temperature, higher temperatures mean quicker growth rates and that more eggs are being laid by the female mites.
Perhaps, the best solution to an infestation is to purchase predatory mites. Although these can be a bit pricey, they are also extremely effective. Predatory mites multiply even faster than red spider mites and they feed upon the mites, not your plants. If predatory mites are out of your budget or not available in your area, by all means try your luck with insecticides. Ladybugs are another, more cost-efficient, predatory bug option.
