7 Best Repellents to Control Spider Mites in the Tree

Spider Mites are insects that belong to the Arachnid group and can be termed to be the cousins of house spiders. Mites are very small insects, so much so that it is often difficult to see them. Your garden plants may look perfectly alright, but it can be a home to many such ubiquitous spider mites.

Not only do they nest on the plants but they can cause significant damage to plants as well. You can also see them in the trees, especially if the environment is warm and dry. Thus it is very necessary that you take proper care and free your plants and trees from these pests before it spoils and hampers it. Although it may seem the opposite at the beginning, we can do several things to control of spider mites in trees.

These mites are supposed to be one of the oldest terrestrial creatures dating back about 400 years ago to the Devonian period. They are four-legged tiny creatures, but irrespective of their size and shape they can cause enormous damages. They can get into your house and yards and destroy your plants.

A garden with flowering plants and fruits gives an open invitation to the mites to come and explore its beauty. But the sad fact is these mites do enter your gardens not just to explore but to spoil them as well. It can cause huge damage to plants; they are so small that they can gain entrance even through ta slightest of a crack on your walls. Let’s see how to do control of spider mites in trees.

Top 7 Repellents to Get Rid of Spider Mites

Diatomaceous Earth
  • FEATURESCan kill most harmful insects
    Diatomaceous earth included
    Ingredients are commonly dusts.
Organic Spider Mite Killer
  • FEATURESHighly effective & recommended
    Completely natural
    Organic Canola oil & organic Coriander oil included
Trifecta Crop Control
  • FEATURESSimple and easy to use.
    super concentrated formula
    Food grade essential oils.

1. Diatomaceous earth – Best Spider Mites Repellents

Diatomaceous earth (DE)

Description:

This is one of the best products that you can buy to keep a check on the spider mites infesting your plants. This diatomaceous earth can be mixed with the soil and is a chemical-free product that can dehydrate the spider mites and kill them in a day or two once they are exposed to the product.

Pros
  • This clay-like powder can kill the harmful insects that threaten crops and home life. Diatomaceous earth is helpful in reducing the amount of environmental toxins we’re all exposed to.
Cons
  • It can irritate the mucous membranes in the nose and mouth. The dust of diatomaceous earth can get airborne if you use fans.

Ingredients:

Ingredients in diatomaceous earth are commonly dusts. Other formulation includes pressurized liquids and wettable powders.

 

2. Organic Spider Mite Killer

Organic Spider Mite Killer

Description:

It is a bio fertilizer that is suitable for taking control over the spider mite infestation in your garden. It comes with a plastic spray gun, and you can directly use it on your plants to keep it free from pests. It is also recommended by the experts and is safe and easy to use. It does not pose any phytotoxicity problems and thus proves to be a reliable control method for spider mites.

Pros
  • The product is highly effective and recommended by the professionals. It is completely natural and doesn’t harm the soil or plants in any way.
Cons
  • Its greasy texture tend to cover the plat leaves resulting in the formation of mildew.

Ingredients:

Organic Canola oil and organic Coriander oil are the two main active ingredients of the product.

 

3. Trifecta crop control- all in one pesticide

Trifecta crop control- all in one pesticide

Description:

This crop control pesticide offers multi-solutions to fight with pests such as spider mites, bugs, etc. It can also save your plants from fungal infections and can enhance the defence system of the plants. This is an organic pesticide that you can use for your crops as it is toxin and chemical free and does not prove to be toxic or harmful.

It comes in an easy to use package and can be directly sprayed on the plants with the spray jar. It can stop the spread of any kind of fungal or bacterial infections and are safe to use.

This organic pesticide can provide you with the best results if you wish to free your garden from pests. It guarantees you of proven results to eradicate spider mites from your plants.

Pros
  • The product is simple and easy to use. Its super concentrated formula is so powerful that even half ounce of the product makes one gallon of ready-to-use spray.
Cons
  • The product may lead to bud rot.

Ingredients:

The product is composed of several food grade essential oils including peppermint, clove, thyme, and garlic oils, incorporated with nano-emulsifier made from saponified vegetable base oils.

 

4. Liquid ladybug

Liquid ladybug

Description:

Liquid Ladybug is another organic pesticide that you can use for removing the spider mite population in your garden. They can be used for your gardens as well as your farms to protect your plants against a spider mite attack.

It can kill the spider mites without leaving any residue or toxic substances behind. These spider mite killer is an eco-friendly product and is thus a safe thing to use without actually posing any adverse effects on the environment.

One can make use of this product to finish off the spider mite population from your plants, and also it does not harm any beneficial predators or your pets that may accidentally come in contact with the plants sprayed by the liquid ladybug solution.

Pros
  • This is the only pesticide that can be used when growing medical marijuana. The product is safe to use from seedling to harvest.
Cons
  • It may require constant application of the product in order to get rid of the infestation.

Ingredients:

Liquid Ladybug contains aromatic, non-toxic organic plant oils including citric oil, organic geraniol, and organic peppermint oil.

 

5. Safer Brand 5110-6 Insect Killing Soap

Safer Brand 5110-6 Insect Killing Soap

Description:

As already mentioned insect killing soaps can be highly functional for killing spider mites, Safer brand Killing soap is one of the effective solutions that you can use for targeting spider mites. Not just spider mites, but they can prove to be effective for elimination other pests such as plant bugs, blossom thrips, squash bugs, etc.

This pest killer can be used as an organic pesticide since it is OMRI listed and do not kill other beneficial flies and insects inhabiting your garden. Thus it proves to be a safe method of treating spider mites in your garden and can also be used for indoor gardening. It does not leave any residue as well thus making it really safe to be used inside your home premises.

Pros
  • It leaves no residual impact on the environment and kills almost every insect including aphids, mites, mealy bugs, leafhoppers, harlequin bugs, grasshoppers, and earwigs.
Cons
  • Although this product will control scale, certain plants and flowers may have varietal sensitivity towards it.

Ingredients:

It is composed of concentrates of potassium salts of fatty acids and pyrethrins.

 

6. Garden safe neem oil Extract

Garden safe neem oil Extract

Description:

You can get this miticide in the market and online stores which proves to be very useful in killing spider mites. This oil is biodegradable and emulsifiable and can control the spider mite attack on your plants. It consists of neem oil concentrates and can be used on the plants to drive off those spider mites creating a nuisance for your plants.

It is well suited for organic gardening purposes and can save your plants such as roses, shrubs, flowery plants, etc.

Pros
  • The product is highly effective and can be used throughout the seedling to harvesting stage.
Cons
  • Many users have reported that after some time of application, the spider mites and other bugs tend to adapt to its odor and ingredients.

Ingredients:

Contains clarified hydrophobic extract of neem oil as an active ingredient.

 

7. SMITE spider mite killer

SMITE spider mite killer

Description:

SMITE is one of the best spider mite repellents that you can use in your garden for getting a pest free garden. Again this spray is an organic product and thus can be used for all types of crops and suits well for organic gardening. It is safe to use and has concentrates of plant oils that can finish off the spider mite population from your gardens.

They not only help in eliminating these pests from your garden but can also be used as a preventive measure to adapt to keep off these brats from creeping in your gardens.

SMITE has rosemary oil, peppermint and cottonseed constituents which are used in a pressed form and assures guaranteed results to free your gardens from spider mites. It leaves a minimal residue, or you can say it does not leave any residue making it a product safe to be used for indoor gardening. It is considered to be an eco-friendly product for treating spider mites.

Pros
  • This product is best recommended for preventive control by most experts. This product is registered and approved for use in all sectors of agriculture.
Cons
  • It is designed specifically for spider mites. That means, other pests and bug infestation can still happen.

Ingredients:

This product is composed of rosemary, cotton seed, peppermint, and geranium essential oils.

 

What are the Symptoms or Damage of Mites in the Trees?

Before knowing the solution of mites, one must know about spider mites in trees. Mites multiply very quickly, which is a serious problem since the symptoms or damage that can cause can become important. Therefore, it is necessary that we observe our trees daily in order to get rid of spider mites in trees.

Mite Symptoms in the tree
  • Stains on the leaves are somewhat more apparent in the beam than on the underside.
  • Yellowing bulges on the leaves.
  • Fruits malformed.
  • The flowers abort and fall.
  • Appearance of cobwebs.
Mite Damage in the trees

Mites pose a threat to the host plant because it feeds on the cellular contents of the leaves, absorbing them cell by cell, leaving a light and pale circular spot that contrasts with the green of the epidermis of the leaf. Although individually the lesions are very small, as mites live in very large colonies, a plant can attack hundreds or thousands of these mites, they cause thousands of injuries, so they really do produce great damage.

These pickets, which are detected as small yellow spots, can suppose an important reduction of the photosynthesis of the plant; this greatly reduces the production of nutrients, sometimes even killing the plant.

These attacks can produce intense and sudden defoliation, especially in summer. Also in milder attacks produce discoloration of the leaves due to the number of pickets (top picture). It is generally at this moment that we realize that we have mites. Thus it is better that before reaching this point we detect the mites. We can only do it by watching our bonsai with a magnifying glass and looking at the underside of the leaves, where the mites and bark are located to detect the eggs.

The combination of strong attacks of red mite with low environmental humidity and wind (west), or deficient moisture content in the plant due to dry soil or poor root system, can cause heavy defoliation, especially in the most exposed parts of the tree.

The damages differ with relative ease from those produced by the red spider, because the discoloration of the leaves is total while in the case of the red spider it is limited to the area occupied by the colony. So to avoid this damage, one must know how to control of spider mites in the trees.

What to Do to Control or Fight Them?

In order to perform spider-mite control, you need to know about spider mites in the trees if there are any on your trees. Firstly, you need to investigate the leaves of the trees and plants carefully to see if you can spot any yellow or brown colored stains on it.

If not these stains also check if you can see any cobwebs which are another sign of the trees being infested by spider mites. Once you are well assured that you have spotted spider mites on the trees, it is time for you to get ready with all the hacks and weapons to control of spider mites in trees. So here are a few ways which you can adopt to get rid of them.

  • Cultural control. It is recommended to prune (burn damaged branches and leaves). If the branches and leaves are left lying on the ground, the mites disperse to other trees. Clean tools and machinery used in an infested garden.
  • Biologic control. The main natural enemies of these pests are mites that belong to the Phytoseiidae family. Which have a predatory action that can reduce populations of phytophagous mites and can do the control of spider mites in trees.
  • Biorational control. Several formulations of plant extracts based on neem, garlic, chili, cinnamon can help in the management of mites, due to its repellent and dissuasive effect of feeding.
  • Pesticides. Spider mites can be irritating little creatures if you happen to sight them again and again on your plants. They tend to invite themselves to your gardens and can pose your crops to high risk. This is not something that you may think of, right? One needs to be very careful that your garden is free from such plant-hampering pests and thus one can look up to pesticides and organic products as a solution to free your gardens from these pests.

How to Choose the Best Spider Mite Repellent in the Market?

Spider Mites

Spider mites, unlike other pests and insects, are vulnerable to natural essential oils. Choose the products whose active ingredients are mostly natural essential oils like those that we have mentioned above. Spider mites tend to develop quick immunities towards your usual pesticides, so you will end up killing insects that prey on spider mites.

Essential oils like rosemary, peppermint, neem, etc. directly attack their nervous system, hence killing them. As essential oils are organic in nature, they don’t harm or kill the plant.

What are the Ecological Remedies?

  • Yellow adhesive traps: They are placed near the plants so that the mites, which adore the yellow colour, cannot resist the temptation to go towards them. Once they come in contact, they will stay stuck.
  • Garlic: We boil two litres of water with a head of crushed garlic and then let it macerate for 8 to 12 hours. Then, we strain it and fill a sprayer with the resulting liquid and then spray the leaves with it.
  • Dry nettles: We collect 100 grams and put them to boil in 1L of water. When it has cooled down, we fill a sprayer and treat the trees.
  • Onion skin: We cut it and spread it around the trees.
  • Removal of infested parts: Another way to control the spider mite infestation is the removal of the infested leaves and stem in order to prevent the trees from further infestation.
  • Water spray: You can also spray water on the infected part of the trees so that the spider mites lose their grip and fall off. You can also wipe the indoor plants using a wet sponge and maintain it as a regular habit so that these spider mites don’t get a chance to infect your plants.

So if you have been fighting hard to get rid of spider mites, then you can make use of the products mentioned above to make your gardens pest free.

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