Its Usual Target In My Collection : Broad leaved trees, ficus specially.
These tiny, almost invisible pests, can cause big damage to your plants by sucking nutrition from the leaves & finally killing them. This is the worst pest for your plants & bonsai bcos you cannot see it easily due to their tiny size. By the time you suspect & detect them, they are well established on your plants.
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How It Spreads
- wind & physical contact
How To Control
- Spray half cap of NEEM oil (natural product), mixed in 500 ml water on the both sides of every leaf. I do it 3 times in a week, then 1-2 times a week and stop. I avoid mixing any type of soap in it as that causes more damage than any pest. If you still want to use it to mix oil & water better, first try on a few test leaves and wait for 2 days. Continue only if leaves are unaffected. For broad leaved plants, weekly wiping of the leaves with a wet cloth is a good practice, if you can do it.
- get rid of fallen leaves and only the badly infected leaves. Leave at least 2 leaves per branch no matter how bad they are. Just spray & rub with your fingers.
How To Prevent
- they like dry & dusty conditions. so spraying water on your plants everyday is good, preferably twice a day.
- isolate infected plants for 2 weeks, if possible
How To Detect
- always look for small yellow / brown spots on the leaves
- tiny webs & dusty leaf appearance are a warning signal
- webs are easily dislayed when sprayed with water in good light
- webs mean the problem has gone undetected for sometime & needs urgent control
- they are normally found on the underside of leaves but I find them on top too.
- tiny webs & dusty leaf appearance are a warning signal
- webs are easily dislayed when sprayed with water in good light
- webs mean the problem has gone undetected for sometime & needs urgent control
- they are normally found on the underside of leaves but I find them on top too.
How It Spreads
- wind & physical contact
How To Control
- Spray half cap of NEEM oil (natural product), mixed in 500 ml water on the both sides of every leaf. I do it 3 times in a week, then 1-2 times a week and stop. I avoid mixing any type of soap in it as that causes more damage than any pest. If you still want to use it to mix oil & water better, first try on a few test leaves and wait for 2 days. Continue only if leaves are unaffected. For broad leaved plants, weekly wiping of the leaves with a wet cloth is a good practice, if you can do it.
- get rid of fallen leaves and only the badly infected leaves. Leave at least 2 leaves per branch no matter how bad they are. Just spray & rub with your fingers.
How To Prevent
- they like dry & dusty conditions. so spraying water on your plants everyday is good, preferably twice a day.
- isolate infected plants for 2 weeks, if possible
The best way to prevent mites is to clean the house, keep the bedding clean and clean the bedsheets. Washing the bedsheet and pillow covers with hot water. If the infestation is on a larger scale then best to go with pest control services company.
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