Spider mites feed on plant juices and will harm your garden if they’re not controlled. The damage they cause will first show up as tiny white or yellow spots, then bronze or bleached spots. Eventually, your plants will turn yellow, with leaves falling off. Thankfully, it’s easy to prevent.
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Feeding
One of the biggest problems that marijuana growers face is the presence of spider mites on buds. These insects are tiny, but they do damage to your crop, and their reproduction is quick. Their web-like bodies protect their eggs and can cover your entire plant. They can also lay eggs inside buds, causing the buds to die. The good news is that you can take steps to prevent spider mites from affecting your buds.
You can apply an oil of neem or another essential oil to your plants to kill off spider mites. These products have insecticidal and fungicidal properties, so they are ideal for spot-treating your plants. Often, multiple treatments are required to control spider mites. Also, there are essential oils that can kill off these pests because they attack their central nervous system. These oils can be mixed with water and applied liberally to your plants.
If you find a spider mite infestation, you should get rid of the mites as soon as possible. It’s possible to kill spider mites with ladybugs, which are a good alternative to chemicals. But remember, using chemicals on your plants can have harmful effects on human health.
Life cycle
Spider mites are parasitic insects that feed on plant cells. They lay cream-colored eggs and develop into larvae with three pairs of legs. The larvae are slightly bigger than the eggs, and their mouthparts pierce leaf cells to consume the contents. These mites damage the chloroplasts and mesophyll in plant cells.
The life cycle of spider mites varies from species to species. Female spider mites lay their eggs near the veins of plants such as leaves. They do not tend their young. The eggs are larger than spider eggs, and they are difficult to see. They reproduce during the cooler months, and may increase their population in the spring months when the temperatures begin to rise.
Chemical pesticides are not effective against spider mites because of their high adaptability to synthetic chemicals. Spider mites will pass on the pesticide and breed a resistance to it. In addition, chemical pesticides are not effective at killing larval or nymph stages. Therefore, multiple applications of the chemical are required for effective control.
Symptoms
Spider mites are small, parasitic insects that feed on plants. They feed by piercing the tissues of leaves and sucking plant fluids. They often appear during times of dry conditions, and in areas where insecticides have been used to control other pests. Spider mites are also known for their fertility.
Infestations can spread quickly, and can be hard to control. Luckily, if you notice a spider mite infestation in your flowering plants, you can remove the plants and bag them in plastic to prevent the mites from spreading to nearby plants. You can also apply a chemical treatment known as Floramite. However, this chemical is expensive and should only be used as a last resort.
Spider mites reproduce rapidly, and the female spider mite can lay 1400 eggs per year. Their eggs hatch in three to five days, and they can multiply exponentially within a few days. These tiny insects live on the undersides of leaves, and feed by puncturing the leaves in order to extract chlorophyll.
Prevention
The first step in preventing spider mites from eating buds on your plants is to keep your plants clean. Hose them off every few days or spray them with insecticidal soap. This will help kill the spider mites, but you’ll have to be vigilant and apply multiple treatments before the problem is fully cured. Another option is to use essential oils, which are known to be effective against spider mites. These oils attack the central nervous system, preventing them from living and feeding. Essential oils can be diluted with water and applied liberally to the plants.
Spider mites are most prevalent during warmer months when temperatures are higher. Luckily, they are not difficult to get rid of and can be managed with sound sanitation practices. Inspect growing areas like a hospital operating room and use the same precautions for your plants as you would for a human being. By taking the proper steps, you’ll be able to prevent an outbreak.
