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spider webs on dahlias?

16 years ago

my dahlias have little spider webs developing under the leaves and the flower is getting eatten before it blooms. this is my first year with dahlias and i am not having any luck. are they done for the year, do i need to dig them up? by the way my dahlias are miniture dahlias they arent tall. also, am i suppose to not water them with a sprinkler?

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Comments (6)

covella
16 years ago
I would get a spray bottle of soapy water with some tabasco or other hot pepper sauce in it. Those aren't spider webs - not if the flower is being eaten. Earwigs are notorious about getting into dahlia flowers, but they don't make a web. You may have spidermites - which the soapy water will probably knock off, but look for earwigs buried in the flowers. they are yucky looking but you'll get used to smashing them!
covella
16 years ago
I just looked up earwigs and Paghat has a very good commentary about why earwigs get out of control
http://www.paghat.com/woodlouse.html
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Alejandro, most spiders are nocturnal. I know of no spiders that construct large webs in order to trap their prey that are highly venomous. But ALL spiders can bite if they are forced to and all inject their prey in order to disable it. Typically, the kinds of spiders found in large complex webs are considered beneficial and harmless. They are often found near human dwellings because the lights attract flying insects at night. Of course, you've not given us any helpful information that can lead to an identification. A flashlight may help you see more of the physical details of your spider; describe the shape of the web and share your general location.
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Steve, I think that's what they call a Velvet Ant, it's a wingless wasp. Spider Mites don't have stingers, and even if they did they're way too small to penetrate human skin. They have mouth parts similar to regular spiders but use them to rasp the surface of the plant and then they suck up the juices. The tiny stipple spots are where they've scratched and sucked up the plant juice. A close up of the Two Spotted Spider Mite. This is a common one, but they're many kinds. And how they look to the naked eye, up close. You can see the fine webbing with mites crawling on it. They're the tiny dots. It does look fairly different than regular spider webs. And here you can see the stipple spotted damage on a leaf; This is a pretty bad case on a lemon tree. The webbing, the tiny mites and the stippling can all be seen here. If you click on the pics, most will show it as a larger picture.
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I would agree. (And NOT to be confused with Australia's funnel web spider -- very different creature.) :-)
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Poochella
16 years ago
Great article alyrics! Thanks for posting it. I was most pleased to read that birds do indeed eat earwigs. They are always hopping around the gardens pecking away at something here. Wish they ate moles ;)

Sounds like the soapy water drowning bath for earwigs isn't such a great idea then, unless used for a half day soak. Very good info, thanks again.
covella
16 years ago
Paghat is great isn't she? I love that website, I could wander through for hours
covella
16 years ago
Paghat is great isn't she? I love that website, I could wander through for hours
jazzwrm
16 years ago
I had spider mites on my dahlia, and i sprayed them with a mixture of dawn dish detergent and water and sprayed them once a week for a couple of week and now there gone

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