Hi Orchidcrazy.. Since you said you've had the same problems w/your citrus two yrs in a row, I don't think humidity/temps are 'all' that's bothering you're plants. If you suspect mites, the best thing to do is rid them.. Since I don't believe in 'chemical' insecticides, I use around-the-house items...Fill a mister bottle 3/4's of water..room temp (warm) Add, 2-4 drops of dish soap..(I don't use Dawn, but some ppl swear by it) In addition to dish soap I also add, ground garlic and citrus rind. Fill w/a little more water and shake. Spray plants, thoroughly.. BTW, do you see webbing? If so, moisten paper towel w/rubbing alcohol and ripe away webbs..that outta kill the suckers. I started using this formula many years ago and have to say, 98% of my plants, are mite free.. Living in Il, keeping plants, especially citrus, gardenia, hibsicus, and a few other tropicals are a major job..it gets quite dry here..Dry air and wet soil are mite and other insect magnets. Including fungus gnats. Be sure soil dries before giving that extra drink of water. Good luck w/your new gh..Toni

Kaliea, I think mites choose citrus at random. I don't think one has less chance of contracting mites than others. You need to improve the environment so mites don't return. Humidity should be at least 50%, air circulation is important..so a humidifier and fan are needed. Daily misting helps keep bugs at bay, too. I was told by a woman who owns a citrus nursery to spray citrus with Fish Emulsion. So far it's worked great..not one mite. GardensAlive also sells sticky traps that work great, but since you're able to control them w/soapy water, continue doing so..Make sure all signs of mites are gone before stopping this organic insecticide, otherwise all it takes in one bug and you've got the same problems again. Air circulation is very important, especially in winter when our heat is on. Too hot a room and bugs come marching in. Toni

Terry, you're almost right in thinking that dish detergent is the same as "insecticidal soap". Here's the difference: Say Proctor and Gambel (Or whoever) is making a batch of a popular dish soap. They will use whatever ingredients will work for that production run. Now say it's a year later-same product, same basic recipe, but another supplier has one of the ingredients for a little cheaper. P&G is going to use the cheaper ingredient for that run, even though it may not be identical to materials used in prior runs. That's an oversimplification, but since these materials are designed to be sprayed on plants, it may pay off in the long run to use only those products formulated to be safe to do so, ie. no phytotoxicity. On the other hand, you might have real good luck and never run into this problem. +oM

Thanks, jean001. It seems someone else posted about the exact same thing within minutes of my post. Also from NJ. Guess the little ones are particularly active here now. What do clover mites do? All the info I've found since reading about them here says they are a nuisance. But not much about them. I do the helpline at the cooperative extension and I'll bet I'll get a question about this.