thanks for the followups. rhizo, you are right, spider mites love those maters. I know the mites start showing up around middle june here and if I do nothing, 6 foot tall mater plants are decimated sticks in 2-3 weeks. kimmsr...I must disagree nothing wrong with my soil and it is anything but cool and wet in saint louis during june and july. the mites don't touch any other plants, including chile peppers that actually touch the maters. I get more produce out of my backyard than I can use and only the maters get the spider mites. No other pest problems whatsoever.

It was referring to the lack of natural predators that we have indoors in the winter time. I grow indoors over the winter under grow lights, and I've had to fight the green peach aphid, the two spot spider mite, the red spider mite, the white spider mite, and thrips. I do agree with the idea that a good hosing down helps. However, it only displaces the insects temporarily. They eventually go somewhere. Its gotten to the point where I basically allow one 'sacrificial lamb' plant to be a host plant for the pests I get over the winter, if that makes sense. Natural predators are my friend. Ladybugs, braconid wasps, praying mantis, whatever ya got. Its all good. Even spiders (sorry, ladies)

Mites damage orchids quickly and quietlyoften their presence is not noticed until significant damage has occurred. Mites are visible, but their presence is easily determined by rubbing a white cloth over the area that is damaged. If mites or their eggs are present, a brownish residue will be left on the leaf. This will come off and be visible on the towel. Some spin light webs which are visible on the plant or at the base of the plant. A very good natural remedy is an oil/soap treatment. Dr. Martin Motes recommends using a light oil--such as vegetable oil. Olive oil is very heavy and could potentially damage plants. Using 2 TBS oil/gallon is sufficient, you can add a teaspoon of baking soda for a bit of antifungal. Remember to keep shaking the solution in the container to keep the oil mixed with the water. Spray thoroughly on all sides of the leaves. FOLLOW UP with a soap solution about 7 days later. Using 2 tsp/gallon of Joy or Dawn (dog shampoo is great too) not only does a number on the pests, it helps clean off the oil treatment. I actually follow up with a third treatment in another week with the same soap solution. The soap/oil mixture remedy has been shared in the past, but the University of Florida recently discounted it as the two agents act in direct opposition of each other and essentially decrease the effectiveness of the effort. Just like the TV ads say, the dishsoap is designed to cut grease (oil) in its tracks! :) AOS recommends Malathion, or Volk Oil/Sunspray for scale. Also Knox Out 2 FM or Orthene Turf, Tree and Ornamental Spray. Mites are nasty buggers to get control over. If the infestation is confined to one plant, isolate it to prevent spreading--watch for that carefully. Be careful to follow the label on preparations TO THE LETTER to avoid damage to plants. One tip for success is to make sure you do TWO treatments of your selected poison about 7-10 days apart in order to catch newly hatched pests. Submitted by Rhonda Heide

_addendum_ I have done some specific research on these mites, mainly because one correspondent mentioned they do not like watering/humidity; however using the same increases likelihood of fungal or mildew problems ... plus some solutions are not helpful for people living in flats/units. Spider Mites die-off or go dormant in winter, when rains are heavy and day time temperatures dip under 10' celcius (centigrade)or night time 4' c. Unfortunately that means moving you/your plants to Jandakot airport or Albany. The garden gnomes might like the holiday, but otherwise it is not practical. For indoor plants, you might try putting them outside at night, if the forecast minimums are around 5'~6' and/or rain. That will slow/retard the infestation. Better still (great idea), either: i). Make a space in your refrigerator and place the plant/pot in there for an hour or two (general space, not the freezer). The spider mites will never know what hit them, because the temperature drop - followed by rise once removed - will be too great for their metabolisms to handle; or, ii). Put your plant/plants immediately in front of the air conditioning outlet, or an air conditioner (not evaporative types). The chill factor at the outlet is usually around the 3'~ 5' mark, even if set for a (BTU) room temp around 20'. As the air stream is more general, you'll need to keep the plant/plants there for four or five hours, part rotating them (cover all sides/undersides) every hour or so. Credit (inspiration) for both these ideas should go to Mike (Trees). In his response he mentioned 'jet sprayers' - usually used on orchards (look a bit like a Bofors gun), or non aerial emergency crop spraying in the wheat belt. Fun to play with, but generate about 130 db (plus) and cost mega bucks. You won't find them at Coates Hire (not suitable for urban use). The inspiration was his comment about the jet-sprayer (watering with) being very effective, in part because it got under the leaves. I thought about it and realized the venturi effect (they are not just pumps spraying water, rather more genuine 'jets' or water turbines ... thus the noise they make) would also be chilling the spray, so both wetting the mites and chilling them at the same time. That made me think air conditioners would do the same trick, albeit without the need for water ... then I realised your refrigerator was the perfect 'reverse incubator', providing you can fit the plant/pot in ... plus have a fast get-away car - in case the better half catches you doing it. As a former PM once said (paraphrased): "life wasn't meant to be easy - for spider mites..." Fighting them requires risks (like getting caught by your spouse) ... but remember you're fighting the good fight. Anyway - its technically very environmentally friendly* and an option for flat/unit dwellers, with fast (over night) success likelihood. [*: Domestic bliss environment,...