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Spiders on Hollys (no... not Spider Mites)

15 years ago

We've got a row of Holly shrubs in the front of our home. Originally, I believed we had a spider mite infestation given the sheer number and fine-ness of spider webs covering them. But, upon further inspection, it looks like we've got a massive spider problem. I'm not sure the spider type (and haven't posted a photo), but they're fairly small-- maybe a quarter of an inch, brown, large abdomens, and spin webs like crazy. These same Holly shrubs also have a scale problem given the white marks under the leaves as well as the black sooty mold.

Anyway, I'm curious about a plan of attack. I'm inclined to get something to spray over all the shrubs to kill the spiders, and worry about the scale problem later, but again... I'm not sure.

Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

P.S. BTW, I think the problem started a few years ago when we replaced our mulch with river rock. We'll need to fix that.

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Comments (5)

petzold6596
15 years ago
If your going to spray, I suggest you deal with both problems at once. Get your arachnocide and a horticultural oil to make your spray. Begin spraying from the underside of the leaves and finish by spraying the tops of the leaves. The oil will control the scale and will have to be reapplied after heavy rains.
jean001
15 years ago
Spiders aren't a problem for plants.

Further, if you kill the spiders, you kill an important part of your BioControl Work Force.

As for the source? It's that time of year. The spiders didn't arrive with, or because of, the mulch replacement with river rock.
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Shamae, How big are the bugs? I know you posted a photo, but without something whose size is known (like, for example a dime or a penny or something) placed beside them to provide context, it is hard for us to understand what size your pests are. Spider mites are roughly the size of the dot over the letter "i". They are very hard to see with the naked eye and hard to view in a photo, though once you're used to seeing them, you can flip over a leaf and look at the underside of it and see the tiny mites on the plants then. Sometimes, folks new to spider mites aren't sure if they are seeing spider mites and we tell them to hold a clean white sheet of paper underneath a plant leaf and thump it. Tiny insects the size of a period will fall onto the paper and begin moving, and if that happens, they likely have spider mites. It actually is easier to identify mites on plants by the damage they do than by seeing the mites themselves. If you can tell us more about your pests, perhaps we can help you with an ID. If, by chance, they are the same size as spider mites, I'd suspect chiggers, but the pests in your photo look larger....more like the size of aphids? Not that I'm saying they are aphids, but rather that's just the size they are. Are you here in OK? Was your compost wet or was it dry? The more info you share, the better we might be able to help you figure out what it is that you're seeing. Or at least what it isn't. Dawn
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I can see adult females without magnification. Finely ground pepper or the size of this period "." on a 15" screen after submitting. I recently brought in several Alocasia's with spidermites and after rotating neem with Joy and water can see no sign of them. I bring spidermites in every year and have no problem controlling them inside. No reason to use toxic substances. A 10x magnification is enough to see their eggs. This was a hot dry year for us and they got a chance to multiply big time on some volunteer tomatoes in one corner of my yard. Next spring I'm going to order some green lacewings to see if I can get rid of the spidermites in that part of the yard. They never really get out of control except for that hot, dry SW corner of the house. I'm surprised that they overwinter outside here.
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Hi Jeff! I really enjoyed your post... Most of us can understand what you are going through, so no worries. It just makes us feel better knowing we have others that truly understand the addiction and the many hoops we will go through for our trees. The fight with spider mites is a constant battle this time of year, so don't think you are the only one. I would agree with K... My choice for spider mites is also the Bayer 3 In 1 for mites. Just sprayed last night and will set off spray bombs in the greenhouse again in a few days. Merry Christmas to you and your family and to ALL of the family here on the Plumeria Forum!!! Take care, Laura
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Kimmsr
15 years ago
As Jean has already stated there is no problem that needs a cure. Spiders are part of Ma Natures insect control plan nad also provide a food source for many other of Ma Natures critters. There is no good reason to try to kill them.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
You could use gloves or a broom to encourage the spiders to relocate, if the scale infestation is serious. Then you could apply the horticultural oil hollies without harming them (the spiders) too much. Truly, there is absolutely no reason to spray a pesticide to get rid of spiders.
sammydoggie
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the input. I thought about this situation and I've got a new theory. Hear me out...

I think the spider population has been growing over the last couple years as a result of the scale problem. First, the river rock mulch has stressed the Holly shrubs, which has made them more vulnerable to scale. The scale produces honeydew. This, in turn, attracts ants to "farm" the honeydew. The spider population has been increasing to feed on the ants. Its kind of like a nasty little eco-system, so to speak. And the timeline is about right since I didn't attack the problem once I originally noticed it two years ago. Plus, I see ants traveling all over the shrubs.

So anyway, as an update... I've sprayed high-powered water under most of the holly leaves to dislodge the scale. But I'm hesitant on using horticulture oils now given the sun and heat at this time of year. I'm thinking of just spraying it with the horticulture oil in the late winter/ early spring, when scale is more susceptable.

Any thoughts on this?

(I'll leave the spiders alone, but not their webs. Our shrubs resemble those of "The Adams Family.")

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