Spider mites really bad this year!

16 years ago

I've NEVER had a problem with mites like I do now. Is it caused by this unusually hot, dry summer we've had? Maybe my trees have had more water stress in this weather, making them more susceptible?

Here's what's happening:

Starting in June, I got spider mites really bad on my Granny Smith apple and somewhat less on my Jonathan apple. I've been spraying every couple weeks with malathion to prevent codling moth and other pests, but I don't know if it's working very well for the mites. I know soap can help, but I'd think malathion would be more effective, don't you?. Any more serious chemicals I should try?

I also have an Arctic blue willow shrub suffering from mites, and since it's not a food plant, I could use a systemic insecticide on that one.

Also, one of my young (3-yr old) cherry trees has been hit by mites, too. Not as bad as the one apple, but suffering moderate damage. Then, it suddenly got yellow leaves and dropped a lot of them. It didn't look like iron chlorosis -- I thought maybe it was too dry, so I soaked it with a hose (it only gets drip irrigation from one of those star-pattern sprayer things, and it doesn't cover the whole root zone). Anyway, then it dropped more leaves, making me wonder if it was actually too wet rather than too dry (after a couple rainstorms last week, it dropped more leaves). Now, it's growing a new crop of leaves on some of the branch tips. Anyone know how much water cherry trees need? I'm pretty sure I've stressed it with inadequate water, which made the mites attack more. I really need to keep this tree alive!

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Comments (6)

david52 Zone 6
16 years ago
This year they do seem to be worse. If they're on ornamentals, I use a systemic; usually once is enough. I always get them on some juniper bushes, and this year I sprayed a systemic in early June and they stayed away.

Re Malathion, I tried using some of that on my containerized eggplant - it seems to whack the adults, but not so much the eggs or what ever and needs to be repeated a couple times. Maybe if you sprayed your trees at a 1 week interval?

Re Cherry trees and moisture, I keep mine well irrigated, a good watering once a week. They're still growing.
cnetter
16 years ago
Most insecticides don't work well on mites - they need a miticide. I don't know of any miticides that are safe on edibles. I've used Kelthane and Avid in the past - on roses only.

But, I have controlled spider mites by washing the undersides of leaves. DRS used to promote use of water wands to blast the undersides of leaves on roses. It had to be done fairly often. I would think this would work on cherries too.
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david52 Zone 6
16 years ago
I agree with cnetter re specific miticide, and that stuff shouldn't be used on edibles. I read the label on the malathion bottle, they say that it will 'control' spider mites, and it seems to. I looked at the underside of the leaves pre-spray with a magnifying glass, it was crawling with them.

Sprayed, next day I looked again and there were a lot of dead ones, but still some crawling around.

I need to go try a soapy wash on my eggplant but right now, they're growing so fast that they seem to be staying ahead of the mites, and there are lots of lady bugs hanging around.
digit
16 years ago
Steve, mites can flat out KILL dahlias if given enuf time on the plants so every year it is WAR. Not any real sign of them this year so far, but probably only because it is still fairly early for mites here.

When they moved in on the roses at the greenhouses where I used to work, we would first hose the plants down with water. The head grower claimed that it worked better than the miticide but we always used both.

If you can knock them down - - just think how long it would take something of that size to climb back into the foliage of a tree . . . Further, they are far more exposed to the spray if they are on the ground rather than high in the branches and leaves. It has taken me years to accept the fact that I MUST hose down the yard, the fence, neighborÂs yard, my entire self, low-flying airplanes, and the dahlia plants in the morning. Then return to spray the bug killer in the late afternoon.

I can't help but think that insecticidal soap would work well on them also but have no experience that way. I use a systemic with miticide on the dahlias and understand that mite problems can actually increase after the use of insecticides that don't kill them but kill their predators and competition.

It's a nasty world out there. Washing up should help.

digitSteve
Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
16 years ago
Digit, if I'm ever flying over you and I see you down there with your hose aimed at us, I'm gonna call in the fighter jets and have them shoot back!

;-)
Skybird
catladysgarden
16 years ago
I've always found that the best control for spider mites is water. When you wash them off your plants, you interrupt their breeding cycle. I have a water wand that sprays upward that I use on the roses. I've had my water wand for 40 years, but they are still available. You could probably gather up the parts and make one yourself.

Here is a link that might be useful: Water Wand

Spider mites really bad this year!

Comments (6)

david52 Zone 6

cnetter

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