LMBO...prevent them, not in my world. They take something down every year-usually mums like this year-almost my tagetes lucida. I think the best thing is spraying them with water every so often. Spray during the day or morning when the plant will have time to dry so they don't turn around and get powdery mildew. People say that spider mites don't like humidity so that's why spraying helps...but they grow fine in FL which is the most humid place I've ever lived-sheesh, towels mold in the closets. This may have been luck, but I was treating some other plants for powdery mildew the other day and my marjoram had spider mites so I hit it with the same baking soda/oil/ivory dish soap solution I was using for the PM. Now the spider mites are totally gone, and I had been trying to fight them with just water. I don't know if I stumbled on something but it seemed to work better than pure water and it is the P.M. cure so maybe that would be a good idea for rosemary, I know that this mixture is fine for rosemary. You know your area best Heathen1 but her in Tx I had spider mites within the last few weeks. Here it hasn't been consistently cold enough, but they are better than during the deep summer. Oh, watch how hard you spray, I broke 1/2 a mum plant by spraying too hard. And get that rosemary outside, it will love you for it, Heathen is right.

Clover mites look kind of similar to spider mites and the best means of control on plants is Insecticidal Soap and outside and around the house a miticide. Here is a link that might be useful: About clover mites

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

I'm guessing you have more than spider mites affecting your plants' vitality. There is a triangle formed by soil choice, watering habits, and nutritional supplementation that's pretty easy to get right, but tends to be rather limiting if you don't. The picture immediately above isn't saying 'mites'. It's saying over-watering and/or a high level of dissolved solids (mineral salts) in the soil solution. Both of these issues can be corrected, and your job made much easier, by using a soil you can water to beyond saturation each time you water (so you're regularly flushing any accumulating salts from the soil), this, without having to worry your soil will remain soggy so long it affects root health and root function. Water and nutrient uptake is an energy driven process. The plant must 'burn' the food it makes in the presence of oxygen to produce the energy roots need to function normally. Roots trying to function in a half-soggy medium would be something like us trying to run a marathon while breathing through a drinking straw. You can imagine how performance would be limited. If you're interested in more information about the basics of growing well in pots, Try Reading This. If you want to start a back & forth about how to put together a soil that will really help transfer control of your plants' vitality from your soil to you, let me know and I'll help with that. Al