Neem oil, as a spray and soil treatment, will act as a systemic, with out putting yourself or the environment in jeopardy. It will not cause overnight destruction to pests, but rather acts as an antifeedant/deterant. Best used as a preventative, or in rotation with population knockdown measures. Cold pressed is prime, as some heavily processed oils have the active ingredient Azadirachtin removed, and can be obtained at health food stores/natural pharmacies. Spray water temperature and a good surfactant are important, to ensure proper emulsification and even spread. Warm water (70-80*F ideally) is important, as cold water will coagulate the oil, and hot water will reduce its impact. For a soil drench to combat fungus gnats, root aphids, etc, 5-12ml per litre, mixed with an equal part surfactant (liquid soap, potassium based. Dr.Bonners preferably.) For a spray, I use a 1% concentration with an equal part surfactant Companion planting, trap crops, etc. There are many ways to control pests, a multi pronged approach is best. SM90, with its nose tickling lemony bleach odour, is halfway between neem and Avid. Mainy comprised of canola and coriander oil. It does not work as a systemic, but is good to knock populations down, while rotating with insecticidal soaps and other control measures. Dr.Bonners works wonders on its own, at 1% concentration. Peppermint brings the added benefit of peppermint oil, an insecticide in its own right, and Lavender will act as a deterant. Ensure complete coverage of the plant, with particular focus on the underside of foliage. Spider mite eggs hatch every 3-5 days, an it is advisable to spray every 3-4 days until a measure of control is achieved. As with bringing anything new into the garden, test a small plot or single plant at different concentrations, starting low, and observe results over 3-4 days.

I second the predatory mites from reading, but that wasn't something I was prepared to administer. The two-spotted spider mite is a known principal pest for strawberries in Florida, and I wanted to be prepared. So far I've not needed to apply anything, but I spent a lot of time researching what to do when a few started appearing in the warmer fall. In the end I decided on buying an ultra-refined parrafinic mineral oil. Other horticultural oils didn't come up as very effective except that type in particular. The old brand that was mentioned as used successfully, was Sunspray, but I couldn't find it being manufacturered any more. After looking around a bit I was satisfied that a good substitute brand/quality was Bonide's product. The bonide product comes in two forms. The regular one at garden centers is usually highly diluted into an emulsion and ready to spray. Obviously the amount of oil in the RTU spray is very little making it an expensive 98% water bottle product which I would like to have more around since it is not really toxic (but it can suffocate you to a horrific death easily if you nebulize or breathe the liquid concentrated into your lung, like has happened to people who get high sniffing volatile petrocarbon solvents). And suffocate is what it it is claimed to do exceptionally well to the spider mites. The dilution ratio is very very large and I got a great deal from Ace Hardware $12.99 online, shipped to pickup at the store for free. The product I got is the concentrated one which I will never run out of, a quart and it is called Bonide All Seasons Horticultural and Dormant Spray oil concentrated . I have yet to use it, but I'm pleased to have it in the toolbox as anything else there, besides the preditory mites were a little too involved for my small hydro-pad with hungry lizards and huddling mini tree frogs now that it is cold which form the natural front line. The pesticides that work all seem to be quite toxic chemically for my taste so I felt this was the best compromise when I looked over what to do. Sorry not to have results to share, and I really hope I don't have to cross that bridge! But it's here when I need it. The literature seems to suggest using 2% in Spring, maybe every 10 days if necessary, spraying after dark when the mites come out, and under the leaves. 3% if I want to go after the eggs effectively. Unlike other chemical controls, this one is the mildest in the sense no "waiting period" seems to be required, though I would definitely give it a good washing. Bonide says it is ok for organic gardening. This oil is an alkane-oil and the ultra-refining "superior grade" refers to distillation, removal of sulfur compounds, the removal of aromatic hydrocarbons (non-alkane) oils, which is thought to leave a product that is non-carcinogenic according to regulators. Bonide's MSDS says practically non toxic if ingested, however potentially fatal if drawn into lung where it will smother. This refers to a large amout of the concentrate compared to the application rate. It also says if ingested to drink water to dilute. I think that's asking to be sued in a staged tort case - I wouldn't drink water as that is more likely to cause vomiting and getting it into the lung. Minor point, but it indicates a bit about the MSDS quality. This post was edited by PupillaCharites on Fri, Jan 24, 14 at 2:19

Lots of spiders have willy-nilly webs with little or no obvious (to human) symmetry. When I take the dog out for his morning run early in the morning before the dew is burnt off, they magically appear in the evergreen boughs and all over my veggie garden in the indentations in the soil. I'm talking hundreds of them before the walk is over if I'd care to count. When the dew is gone, they are inconspicuous. I give thanks for all those wonderful predators out there waiting for bug meals. Webs floating in the air is just exactly what Rhizo said they were spiderlings ballooning out from their nests to new territory. Natural event. You'll see the stipling before you notice any webs from spider mite populatons. If you suspect spider mite infestation and it's heavy enough to cause webbing. Knock the branches off over a piece of white paper or your hand, and look for almost microscopic dots moving around. Those are spider mites. Identify your pest before you spray anything but water.

Ouch. As someone who has battled Pacific mite for years, I know exactly what you're going through. There are so few viable solutions, unfortunately... There are a few things you can try to keep the mite populations down: they really like hot, dry, dusty conditions and stressed plants, so the more you avoid those conditions the better. - If you have a lot of dust around, consider wetting things down periodically in the late morning or early afternoon to keep it from flying around and coating the leaves. That will also help to increase the humidity and cool down the leaves. - Mulch well to help retain moisture, which will reduce plant stress; it will also eliminate dust. - Keep the plants well-fed, well-watered, and vigorous. I've found that mites are much less of a problem when the plants are growing well with lots of new foliage. Lots of water and food is probably my primary defense against mites now. - My second line of defense is picking the right varieties. Certain plants tend to attract mites like magnets (marigolds come to mind). Certain varieties of tomato are more susceptible than others as well; I've given up on growing anything with wispy foliage because those get totally hammered as soon as the hot weather comes in. I miss out on some good pastes and hearts, but there it is. Potato leaf and rugose varieties have almost no trouble with mites unless the plants are really struggling. - Predatory mites are sold for greenhouses; with that sort of pest population, you might benefit from them even out in the open. Check some organic supply catalogs. - Be vigilant. All it takes is one plant getting overwhelmed by mites, then they have a foothold to take over the rest from. Yanking or severely pruning one plant is better than losing all of them, if you notice that one is faring badly. If there's a variety or species that seems to do much worse, look for a different one for next year. The mites are tough to kill, so we have to adapt and learn. I wish you the best of luck. --Alison