So you take great pride in your garden and have successfully grown tomatoes, peppers and various other kinds of fruits and vegetables. Imagine how frustrating it would be if one fine day you suddenly saw that the leaves of your treasured tomato plant had been punctured and damaged. One of the most common variety threats to plants are Spidermites.
These miniscule arthropods are no more than one millimeter in size and live on the underside of leaves from which they feed, causing substantial damage to plants. Spidermites owe their name to the silken webs that they spin in and around their colonies to protect against predators.
Controlling spider mites is a difficult task as a single female can lay approximately one million eggs in less than a month. Most pesticides are unable to destroy these eggs which in due time are hatched, producing more mites. The problem therefore continues.
To counter it you must apply pesticides again in the course of ten days as a mite takes just three days to hatch and five days to become ready to mate. Neem leaf oil is considered a good antidote but this too needs to be re applied at regular intervals to stop the mites from resurfacing.
A modern method of control is to breed other species of mites that feed on Spidermites. A particular species of beetles are known to feed on these mites. Some mites are bred in insectaries as a means of countering this menace.
Spidermites are known to feed off several varieties of plants including strawberries, various beans, potatoes and corn. There belong to the Tetranychidae family which has over twelve hundred species. These mites can live up to two to four weeks during which time they breed millions of eggs.
Plants which suffer from mite problems need regular attention and treatment to have a healthy growth. If left unattended, the plant may grow abnormally and in extreme cases even wither and die. Taking care of plants needs patience but if the right time and effort is invested it can give you the great joy of yielding a beautiful living thing.
