Do you have spider mites on your property? These tree pests are bad news for homeowners. Senske is here to help with our tree service program.

Almost too small to see with the naked eye, spider mites can become a very big pest problem for plants. Spider mites are not true insects but are actually in the same family as spiders, ticks, and other arachnids. As a common plant pest, spider mites attack plants by using needle-shaped mouthparts to suck the sap out of growing plants. These mites can spread quickly, literally sucking the life out of your once healthy plants.

Spider mites live in colonies, usually on the underside of leaves, and leave the plants with a spotted appearance as evidence of feeding. Injuries caused to plants as a result of a mite infestation include the presence of fine webbing, yellowing, flecking, leaf loss, and eventually plant death.

Spider mites are very small, about the size of a punctuation mark when fully grown, and they can range in color from brown, yellow and green depending on the season.

Spider mites can cause a garden infestation seemingly overnight because of their quick growth period, growing to full size within a week. These insect look-alikes can also produce up to 12 eggs per week, making it easy for an infestation to get out of hand quickly.

Adult mites overwinter within cracks in tree bark or underneath garden debris. Spider mites are much more active during the summer months because mites thrive in hot conditions and it is also the growing season for the plants that the spider mites feed on.