Everything To Know About Spider Mite Control
The best method for using persimilis to get rid of and help with spider mite control is to release persimilis before a major outbreak of spider mites has occurred on your plants. The more spider mites you have the more persimilis you will require to get rid of spider mites.
Monitoring of your key susceptible plants is the best way to catch spider mites before they are in large numbers thus reducing the amount of persimilis you need to purchase to kill spider mites. To catch an outbreak of spider mites early be sure to check the older leaves for the first distinct mottling. It starts as just a few dots if you spot these then turn the leaf over you can make out tiny spider mites on the undersides of the leaf, a 10 times hand lens is extremely useful in aiding in the detection of spider mites.
Spider mites generally start out with a few white dots appearing on the upper sides of the leaves and then as their numbers increase more feeding damage is noticeable on the leaves. Eventually the few dots turn into hundreds and then a completely white leaf, once numbers are extreme webbing becomes visible between leaves and mites start to mass on high spots in an attempt to disperse themselves via the wind or passing animals.
If you look at the pictures from 1 to 8 the further along the scale you are the more persimilis you will need. Generally, for a standard garden a 4000 pack is enough however if you have more plants or more damage you will have to order more, persimilis come in 4000 6000 and 10000 packs.
These are the stages of spider mite development.
Mite 1
This is the start of a spider mite infestation, note the white dots or mottle just beginning from spider mites feeding on the undersides of the leaf.
Mite 2
As the infestation grows more mottling can be seen.
Mite 3
Soon the mottling covers the whole leaf and the dots start to join.
Mite 4 
The mottling has well and truly joined and is turning the leaf white, spider mites and their webs start to be seen on the leaf stem petiole.
Mite 5
Leaf is mostly mite webbing clearly visible at leaf base.
Mite 6 
Older and younger leaves turning white webbing covering tops of leaves spider mites easily seen.
Mite 7
Mites mass at the tops of leaves in an attempt to disperse by wind or animal to new area.
BanItch is the use of soil dwelling predatory mites that are used to treat the eggs and larval stages of biting midges or sandflies. It is a property management tool that helps in significantly reducing the number of these nuisance biting pests in your gardens and lawns. If biting midges or sandflies are a problem for you head over to our dedicated BanItch section.
