All you Texas gardeners, the first spider mites have been sighted! Time to get out the soapy water and spritze the underside of leaves before they web the plants and suck all the juice out of the leaves!

What are spider mites? Tiny little insects (not actual spiders–oh that they were!) These nasty beasts eat the sap of leaves and multiply very, very quickly, generally destroying one plant at a time in the garden. This year (in Austin) like last year, the variety that is in my garden is a red spider mite. The red spider mite looks like tiny red dot on the underside of snow peas, snap peas, tomato plants, raspberries, juniper trees, etc. If you see webbing near the top of a young juniper tree later in the season–where there is new growth, it’s usually spider mites. The juniper trees can generally handle the mites unless it’s a very dry year when the mites can kill the tree.

How to spot them? You can see them with the naked eye if you know what to look for, but they are difficult to see. They are generally near the bottom of the plants–lower leaves. The lower leaves may be starting to yellow. If there are eggs, this looks like a smattering of dust tucked under the leaves–very light brownish/beige dust. There may be what looks like a tiny web across the back of such leaves. The mites themselves can be beige, brown, red, or brown with a couple of spots (you won’t see any spots unless you’re using a magnifying glass). Some people say you can put a white sheet of paper under a leaf or two and tap on the leaf and see if mites fall off. I think the suckers cling to the leaves, so you’re better off looking for yellow spots and webbing on the leaves or using a magnifying glass to inspect the lower leaves.

What to do? Neem Oil or soap and water work well against these pests. If you spray now, you’ll need to repeat in 7 days and again in 7 days. I generally do a day, wait three, wait 4, then wait 7, but I use soapy water and it’s about as mild as it gets when it comes to insecticides. (1 Tbp liquid hand soap to 1/2 gallon of water.)

You can also look for an insecticide that is specifically for spider mites. Some of the broader, general sprays don’t work very well against them. Mites are hard to control–but if you start now, you’ll have a better garden!!!