Homemade Recipe for Spider Mites?

Deborah · May 10, 2016

Is there some safe food grade ingredients recipe for killing spider mites?
They're destroying my beautiful, lush lemon verbena.

ChiliPeppa · May 10, 2016

I use neem and Dr Bronners. Not sure that I would call it food grade tho.

Deborah · May 10, 2016

Neem would be OK. Just not real pesticide is what I mean. I just refuse to trash this beautiful verbena. Thanks!

MissS · May 10, 2016

Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap works well for me. I use the peppermint variety sold at Costco. Hartz Flea and Tick Shampoo for Dogs also gives very good results.

luigiwu · May 10, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissS

Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap works well for me. I use the peppermint variety sold at Costco.

whoa, Costco carries Dr Bronner's?? I've never ever seen it!

Cole_Robbie · May 10, 2016

I know you said homemade, but for what it's worth, you can order predator mites. I don't promise they'll work; everyone's bug climate is different. With indoor plants, the spider mite eggs outlast the final predator mites, who eventually starve to death after they eat all the spider mites. With outdoor plants, sometimes the predator mites wander off, or get eaten by something else, you never know.

It's worth the money, though, just to watch them under a magnifying glass. Spider mites look like cows, and the predator mites remind me of the velociraptors from the movie Jurassic Park, like a smaller, faster version of a T-rex. They run through the spider mites and take bites out of them, like they are low-hanging fruit.

MissS · May 10, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by luigiwu

whoa, Costco carries Dr Bronner's?? I've never ever seen it!

It's in the pharmacy area 40 fl. oz. for $9.99. A great deal. As most things there it does come and go.

heirloomtomaguy · May 10, 2016

The best thing i have found is Diatomaceous Earth. Last year i lost the whole garden to spider mites this year not one to be seen. The stuff just works and it comes in food grade.

MrBig46 · May 12, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by heirloomtomaguy

The best thing i have found is Diatomaceous Earth. Last year i lost the whole garden to spider mites this year not one to be seen. The stuff just works and it comes in food grade.

Vladimír

MrBig46 · May 12, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrBig46

How DE used? Stirred with water and the plants are sprayed with them?
Vladimír

Deborah · May 11, 2016

But would the diotemacous earth mean my plant covered in dirt?

Gerardo · May 11, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deborah

But would the diotemacous earth mean my plant covered in dirt?

It'll be a light dusting, similar to talcum powder. Goes away with rain or hosing it down. Will do the job very nicely.

efisakov · May 12, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerardo

It'll be a light dusting, similar to talcum powder. Goes away with rain or hosing it down. Will do the job very nicely.

Second that. DE works on spider mites inside and outside. I use it to deter ants too.
I wonder if mixing DE into a soil will help with nematodes.

DE is not expensive at all and sold at Home Depot and Lowes.

ginger2778 · May 12, 2016

Does DE work on Tomato Russet Mites? Is it dusted on, or sprayed on? What do you apply it with for dusting if that is how to do it?

Mike723 · May 12, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Does DE work on Tomato Russet Mites? Is it dusted on, or sprayed on? What do you apply it with for dusting if that is how to do it?

You'll want to add one tablespoon of DE to 32 oz of water.. Give it a shake and you're good to go... A little dish soap will go a long way if you have issues getting it to stick..

May 10, 2016	#1
Deborah Riding The Crazy Train Again Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Marcos, California Posts: 2,562	Homemade Recipe for Spider Mites? Is there some safe food grade ingredients recipe for killing spider mites? They're destroying my beautiful, lush lemon verbena. __________________ "The righteous one cares for the needs of his animal". Proverbs 12:10

May 10, 2016	#3
Deborah Riding The Crazy Train Again Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Marcos, California Posts: 2,562	Neem would be OK. Just not real pesticide is what I mean. I just refuse to trash this beautiful verbena. Thanks! __________________ "The righteous one cares for the needs of his animal". Proverbs 12:10

May 10, 2016	#4
MissS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 3,150	Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap works well for me. I use the peppermint variety sold at Costco. Hartz Flea and Tick Shampoo for Dogs also gives very good results. __________________ ~ Patti ~

May 10, 2016	#8
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	The best thing i have found is Diatomaceous Earth. Last year i lost the whole garden to spider mites this year not one to be seen. The stuff just works and it comes in food grade. __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

May 11, 2016	#11
Deborah Riding The Crazy Train Again Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Marcos, California Posts: 2,562	But would the diotemacous earth mean my plant covered in dirt? __________________ "The righteous one cares for the needs of his animal". Proverbs 12:10

May 10, 2016	#2
ChiliPeppa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mojave Desert - California Posts: 368	I use neem and Dr Bronners. Not sure that I would call it food grade tho.

May 10, 2016	#6
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I know you said homemade, but for what it's worth, you can order predator mites. I don't promise they'll work; everyone's bug climate is different. With indoor plants, the spider mite eggs outlast the final predator mites, who eventually starve to death after they eat all the spider mites. With outdoor plants, sometimes the predator mites wander off, or get eaten by something else, you never know. It's worth the money, though, just to watch them under a magnifying glass. Spider mites look like cows, and the predator mites remind me of the velociraptors from the movie Jurassic Park, like a smaller, faster version of a T-rex. They run through the spider mites and take bites out of them, like they are low-hanging fruit.

May 12, 2016	#14
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Does DE work on Tomato Russet Mites? Is it dusted on, or sprayed on? What do you apply it with for dusting if that is how to do it?