Now what...spider mites?

[oakley]

Oh good grief. But maybe not. I can't find in searches this one.

I stepped out this morning after so much rain and damp soggy weather...70-75 days,
55-60 nights. Garden mites seem to like it hot and dry.
Weather cleared late yesterday so I was searching for any mold PM spots. Reached for
my spray and the sprayer and a 4inch pot seedling together were covered with a
couple hundred tiny spiders. This happened overnight since I was out just last night
before dusk potting up a few.
Including the plant covered.

Hope I did not destroy a beneficial. But they were well on their way to completely webbing
the entire seedling.

[MissS]

Those look rather large for spider mites. Perhaps those were just spiders of some sort.

[oakley]

Still searching and I think you are correct. Too large. Yet so many so fast.

[Salsacharley]

Those are not spider mites. Those are spiders and probably beneficial.

[TexasTomat0]

Those are spiders. They probably just had hatched.

[peebee]

Definitely not the dreaded spider mites. Great news.

[Worth1]

Baby spiders.

Worth

[Nan_PA_6b]

A nest of baby spiders! Nice!


Nan

[bower]

I get nests of baby spiders hatching in the greenhouse every year and setting up on the tomatoes. They were at the farm greenhouse last year too. The ones around the tomatoes are a really small spider - they never get large. Based on their size, I reckon they are eating really small stuff - ie the darn mites, thrips and similar tiny tomato pests. The spiders come around early in the season and are a bit of a nuisance to work around, but they're doing a job. After a few weeks they just disappear from the scene - I presume when their work is done and there's not a pest population big enough to feed on.
Oakley when I first saw these spiders I had the same worry - are they spiders or mites. Eventually figured out they are too large to be mites, but just the right size to eat em instead.

[oakley]

Yup. they are not microscopic. Just so many so fast. I spritzed them off the seedling and moved everything
off the table. (it is supposed to be for dining anyway) It has been full of potting-up paraphernalia for
a month now.
spring is definitely here, (but not there)

[bower]

Yeah, it's not yet baby spider season here (and for sure not in Bonavista!).

[oakley]

Originally Posted by bower

Yeah, it's not yet baby spider season here (and for sure not in Bonavista!).

We hired a neighbor's son to keep up with the lawn mowing this year. Looks like we will be saving
a few bucks...