Pest Spotlight: Spider Mites!


The heat of summer brings lots of new growth to our plants, however it may also bring about pesky bugs. These pests may be hard to see and might be hindering the growth of your plants without you knowing what the cause is. This month we’ll cover one of the smaller pests commonly found on indoor plants, spider mites.

Spider mites are tiny reddish-brown pests that thrive in warm, dry environments and are usually found in abundance in summer due to the warmer weather. They attack house plants by piercing leaves and feeding on the fluid. A good preventative measure is to regularly mist foliage with water to increase humidity in your home.

Since spider mites are hard to see, what are indicators of their presence? Things to look for include:

  • Webbing on the top and bottom sides of leaves
  • Light dots (stippling) on top of leaves
  • Leaves becoming yellow or dying off

How to control infestation:

  • Remove any damaged leaves
  • Mix Eco Neem Oil with water in a spray bottle, coating both underside and top of leaves
  • Reapply weekly treatments until infestation is eradicated
  • To increase humidity in your home, regularly mist plants with water to prevent infestation

Continue to use neem oil as a preventative control and inspect your house plants regularly to spot the beginning of an infestation.


Spider mites on underside of Alocasia leaf