Two-Spotted Spider Mite

Tetranychus urticae

Two-spotted spider mites are one of the most widespread pests of field, nursery, orchard and greenhouse crops worldwide. They have also become increasingly damaging pests of commercial cannabis and hemp grows both indoors and outdoors. Damaging foliage as they feed, populations can quickly get out of hand if not treated early enough. For this reason, it is recommended to take preventive measures early in the growing season to avoid large scale outbreaks.

Identification: More oval in shape than some other pest mites, look for the telltale dark spots on their back. If you notice webbing, spider mites are almost certainly the culprit. You can always email us a picture of your pests to help ID them!

Controlling Two-Spotted Spider Mites:

Sanitation
Treatment Vegetative Stage Flowering Stage
Remove debris/weeds, maintain relative humidity levels and support beneficial insect populations by companion planting. Yes Yes
Plant Dips: Dunk transplants, cuttings & tools in a solution of ZeroTol 2.0 to kill any eggs or mites. Yes Yes
Sprays
Treatment Vegetative Stage Flowering Stage
Oil-Based Sprays: SuffOil-X, JMS Stylet Oil, Monterey Horticultural Oil Yes No
PureCrop 1 Yes Yes
Venerate Yes No
Azadirachtin Sprays: AzaGuard, Molt-X Yes No
Predators
Treatment Vegetative Stage Flowering Stage
Phytoseiulus persimilis: 68-90°F, 60-90% RH Yes Yes
Neoseiulus californicus: 50-105°F, 40-60% RH Yes Yes
Mesoseiulus longipes: 65-90°F, 40-60% RH Yes Yes
Galendromus occidentalis: 80-110°F, 30-60% RH Yes Yes
Neoseiulus fallacis: >64°F, >50% RH Yes Yes
Minute Pirate Bugs: 64-82°F, ≈60% RH Yes Yes