Quote Originally Posted by WashougalWonder
Spider mites are a natural environmental pest that proliferate in warmer weather. My neighbor lost all his boxwood shrubs last summer to them.

Spider mites bore holes in the leaves, petioles, and stalks which is the damage that occurs from them.

My first experience with them was a few summers ago. I sort of sloughed off on the Neem weekly spray. I did not notice anything (Except the plants were yellowing) until one morning I found a top completely covered with web and mites.

At the time I had 6 plants in flower. I had to kill the one with the web, and throw it out.. it was disgusting. The others I hit heavy with Neem, and though production was down the balance did survive.

This year I got ahead of the buggers, sprayed all around the outside of the part of the house with the grow area with Seven - weekly(all of it weekly). I sprayed the intakes for the grow room with Seven. I sprayed the grow room side of the intakes too, and around all the cracks and doors inside and out. I sprayed the flower room with Neem weekly up until the last 3 weeks of flower and the veg room daily. (Once the leaves get a shiny luster there is enough on the plant.)

Like I said, my neighbor lost all his boxwood shrubs this summer, and I didn't have a spider mite one. They were just awful this summer.

It sure is a sick feeling to find a web all over the top of a succulent plant.

Oh, yeah, after I found them all plants were treated and the room was bombed. I also clean the floors monthly underneath everything. You would be surprised how many bugs live in those corners. Cleanliness is very important.
I just did the same, since my flower room was empty of all but two plants, I put them in my veg room for their 12 hours of light, and cleaned the shit out of the place with a bleach based cleaner , set off a fogger, and closed 'er up for the night. In about an hour I'll go in, turn on my exhaust for a few and voila. I've decided it's really about control, not elimination.