I won't knock pest strips if they work, are cheap and readily available, but for those who would rather go the natural route dig this.

I had an ongoing spider mite infestation for years. Every time I thought I had it taken care of, they would reappear. I tried spider mite predators but that was too costly and simply didnā??t work for me. Then the safe soaps did a number on them but still didnā??t wipe them all out. Next up for trial was a product called ā??Patrolā? (Beauveria bassiana) this is a fungus you spray on your plants and when it comes in contact with the bugā??s body it grows spores inside them, and eats them from the inside out. After a week each infected bug dies and their body becomes a little puff ball of death, releasing spores when any fellow spider mite crosses its path. This highly contagious fungus program worked great but when I went back for the second bottle they were out. It was then that the grow store salesman directed me to what has become my final solution.

Neem Seed Oil.

Not only did it quickly wipe out all the bugs, I understand it breaks down fast too, making late spraying possible. To make it even better I read that it ā??Disruptsā? the bugsā?? life cycle making re-infestation less likely. Must be why I still donā??t see anything months later even without reapplication. This product is natural, relatively cheap, and even wiped out a nasty armored scale infestation I had on some household plants.

If you can get a hold of this stuff I would give it serious consideration above and beyond chemical options. There is however a weird smell, but not all together too unpleasant. Some may even like it.

Happy bug killing!