I had what I would call a minimal spider mite infection on 8 hydroponically grown plants. By minimal I mean 1.5 of the plants had only scarce signs of webs and mites. We decided to get 1500 ladybugs and unleash the fury of nature on the mite bastards but lo and behold, they failed. After day 3 there were so many dead and half dead ladybugs it was more hassle than it was worth. Now, the ladybugs are few and far between, and the ones that ARE there are making ladybug love. Yes you heard right, they are mating on my plants, meanwhile the infestation has trippled. WTF?