CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 07/02/12

Thirsty plants and spider mites: Two reasons to pray for rain

By Frank M. Watson

When it’s summertime in Georgia, hot and dry weather will cause stress to most plants. These conditions also help create another problem – spider mite damage.

Spider mites are normally not a problem in times of adequate rainfall and moderate temperatures. The pest thrives in hot, dry conditions that seem to be the norm these days in Georgia. Recent samples brought into University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents indicate that spider mites are out in full force.

Look underneath

Spider mites are most often found on the under side of leaves. They are so small that they can barely be seen with the naked eye. In fact, I have to use a magnifying glass to check for spider mites.

Adult spider mites are oval-shaped, have eight legs and do no have antennae or wings. A clue to their presence is a speckling or yellowing appearance on the upper side of leaves on broadleaf plants or a browning of needles on conifers. Sometimes, in heavy infestations, you will notice webbing on plants. I guess this is how they came to be called spider mites.

Years ago, there were effective insecticides to use against spider mites. However, today nothing works well against them. The best control is a good rain.

What can you do if it doesn’t rain? Garden supply centers stock products that claim to control spider mites, but insecticidal soap is probably about as effective as anything on the market.

Be persistent

To effectively fight them, be persistent and treat often until it rains. Be sure to coat the under side of all leaves.

Unfortunately, using insecticides also reduces beneficial insects that aid in controling spider mites. Adult spider mites are about 1/50 inch in size and are very easily eaten by beneficial insects like lady beetles.

You may have better success by simply washing the plants several times a week with plain water. By doing so, you wash off a lot of the mites. The beneficial insects remain, so they can help control the ones that aren’t washed away.

Experiment with methods to find which one works best for you. Neither method will totally control them, but it will suppress them enough to keep your plants alive until rainfall comes.

I guess rainfall washes away more than just troubles.

Frank Watson is the University of Georgia Extension agent in Wilkes County, Ga.

Authors:
Frank M. Watson
Experts/Sources:
Frank M. Watson
The best remedy for spider mites on plants is a good, heavy rainfall. Until that happens, treat the tests with insecticidal soaps and let the beneficial insects dine.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
University and state leaders cut the ribbon during the Science and Ag Hill dedication ceremony. (Chamberlain Smith/UGA) CAES News
UGA dedicates first phase of Science and Ag Hill modernization 11/01/24
The University of Georgia held a dedication ceremony on Oct. 30 to celebrate the completion of the first phase of renovations to modernize research and instruction facilities and infrastructure on UGA’s Science and Ag Hill. This area of campus, located just south of Sanford Stadium, includes buildings dedicated to a variety of scientific disciplines such as biology, physics, geology and agricultural sciences.
CAES doctoral students Sofia Varriano and Leniha Lagarde follow farmer Clay Brady to the pasture where many of his chickens are kept. CAES News
UGA researchers study how free-range chickens influence farm sustainability 10/31/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Researchers in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are studying how pastured and free-range chickens impact ecosystems on integrated crop-livestock farms. Supported by a $749,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, entomology doctoral student Sofia Varriano and her thesis advisor, agroecologist and systems biology Professor Bill Snyder, are testing the promise of integrated crop-livestock agriculture to increase the sustainability of smaller farms.
Combining data collection and analysis with plant pathology, precision agriculture and robotics, the UGA team will build a photographic library of the foliar symptoms caused by onion diseases and other physiological disorders, feed them into the AI software, and use machine learning to identify the diseases based on pattern and color recognition from the images. CAES News
UGA uses AI, robotics to improve Georgia’s Vidalia sweet onion crop 10/23/24 Jordan Powers
A multidisciplinary team of UGA researchers aims to enhance the competitiveness of Vidalia onion growers in Georgia by providing them with the ability to confidently detect onion diseases early, enabling them to make management decisions on their crop at a critical time. These abilities, researchers say, should result in increased yield and quality of marketable onions and an overall increase in efficiency and productivity.
The study represents the most detailed and comprehensive picture to date of the health of the monarch fall migration in Eastern North America. (Photo courtesy of Pat Davis) CAES News
The monarch butterfly may not be endangered, but its migration is 10/22/24 Leigh Hataway
With vigorous debate surrounding the health of the monarch butterfly, new research from the University of Georgia may have answered the biggest question plaguing butterfly researchers. Why are the wintering populations declining while breeding populations are stable? Published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study suggests that monarchs are dying off during their fall migration south to Mexico.
heavily infestedToH web CAES News
CAES combats invasive spotted lanternfly threatening U.S. farms and vineyards 09/24/24 Jordan Powers
The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), an invasive insect pest that first arrived in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since spread to 16 additional states in the Eastern U.S., has state governments urging residents to be on the lookout and to use caution when moving firewood. The insect’s preference for feeding on the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) — another invasive species — has led to significant pest reservoirs, affecting vineyards and other agricultural sectors, including hardwoods and other ornamental and fruiting trees.
Jennifer Berry, Apicultural Research Professional and Lab Manager for the UGA Honey Bee Program, recently achieved her Ph.D. and Triple Dawg status. She has been working with the Honey Bee Program at UGA for over 20 years. (Photo by UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.) CAES News
Queen bee: Berry turns a sweet hobby into research and impact 08/20/24 Brandon Ward
Jennifer Berry has always been interested in insects. As a child, she would spend time in the woods behind her house, fascinated by the multi-legged life that lived among the trees. In summers, Berry visited her grandparents’ Missouri farm, where her grandfather would take her to a buzzing tree to collect bits of honeycomb. After safely smoking out some of the bees, he would hold Berry up to see the hive and take a couple of small combs for them to enjoy. “I always wanted more,” she said.