I think it is red spider mite.

[Lisasbolt]

Serioulsy i go away for a couple of days and and anarchy breaks loose

Went into the PT this morning and it seems over a couple of days it has been taken ransom by the red spider mite, all over the tomato plants and bamboo i should have cleared a few weeks back.

I have never had them as a problem before and i have been googling but have any of you got some good first hand experience?

Should i spray the plants before removing them from the tunnel as i do not want to just move their house to the outside




thanks in advance

[Lisasbolt]

Ok, not actually quite as bad as i thought on further inspection. Seems to be in one area on the sweet millions tom plants. Maybe not quite ethical but i have burnt them alive
Might still be some alive but i will drag out the plants now and hopefully won't leave too many behind.

[roitelet]

Yes that is what you have got!! And a bad attack too!!

Take all the plants out of the tunnel and remove all debris. Give the tunnel a good wash down with a disenfectant. Don't put the plants back in there. When there are new plants growing keep the humidity high. This will discourage the pests. You could use a chemical insecticide or introduce a natural predatokrs, Phyloseiulus persimillis, but you need an infestation for them to feed on or they will die. I have managed to keep them under control with regular spraying so of soft soap. It doesn't get rid of them but seems to stop them multiplying as fast.

I don't think that the badly infested plants, the ones with webs, will recover. Keep an eye on the leaves of new plants for what looks like signs of the leaves drying out. If you look on the underside you will see what looks like dust, that's them. If you have a magnifying glass you may be able to see them.

Best of luck

[seasprout]

It is spider mite, and it spreads terribly.

If it were me, I'd dump all plants then sterilise... Twice.

[Lisasbolt]

Thanks, i am hoping that i have caught it just in time as its very bad but on just one or 2 tomato plants, i have dug them out and they are awaiting the journey to the bins. The rest of the PT looks good and i think it is because i stopped watering the tomato plants a few weeks back so they were the only dried out plants, we have had very warm weather for the winter but it turned very cold this weekend and should have some more cold weather so hopefully that will assist on killing them

Thank Roitelet, i will keep the doors closed a little more for the humidity and seasprout i will sterilise 3 times thanks

[mothhawk]

I've just been reading about diatomaceous earth (how it's definitely not good for bees!) Could it be used in a PT against red spider mite? Has anyone ever used it? It seems pretty lethal to all insects, but not earthworms, apparently. It acts like ground glass to them, slicing their exoskeletons ()

[skeggijon]

I'd move your plants out and sulphur bomb your PT Lisa. They're not easy to get rid of with just a scrub down.

[Lisasbolt]

Think i might have to wait till summer as the PT, is in big use at the moment but doesn´t really get used in the summer. Guess i will monitor it. Would not even know where to start to buy sulphur or move the plants. Horrible little things grrrr