There are several houseplants that are preferred by spider mites, including popular varieties such as primrose.
Some of the plants that you like may already have mites when you purchase them, even though they don’t already look scorched or aren’t dried up yet. If you have a spider mite infestation or want to prevent one in your home, avoiding the plants that spider mites like to eat will help.
What Type Of Houseplants Do Spider Mites Like?
Spider mites tend to quickly target plants that don’t have a thick outer layer for protection and will take longer to attack other plants, so you’ll see fewer mites on those species. They are not as likely to be found on cacti or other succulents, because the thick, waxy epidermis of these plants is harder to penetrate but if they are persistent, they can infest those too.
They prefer plants with broad, thin leaves that provide a lot of food.
Here is a list of Most Houseplants (names or types) Spider Mites Like
- Musa
- Dieffenbachia
- Araliaceae
- Marantaceae
- Apocynaceae
- Acorus spp.
- Adenium obesum
- Alternanthera spp.
- Breynia disticha cvv.
- Brugmansia cvv.
- Chamaedorea seifrizii
- Colocasia cvv.
- Dieffenbachia spp.
- Dracaena marginata
- Dracaena thalioides
- Gardenia jasminoides
- Heliconia psittacorum cvv.
- Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
- Impatiens spp.
- Jasminum sambac
- Musa spp. / Ensete spp.
- Plumeria cvv.
- Polyscias fruticosa
- Primula vulgaris
- Ravenea rivularis
- Schefflera elegantissima
- Stromanthe sanguinea cvv.
They find Marantaceae and Apocynaceae delicious and once they gather on this type of plant, it’s hard to remove them.
If there are specific plants that you really like, such as the Ravenea rivularis (majesty palm) or Primula vulgaris (primrose), you may decide to enjoy their beauty while putting a plan in place to combat mites.
I recommend you check Does Neem Oil Work On Spider Mites? Tips For Pest Control.
What plants do spider mites NOT like?
There are several plants that spider mites don’t like and these also deter them from coming to your home or garden. You can plant these among others or use them as a hedge to repel spider mites. The dried leaves or seeds of these plants can also be used in a spray and applied to other plants.
List of houseplants spider mites don’t like includes
- Chinese parsley or cilantro
- Dill
- Garlic
- Pyrethrum chrysanthemums
Many organic gardeners use pyrethrum as a safe type of insecticide inside their gardens. Like garlic, it also protects your plants against aphids and beetles. All of these plants will repel spider mites when you plant them alongside plants that are susceptible to attacks.
Where do spider mites come from on indoor plants?
Spider mites on indoor plants usually come from other live plants. For example, if you buy a plant that you don’t know is covered by mites and you carry it home to your other plants, the mites will move from the new plant to those which were previously free of mites.
Spider mites can also come from animals, such as dogs and cats, but this is a less significant source.
You can avoid this by quarantining new plants for a few weeks. Place them in a separate area from your other plants after you get or buy them. This three week period allows you to prevent any harmful insects from entering your garden or the area in your home where potted plants are kept.
Can spider mites infest a house?
Spider mites can infest a house that has plants that serve as a source of food. They need to be able to eat and the plants help to keep them alive. If you don’t have any food sources in your home, the spider mites won’t be able to survive on their own.
If you remove the fresh plants that they like from your home, the mites will slowly start to die. After 11 days, most of the mites will starve to death or relocate in an attempt to find another food source. If you don’t have plants in your house, you won’t get a spider mite infestation.
Do spider mites go away on their own?
Spider mites will not go away on their own while your plant is still alive. They want something to eat and if they can eat your plant without being killed, they will stay on it until there’s nothing left. You will have to take action to get rid of them.
What do spider mites hate?
Spider mites hate several things. They don’t like alcohol because it dries them out. They don’t like neem oil and hate the smell of neem. Neem oil is also good to treat powdery mildew.
Spider mites hate vinegar as well.
What is the fastest way to get rid of spider mites on plants?
The fastest way to get rid of spider mites right now is by using what you already have in your home. You may have alcohol in your medicine cabinet. You can soak a cotton ball in alcohol and use that to wipe down a plant that is infested.
The alcohol will kill the mites and this is a solution for spider mites that you can use right away. It is safe for your family and it works quickly enough for you to see the positive results in minutes.
How do you treat spider mites on houseplants?
There are several methods of removing spider mites from houseplants. Some of these require regular action on your part but are relatively safe for any children or pets in your household. If you wish, you can even physically remove mites every day with a damp cloth. This does not involve any harsh chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions.
You can kill spider mites on houseplants by using insecticidal soap. You don’t need a particular brand of soap and a dish of good soap mixed with water will remove the mites from your plant.
Insecticidal soap has to be used daily. If you can, wipe down the plants every morning. This will remove as many mites as possible with this method but you can simultaneously use other methods of control to keep your plant from being damaged.
If you want to double up on treating a plant that is being damaged by spider mites, you can apply neem oil. Neem oil can be used on the plant after you have killed many of the mites with insecticidal soap.
The neem oil smothers any spider mites that weren’t killed by the soap. By using both methods, you can remove a large percentage of the mites from a plant that you’re focused on saving. If you don’t kill the mites, your plant could die as the mites feed on it until there is not much left.
Like vinegar and many other natural methods of eliminating spider mites, been oil should be mixed with water before applying it to your houseplants. You can spray the solution on the leaves or apply it by using a soft cloth.
Neem oil is not a one-off method of removing spider mites. You can’t just use it once and then never use it again. Instead, it should be applied to the plant at least every seven days.
For severe infestations, you can mix it with an organic wetting agent to increase its coverage and apply it every three days to kill the eggs. This helps to deter new mites from attacking the plant.
At what temperature do spider mites die?
Most spider mites will survive freezing temperatures at any stage of their development. Even spider mite eggs can make it through very cold winters.
Temperature control is not an effective method of killing spider mites. At 80 degrees Fahrenheit, they thrive, with eggs hatching much more rapidly than at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. To kill spider mites with heat, you would have to get them hot enough to burn and that would not be safe in every location.
Will vinegar kill spider mites?
Vinegar can kill spider mites. It should be diluted with water and then sprayed on the plant that you’re treating.
While this method is generally regarded as safer than many pesticides, it should be used with caution. Vinegar can damage the leaves of some plants.
Can spider mites crawl on humans?
Spider mites can crawl on humans. They rarely bite but may occasionally do so when you come in contact with a plant that they are on.
If a spider mite crawls on you and bites you, a red spot is likely to appear. If you’re bitten by several mites in the same location, you may get a cluster of red marks that looks like a rash.
Can Spider mites live in a carpet?
If you have carpets or rugs near to your indoor plants, you may be worried that mites can survive under or in the carpet for an extended time. They cannot survive in your carpet for long. Once you remove plants with spider mites from your home, you should clean the carpet immediately.
Once your carpet is vacuumed, this will remove many of the mites that may have found their way inside it. Vacuuming will prevent the mites from escaping to cause an infestation elsewhere. Any that aren’t caught by the vacuum will eventually starve since they won’t have a food source.
Sources
- https://www.gardentech.com/blog/pest-id-and-prevention/spider-mites-tiny-bugs-that-cause-big-problems
- https://worstroom.com/where-do-spider-mites-come-from/
- https://www.pestshero.com/can-spider-mites-live-without-plants/
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