Help... the spray on stuff from the garden center didn't help my spruce trees are soon to be a fire hazard.

As a professional nurseryman, I am disappointed to see so much mis-information and inadequate control suggestions offered by my peers to you fellows. You are all growing Albertas and deserve some satisfactory information...

Here in Kansas, Albertas do very well but spider mites are always a summer problem. Dormant oil sprayed on a warm March day is a good preventive maintenance procedure to kill overwintering mites. Some discoloration of foliage may occur- test on one or two plants- but new growth will soon cover any blotching.

In the heat of summer, when mite populations explode, cold water sprays can be effective if done repeatedly- every day. Mites are so dam small that when blasted off they are lost, can't find their way back. Control may be somewhat ineffective due to density of foliage, however.

There are several pesticides labelled for control of mites. Please remember that it is a violation of federal law to use a pesticide for a target pest that is not on the label. Homeowners can use something like Ant and Roach spray on their trees without fear of black helicopters descending on the back yard; however, results may or may not be acceptable to the tree.

I prefer to use horticultural soaps. They are very environmentally friendly, pretty effective, altho again some foliage discoloration may occur.

Mites have about a 10 day/2 week hatching cycle- whatever product you apply will need to be reapplied in that time frame to catch the next generation. Usually, two sprays give very good control.

Finally, your local county extension agent is a good source of info for any special conditions/ timing for your area. These people are your tax dollars at work, and altho they typically stress chemical controls a little too much for my taste, they are still a pretty good return on my tax investment...

Hope this helps some of you.

Brian Boyce

I too HAD, problems with spider mites, I use Raid Ant and Roach spray, It works for me.. Did not loose one tree this last year..

Tiny

Several nursery people told me to use fish emulsion. They say that the mites can't stand it. Mix it up and spray it on once a week. It sure does smell horrible! Just started to use it so don't really know how well it works.
Here is another good tip about Albertas: I spend the day after Xmas going to all the grocery stores and buying them in the markdowns. I have bought alot of trees at $2.00 apiece that way! But I have lost alot more to mites.

John,
I don't know if they will eat spider mites, but I use Lady Bugs to get the aphids on my roses. You just sprinkle 5-6 under the plant at night and they wake up hungry. They stay on the plant until there is nothing more to eat. I also buy a Praying mantis egg pod every year and hang it in the garden. I get about 20-25 spreading out around the garden and as they get bigger the number gets smaller ( Found out they don't leave its just Mother Natures natural selection.) When I weed wack along the boarders I can see them jumping into the open - That how I keep count. But between the Lady bugs and the Mantis My garden is safe from everything but the weeds and the Neighbor's cat who like to lay in the sun in my yard. To make a long story short check with your garden center to see if Lady bugs will eat spider mites. Good Luck
Scott

A nurseryman here said to get out early in the morning and blast the trees with cold water. I guess nothing kills the mites but the water loosens them from the tree. (where do they go after that??? I don't know)

When I heard about this, my trees were too far gone to recover.

Good Luck
George Z.

John, we also have spider mites killing our trees. The plant people here in SD recommend malathion, but we still end up with dead trees. If you find something better, let everyone know.

Ken

I think that Malathion was what I used. I believe that the active ingrediant was something called Dialozon (sp?).

Bill the iconoclast
MMR 93