Originally Posted by jbclem

I'm curious if anyone, in this discussion, has actually looked with a handheld led microscope (10x-15x) to see if these are really spider mites. You need to be able to see how many eggs there are. And to be able to see if you are killing them with whatever spray you're using. You just can't see this with the naked eye...the 2 spot spider mites I have are translucent, and the nymphs are almost transparent. With the handheld microscope you can see their arms/legs waving around, you can count their spots (for identification). And most important, you can see how many are still alive(or newly hatched) a few days after the treatment...so you can judge when to repeat it.

It's very easy to kill spider mites with Safer Soap. But the eggs are another matter. I'd like to know of a non chemical treatment (such as horticultural oil, neem oil) that gives you a visually confirmed egg kill.

Here are the handheld microscopes I've used for years:

https://www.amazon.com/Grow-Room-Mic...9813551&sr=8-3

(it's not really 60x as claimed, more like 15x...but perfect for spider mites.) You can buy these at a discount hydroponic store for $5-10.

also...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Carson MicroMini Led Microscope)