Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

As y'all may or may not be aware, Bananas.org is working on producing its first print journal. We have an article planned on Spider Mites and their control, and I'm looking for some pictures of your Spider Mite-chomped bananas. Specifically, I'd like to show what SM damage looks like, as a method of diagnosis.

I'd do this myself, but all my nanners seem to be affected by is monkeys.

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

Enough insecticidal soap may make the P-stems too slippery for the little guys!

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

Stufid monkey...lol. I'll load a few pics later. We're rainy here today but I'll do my best .

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

O.k , I loaded some. They're not the best. Perhaps I can try again when it it's not so dark out. These guys were tucked away and I didn't check them very often. Still, the mites moved in far faster than I could have imagined.

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

Oh, yeah...spider mites are evil little bast*#ds! I don't have any of my bananas inside this year, but I do have about 4 pots of Heliconia inside. I swear I looked them over and didn't see any sign of them, then two days later there they were. Luckily, I caught them before any signs of damage showed up.

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

Looking forward to this read! I have not had to deal with spider mites yet, but I know when it happens all this info will be a quick help.

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

they are hateful little buggers, that make any gardner cringe. will post pics of damage to a musella later this afternoon.

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

Where can I see this damage? I get aphids but I don't know what SM or damage looks like.

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

They're in Lagniappe's and Ms. Kitty's galleries.

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

Thanks Lorax. Mskitty had none of SM but I saw them in Pete's gallery. I thought I had SM because the aphids form like a spider web at the branch tips & eat the new leaves. I think aphids are a little smaller too, but I look for webbing. Wish I had a decent camera to post pics of them & damage. How can such little tiny buggers do so much damage???

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

Either way, they are both a pain.

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

here u go...pics of sm damage and their webbing:

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

Now I'm not sure what I have!! Anyone have pics of aphids so I can compare?

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

Good (bad) pic mskitty. All too familiar for me this winter. For some reason I can't get them off my E. Maurelii in particular even when soap and shower treatment took them off all the others.

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

Humidify, Bob! They're thriving because your indoor air is so dry. So my advice would be to buy a cheap humidifier and place it very close to your E. maurelii, and back that up with a daily misting of water directly onto the leaves.

Spider mites hate being wet.

Re: Open Call for pictures of Spider-mite damage
 

Thanks lorax,I'll do just that.I figured out the light and heat easily but the humidity is the only thing I'm lacking indoors right now. I used to keep all my plants in a smallish room with an open topped 150 gallon aquarium which solved that but, my poor red tailed catfish died a while back.