Organic Pesticide for Red Mites on Tomatoes

Description

• Mites rarely exceed 2/100 of an inch. Red mites are normally active within a temperature range of 60 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit and multiply rapidly in hot, dry weather. Rain tends to disperse mites. Wind spreads them. Their webs secure their eggs to the plant and even protect them from pesticides. Adults look like tiny eight- legged spiders and vary in color. Many are red, which gives the species its name, though they can be green, yellow, pink or orange too.

Symptoms

• Tomato leaves infested by red mites develop lesions, abnormal colors and yellow, dead or dropping leaves. Flowers may also turn yellow or other odd colors and drop petals or young fruit prematurely. If an infestation gets too bad, spider mites may invade the upper side of leaves as well as stems and fruit. Red mites live by sucking the sap from the plant tissues. Their rapid multiplication can drain fluids from plants quickly and kill them.

Range

• Red mites are found feeding on a wide range of plants besides tomatoes. Beans, papaya, potato, tobacco, cassava, cotton, citrus, strawberry, cucurbits, amaranth, avocados, coffee, cucumbers, mangoes, peas, peppers, watermelons okra and legumes attract them as well. Spider mites often start out on other host plants and spread like wildfire through a garden.

Organic Pesticides

• Mites can be treated with chemical pesticides such as Kelthane, malathion or sulfur dust. Two to three applications at five-day intervals work best, but for food crops such as tomatoes, many gardeners prefer natural organic solutions. Red Mite Powder, a tea tree oil-based organic powder is also used for mosquitoes and can be sprinkled carefully on the leaves. Some gardeners have good results with spraying 3 percent hydrogen peroxide straight out of the bottle on both sides of the leaves. The peroxide attacks animal tissues, kills bugs and bacteria, and then turns back into water. A stronger mixture with 5 percent peroxide, isopropyl alcohol and dishwashing liquid is even more effective. As a preventative, use a dormant oil spray over the winter on perennial host plants to prevent spider mites from hatching in the spring and infesting your tomatoes and peppers.

Physical Methods

• Another solution is to use other predator mites to kill the red mites. These insects are available in granule form at organic gardening supply houses. Simply dust your plants with the granules and the mites spread out through your garden devouring red mites. Spraying the leaves with a water spray can also reduce their numbers on the leaves. An application of Neem or an organic insecticidal soap, repeated at short intervals, will also reduce the mite infestation nicely, but may be a bit more labor intensive.