• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
RTEC Treecare

RTEC Treecare

Expert Tree Care in the DC Metro Area | Call 703-573-3029 to talk to a Tree Care Expert.

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Serve
      • Government
      • Commercial Environmental Services
      • Residential
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
    • Our Core Values
    • Testimonials
  • Plant Health Care
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Careers
    • We Are an Equal Opportunity Employer
    • We Welcome Veterans and Military Service Members
    • RTEC Benefits
    • RTEC Is Now Hiring
  • Blog
  • 703-573-3029
  • Contact Us

Spider Mites – Tiny Bugs That Cause Big Problems

Resources: Tree Problems

Spider MitesSpider mites are a common enemy of anyone who cares about their landscape plants. Classified as arachnids, these tiny bugs are less than 1/20 inch long when fully mature and look like moving dots to the naked eye. Despite their size, our arborists warn that mites will start being a huge problem for homeowners in the next few weeks. Their ability to rapidly reproduce allows large populations to develop fast and severely harm your plants before you even realize you have a problem. Learn what the signs of spider mites look like, what plants they attack, when they appear, and how to keep them from destroying your property’s landscape.

When to Keep an Eye Out:

Spider mites reproduce rapidly in hot weather. In our area, we typically see a lot of mite activity from June through September.

Susceptible Trees/Shrubs

Spider mites prefer hot, dusty conditions. Plants that are not watered enough and are experiencing drought stress are most susceptible. In addition, our arborists commonly see these mites on junipers, Boxwoods, Cryptomeria, Arborvitae, and Leyland Cypress’.

Once one plant is infected, mites can spread throughout your landscape without difficulty. In fact, they use the wind and their webbing to easily sail from one plant to another.

Spider Mite Damage

Spider mites cause damage by sucking cell contents from the leaves. You most likely will not notice anything odd when mites are at low populations; however, when they continue to grow to a high population you will start seeing the damage. Injury from spider mites can lead to the death of your plants.

  • Stippling of light dots on leaves/needles
  • Leaves/needles turning yellow or reddish
  • Leaves/needles dropping off
  • Webbing covering leaves/needles and twigs
  • Tiny moving dots on underside of leaves/needles (what these mites look like to the naked eye)
Spider Mite Damage

Webbing From Spider Mites
Webbing From Spider Mites
spider mite damage

[aio_button align=”center” animation=”none” color=”orange” size=”small” icon=”none” text=”Meet With A Certified Arborist” relationship=”dofollow” url=”https://rtectreecare.com/make-an-appointment/”]

Getting Rid Of Spider Mites

When it comes to spider mites you have a couple options. Discuss with you Arborist which approach is best for you and your property.

Organic Control Through Beneficial Insects:

Spider mites have many natural enemies including, predatory mites, minute pirate bugs, and lacewing larvae. We can release these predators on your property in order to control the population of these mites. This is a great option for homeowners that are worried about chemicals on their property or have kids that would love to be involved in releasing the bugs on the property.

Foliar Spray:

High populations of spider mites can be taken care of by applying a foliar spray specifically for mites.

Prevention:

Make sure your trees and shrubs get enough water during the upcoming hot summer days. As discussed above, spider mites like to prey on plants that are suffering from drought stress. Watering your trees and shrubs correctly and keeping them healthy overall is your first step in combatting spider mites.

Primary Sidebar

Find a Certified Arborist in Your Area!

Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

Resources Library

  • Tree Trimming
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Tree Problems
  • Environmental Services
  • Seasonal Tree Care

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADDRESS:
2828 Mary Street
Falls Church, VA 22042

EMAIL: admin@rtectreecare.com
PHONE: 703.573.3029

Copyright © 2022 · RTEC Tree Care · All Rights Reserved

  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS
  • Privacy Policy
  • COOKIE POLICY