Hello. I am looking for a natural control for spider mites that will not harm caterpillars. Is there such a thing?
Thank you, Shari
Shari,
The first choice would be predatory insects such as Phytoseiulus persimilis which prefer to consume spidermites. Luckily, they also do a pretty good job of it as long as the spidermites are detected before their population numbers become significantly high. Also, given the sheer size of a caterpillar versus a predatory mite, I would put my money on the caterpillar any day. Predatory mites can be found at your local hydroponic shop. You might give the shop 24 to 48 hours notice, as they usually have to be ordered in on a per demand basis. They are usually sold in lots of one thousand and are relatively inexpensive when compared to chemical pesticides. If there is no local shop around you, visit the internet and look for suppliers in your area. With overnight mailing, distance is often not a problem.
Cheers, Erik Biksa