Spider Mite Rapid Response
10% off your first 4 orders, then 15% off every order after.
Heads up—this is just an estimate. We only ship when the bugs are happy and ready to travel (Mon–Thurs). If a colony needs a beat to peak, or we're propagating a fresh batch, your order might hold up to a week. Treatment bottles jump the line when you've got an active infestation.
Sizing guide
How our sizes work
Sizes are set by how many plants you are treating — not by how much material is in the container.
Every size on every product page names its own coverage right there in the dropdown, so you never have to come here to find a number. Medium — Up to 25 Plants (2,500 Mites) tells you the tier and the count in one line. This page is for the part the dropdown cannot tell you: how to pick between two of them.
These are rough middles. The ladder runs smallest to largest within each product, so a Medium of one species covers more ground than a Medium of another — a nematode drench and a beetle release are not the same job. The count on the size you are looking at is always the real answer.
Pest pressure moves you up the ladder
Plant count is only half the sum. The other half is how much pest is already there. A closed tent holding fifteen plants with thrips on every growing tip needs a larger release than a bright room holding forty plants with a few gnats — the population you are outnumbering is bigger, and the enclosed space lets it rebound faster.
Coverage figures assume a typical active infestation. Adjust from there:
Under heavy pressure, two releases beat one large one. Take the larger size and plan a second release 7–14 days later, which catches the eggs that had not yet hatched the first time.
A few things work differently
A few products read in square feet rather than plants, because that is how they are applied — the outdoor and area-scale releases. Those are Sc and Hb nematodes, and the aphid specialists Ervi, Matricariae, and Aphidoletes. Same ladder, different unit.
Sf nematodes and Triple Blend size by plants and pots, like everything else. They are soil drenches for potted plants, so count your pots rather than your floor.
Slow-release sachets have no size. They are sold by the sachet, and you place one per plant or one per few plants depending on pressure. Sachets are a prevention tool — they hold a population in place before a problem starts. If something is already established, a bottle is the correct answer.
Sizing up is cheaper than sizing twice. Predators need enough prey to establish and enough of themselves to find it. Underdosing is the most common reason a release underperforms, and it usually costs more in the end than the larger size would have. When you are between two sizes, take the larger one.
Still not sure? Tell us what you are growing and what you are seeing, and we will size it for you.
Spider Mite Rapid Response
At A Glance
Spider mites do not escalate slowly. Once webbing appears and leaves begin to stipple, populations are already multiplying.
Spider Mite Rapid Response was built for that moment.
This is a focused, adult-only predatory mite blend designed specifically for active spider mite infestations. It pairs two complementary species that work together to collapse populations quickly while remaining stable in real indoor growing conditions.
Inside the bottle:
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Phytoseiulus persimilis — a fast-moving specialist that aggressively hunts spider mites and drives rapid population reduction.
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Amblyseius californicus — a resilient predator that tolerates warmer, drier environments and helps prevent rebound as prey levels drop.
Field Notes — Spider Mite Rapid Response
| Contains | Phytoseiulus persimilis, Neoseiulus californicus |
| Format | One bottle, two types of mites |
| Role | Treatment. A knockdown specialist plus a generalist that stays on after |
| Target | Two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) primarily, plus other Tetranychus species |
| Also covers | Broad mites, russet mites, cyclamen mites — via californicus, not persimilis |
| Won't touch | Thrips adults, aphids, mealybugs, scale, whitefly adults, fungus gnats, anything in the soil |
| Where it works | Foliage. Both are canopy mites — neither goes into the soil |
| Deploy | Both at once, immediately on arrival. Loose mites can't be held |
| Application | Sprinkle onto affected foliage, concentrating on undersides and webbed areas. Rotate each bottle gently while applying |
| Reapply | Every 7–14 days while mites are active. Two to three rounds is typical for an established population |
| Temp range covered | 55–95°F across the two species — californicus covers the ends persimilis will not |
| Humidity | Persimilis needs 60% RH and up. Californicus tolerates dry rooms |
| Refrigerate | No |
| Compatible with | Swirskii, limonicus, Stratiolaelaps scimitus, beneficial nematodes, lacewings, ladybugs, Aphidius, Cryptolaemus |
| Keep separate from | Cucumeris in the same canopy |
| Chemical interval | One day after neem oil or insecticidal soap. Never with sulfur, at any dilution |
| Safe around | Pets, children, plants |
What each one does
| Persimilis | Californicus | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Specialist | Generalist |
| Eats | Tetranychus only | Spider mites, broad, russet, cyclamen, pollen |
| Speed | Fastest — consumes more per day than either generalist | Moderate |
| Temp | 65–85°F | 55–95°F |
| Humidity | 60%+ required | Tolerates dry |
| When prey runs out | Dies or leaves | Switches to pollen and holds |
| Job in the kit | Crash the population | Hold the plant after |
Target Pests
Environmental Needs
Selection Guide
How to Use
How They're Shipped
Deploy day, and the weeks after.
How to deploy your order, and how to read the results over the next few weeks.
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01
Open the box right away
Bring the package indoors as soon as it arrives. Don't leave it on a hot porch, in a cold mailbox, or in direct sun. If you can't deploy immediately, set the bottle somewhere room-temperature (60–75°F) and out of direct light — it'll keep for a day or two.
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02
Let the bottle rest 15 minutes
Mites huddle in transit for warmth. Set the bottle somewhere room-temperature for fifteen minutes before you open it. This lets them spread back through the carrier and warm up before deployment.
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03
You probably won't see them
Predatory mites are smaller than a grain of salt. Most people can't spot them with the naked eye, and phone cameras can't focus close enough to catch them. That's expected! What you can check: the carrier material should look dry and uniform, the bottle should be intact, and there shouldn't be visible mold. A warm box is normal — don't read anything into it.
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04
Deploy the same day
Apply in the evening or on a cloudy day to avoid UV exposure. For pests on the plant — spider mites, thrips, broad mites — sprinkle the carrier material directly onto leaves and stems where damage is visible. For soil-dwelling pests like fungus gnats, sprinkle onto the top inch of soil and lightly water afterward to help the mites settle into the medium. Either way, spread across plants instead of piling in one spot. See the product description for species-specific dosing.
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05
Watch your plants over 1–2 weeks
The real "are they working" check isn't visual. It's whether your pest population drops. Bottled treatments typically show measurable reduction in spider mites, thrips, or other targets within one to two weeks. If pest pressure isn't easing by then, that's when to bring in our bug pros.
Something not quite right?
Reach out to our entomologist by filing a report within 72 hours of delivery, with your order number and a photo. Candidly, without a photo the team can't approve a live beneficial claim.
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FAQ
What is your Live Delivery Guarantee?
We guarantee that your beneficial insects and plants arrive healthy and ready to work. They're living things, so we pack for the season and ship expedited to give them the best trip we can.
If something looks wrong when the box opens, take a photo and file a report within 72 hours of delivery, with your order number. Photos matter: candidly, without them the team can't approve a live beneficial claim.
Will I see the predatory mites after I apply them?
How quickly will I see results?
Can I use this alongside other treatments?
What happens once the spider mites are gone?
Can these mites spread to other plants in my home?
Is this safe for pets and people?
Help! I'm overwhelmed
Yeah, it's a lot the first time you're using predatory mites. File a report and our bug pros will walk you through it!
I don’t see anything moving in my bottle or sachet. Does that mean they’re dead?
Not at all! In fact, go ahead and deploy them.
Predatory mites are microscopic (often less than 0.5mm) and naturally blend into their carrier medium (bran or vermiculite).
- For Bottles: The mites often huddle in the center of the bottle for insulation during transit.
- For Sachets: These are "slow-release" nurseries. The mites stay tucked deep inside the breeding media and emerge one by one over 2–4 weeks. Seeing an "empty-looking" sachet or bottle is not proof of a loss; it is simply how they are packaged for maximum survival.
Didn’t work. Treatment didn’t knock them out completely. Sachets didn’t keep them under control. Lost half the treated plants and still see mites on the ones that are still going.
Hi Jared, I’m so sorry to hear that. It didn’t knock things out completely. It does sound like you had quite an extensive infestation, and very rarely will any predatory mite knock that out in one round. You will almost always have to bring in some support troops. As for the sachets, it sounds like you may have been using them a little bit too early. They are purely for prevention, and are not super helpful when fighting an active situation. They’re almost entirely eggs and larva, and the very few adults that they deploy per day is perfect when removing very low level pests — As in the first few that enter your collection — but never enough to mount any defense against a serious infestation. Of course, if you believe there’s something else going on, please feel free to reach out to our customer service team and they’ll be happy to diagnose that with you and provide a solution if required. You can talk to them at info@fgmnnursery.com
These are amazing. Company is amazing. Love not using chemicals.
I had a pretty bad infestation of spider mites and other pesties unknown in our outdoor milkweed and pollinator garden. The new homies arrived on a Thursday and I disbursed them that evening. By the end of the weekend, the spider mite webbing activity had largely stopped. I'm back to order some followup friends to keep it under control as it's my first season using predatory mites and I probably didn't order enough for the space I need them in, but I'm a big fan and will be adding preventive sachets to my spring planning for the future.
Quick arrival and easy instructions! Seems to be working.
Rapid response
The shipping was delayed a bit, unsure why, but the package came and was packaged well. The directions were easy. I'm hoping the delay didn't hurt the bugs & they take care of the spider mites!
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