Spider Mite Rapid Response
Webbing is alarming to find, but it's common and very treatable. This is the fast route.
Webbing just appeared? Persimilis charges into the outbreak; californicus stays to mop up stragglers.
- Ships live, when readyUsually within 7 days, rarely 10. Mon–Thu, 2-day or overnight.
- Live arrival coveredReport concerns within 72 hours
- Free shippingWhen bugs and plant care come to $30
Using it in a bioactive enclosure or vivarium?
They stay on the leaves and eat only plant pests. They're harmless to frogs, reptiles, isopods and springtails, and dart frogs may even snack on a few.
Shop for bioactive setups →
The bottle clears the outbreak; prevention sachets watch the plants after
$5
Handmade by Linda, for the plants you're protecting
2 inch · $20Buying for a group or a business? · Wholesale
01 · The problem
Is Rapid Response right for your spider mites?
Signs it's spider mites
- Fine pale stippling on the top of the leaf, like it was airbrushed with dust.
- Fine webbing strung between leaf edges and growing tips.
- Bronzing as the speckles spread and merge across the leaf.
Seeing these? Good catch. The sooner you start, the smaller the job.
Illustration · not to scale- You receive
- One bottle, two predatory mites: persimilis and californicus
- Main target
- A spider mite outbreak you can see: webbing, speckling, spreading
- Best conditions
- Best at 65–85°F; slows below 60°F. Humid is ideal; dry is OK
- Not for
- Clean plants, European red or spruce mites, russet mites
Works on
- Two-spotted spider mites, every stage
- The red (carmine) form
- Other Tetranychus spider mites
Not the answer for
- A clean plant
- European red and spruce spider mites
- Russet and rust mites
- Thrips, aphids or anything in the soil
02 · Meet the beneficial
Spider Mite Rapid Response
Illustration · not to scaleOne sprints. One stays. Spider mites get both.
A sprinter and a stayer
With water but no food, californicus lasted about 18 days and persimilis about 6. One hits hard, the other can wait out the quiet spells.
They answer the same distress call
Plants under spider mite attack give off a scent. Both hunters follow it equally well, so they head for the same trouble spots.
Good neighbors when food is plentiful
The two mostly leave each other alone. With spider mites around to eat, squabbles between them dropped by about 60%.
03 · How it works
Living hunters, working on their own
Illustration · not to scaleEasy to start
Open, release, done. Nothing to mix or spray.
Illustration · not to scaleThey search for you
Most pests are too small to spot. Predators find them anyway, so you don't need to know where every one is hiding.
Illustration · not to scaleThey stay where the food is
For the most part they settle where the pests are and keep working.
Illustration · not to scaleAnother round is normal
Living things work in waves. You'll see the results as fewer pests on the plant.
Rapid Response temperature and storage
Illustration · not to scale65–85°FBest in that range; slows below 60°F. Above about 86°F persimilis can't keep pace.
Illustration · not to scale60% humidity and upBest for persimilis. Drier air doesn't stop the blend; californicus carries it, at a gentler pace.
Illustration · not to scaleRelease the day it arrivesLoose mites do best released rather than held. Keep the bottle upright, out of direct light, never frozen.
Illustration · not to scaleEasy on the fansKeep plants out of strong fans and harsh direct sun right after release.
04 · Can't see them?
Can't see them? That's normal.
Illustration · not to scaleAbout the size of a grain of salt
They spend their days tucked under leaves and in new growth, hunting. Most people never spot one. That's them doing their job, not a sign they're missing.
Illustration · not to scaleThe hunters are harder to spot
They're quick and they hide where pests hide: leaf undersides, folds and fresh growth.
Illustration · not to scaleWatch the plant, not the mites
Fewer pests and clean new growth over the next couple of weeks is how you know they're working.
Seeing tiny pale specks in the packing?
Illustration · not to scaleMost of what you do see is breakfast. The tiny pale specks moving in the packing are feeder mites, a small supply packed in as food so your predators arrive fed and healthy. They live on the bran, not your plants, and your predators eat them as they go.
05 · Not your conditions?
Choose one of these instead
Not quite your situation? No problem. If your space or your pest is different, one of these fits better.
A humid room, 60% and upPhytoseiulus persimilisPersimilis alone is just as fast and costs less
View →
A room that runs hot or dryNeoseiulus californicusCalifornicus alone is the forgiving dry-room pick
View →
Spider mites plus other soft-bodied pestsSpecial Blend Predatory Mite MixFour predatory mites in one bottle cover the most ground
View →06 · The plan
What's in the kit
Phytoseiulus persimilis
The sprinter: walks into the webbing and hits the colony fast.
Neoseiulus californicus
The marathon runner: copes with dry air and outlasts persimilis, mopping up stragglers.
How to release Rapid Response
No experience needed. Here's all it takes.
Illustration · not to scaleRinse off heavy webbing
Take the thick webs off with a strong stream of water so the mites can reach the leaf.
Illustration · not to scaleLooks like just carrier
The mites are smaller than a pinhead and the color of the carrier, so a still bottle is normal. Fewer pests and clean new growth tell you they're working.
Illustration · not to scaleRoll the bottle
Rotate the bottle gently so both species spread evenly through the carrier.
Illustration · not to scalePiles near the damage
Small piles on flat leaf tops, leaf joints or the webbing itself. Several spots on dense plants.
Illustration · not to scaleBook round two
Plan the next release in 2 to 4 weeks. More than one round is normal for an established outbreak.
07 · What happens next
What to expect
Living things work at their own pace. Here's what normal looks like.
Illustration · not to scale
Illustration · not to scaleWebbing stops first
Then spider mite numbers fall, then new leaves come in clean. The trend turns over two to three weeks.
Old speckles stay
Stippled leaves don't heal. Clean new growth is the honest test.
Persimilis moves on
Once the spider mites run out, persimilis leaves. Californicus outlasts it and mops up stragglers.
More than one round is normal
An established population outruns one release. That's the normal shape, not a miss. Then hang prevention sachets.
Good to know
- Spray waits
- Neem and horticultural oil: once dry. Insecticidal soap: one day. Sulfur: 21 days. Never with a sulfur burner running.
08 · Reviews
What growers say
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
The product and cute packaging was so great, I "mite" order more
We looked at our order under the microscope and saw multiple species as promised. 🙂
Mites to the rescue!
The good ones, anyway. The bad ones never saw it coming. Thanks, Ike!
Just released them, so no results as of yet but that’s expected
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!
Before you order
All your questions, answered
Something else? Toby's in the chat, bottom right, and happy to help.
When does it ship, and how does it arrive?
One bottle, two species of adult mites in carrier; everything in it goes onto the leaves. Ships 2-day, Monday to Thursday. Bugs and plant care ship free from $30; $15 under that. Pots and grow lights ship by ground, free from $75.
What if something's wrong when it arrives?
Our Live Delivery Guarantee covers it. Email info@fgmnnursery.com with your order number: within 72 hours of delivery for insects and springtails, or within 7 days for mites and nematodes. Full terms are on the Live Delivery Guarantee page.
Will I see the predatory mites?
Probably not. They're tiny and stay along veins and leaf undersides where spider mites feed. Watch the webbing and the new growth instead.
Can these mites spread to my other plants?
Yes, and that's a good thing. Where leaves touch or plants are grouped, they spread out on their own and cover more ground.
Can I use other predatory mites alongside it?
Yes. Other predatory mites are fine alongside. Fresh pesticide residue isn't: check the spray waits above before you release.
Ready when you are
Spider Mite Rapid Response
You've got this. And if you get stuck, we're one email away at info@fgmnnursery.com.