Mites are not insects, but are in the same class as spiders, and have several features in common with them. Adult mites are small round-bodied creatures with eight legs, no wings or antennae, and bodies that are often covered in bristles. Two-spotted (red) spider mites are about 0.5mm long, pale yellow/green in colour with two dark patches on the body. The males are slightly smaller.

Two-spotted spider mites can only occur in conditions of low humidity. The characteristic symptoms are a speckling of the leaves that can turn the leaf yellow. Fine webbing is often noticeable around the leaves, especially on the undersides. The leaves may also become deformed. Severe infestations will result in stunting and sometimes plant death. The injury becomes most obvious first on the older foliage. The initial damage you can notice as a stippling or peppering of light dots on the leaves. 

Spider mites are very small and infestations may be overlooked until mites become very numerous or they begin to spin webbing on the plants. Mites remove sap from the plant, causing leaves to yellow and drop. Infested plants are stunted and unthrifty. 

It is very difficult to see these spider mites on plants, because they are very small to be seen without some sort of magnifying lens. They are smaller than a poppy seed. There presence can be determined by holding a piece of white paper underneath a branch and shake or tap the branch vigorously. Shaking will dislodge the mites from the leaves and they will fall onto the paper and will be seen as tiny moving specks.

Control:

Spider mites control should be implemented as soon as their activity is diagnosed. This will prevent further damage and will help to minimise the treatments. However, spider mites control will almost always takes several treatments, because the spraying will not kill the eggs. Eggs will be hatching following your first treatment. To insure you have killed all activities, give 3-6 treatments once a week. This schedule is must in the warmer months, when they multiply quickly. During off-season, when they multiply slowly treat 2-4 treatments every two weeks. 

Don’t limit your treatment to just the active or infested plants. In most cases treating the plants around the infested once is a good practice. Flip over the leaves and gently shake them off into soapy water. A soap spray will kill mites at the earliest sign before the webbing occurs. A hard spray of water will knock them off and will keep away the dust from accumulating on the leaves. 

Water your garden paths weekly to eliminate breeding grounds. You can also spray a solution of wheat flour, buttermilk and water. 

Mostly spider mites flourish on the plants under stress. Damages are more when the plant does not receive sufficient water, so keep the plants well watered and fertilized. Conventional miticide applications are sometimes needed to prevent further plant injury. Since the mites can reproduce rapidly, they may develop a tolerance to conventional miticides used repeatedly. 

It is always better to alternate the use of conventional miticides with other types of pesticides. For more stubborn infestations, spray the plants with Pyrethrin (from chrysanthemum) or neem oil (from neem). 

Neem oil that contains Azadirachtin, a non-toxic, biodegradable substance has natural insecticidal properties. It discourages spider mites by making the plant unpalatable. It also has some systemic effect in the plants.