Last year we had a very prolonged drought with very high temperatures and along with it came a devastating spider mite population. I tried just about everything starting with Neem which worked well when the population was just getting started but it seemed to get less effective with each spraying. I found the same thing happened with the pesticides Pyrethrin and Permethrin. I had better success by rotating every spraying with a different substance for a while but eventually, even getting to the point of spraying every few days, the mites just got worse. I finally tried a mix of Permethrin, soapy water(to penetrate the webs) and an Insect Growth Regulator finally stopped them and reduced my whitefly population greatly. It only took two applications about a week apart thoroughly coating the undersides of the leaves and even the mulch under the plants late in the evening. They haven't made much of an appearance so far this year because of the ladybugs; but the ladybugs are starting to leave so I'm keeping a close eye out for them. This time I will start with the IGR and hope it works as well as last year.
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