June 2004. Spider mites of chilli is a serious problem in the Maldives throughout the year as the climate remains hot and humid. Farmers have been using Admire and Sulfur to control the pest. However, now these chemicals are not effective at all as the mites have become resistant to them. Are there biological control agents that can be used and are there other treatmets that should be tried.

A photo was sent September 2007.

Dimethoate was reported to be useful in Malaysia and India. Usually, mites are cotrolled by coccinellid predators and predatory mites. In a glasshouse situation, a predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis, has been very successfully used in controling spider mites in the Netherlands and other countries. It is available as a commercial products by Koppert BV, a Dutch company specializing in biocontrol.

Red spider mite and broad mite are major pest in the Northern Marianas islands. The best way to control them is to mix 2 tablespoons malathion, 2 tablespoons dishwashing soap and 2 tablespoons cooking vegetable oil in 1 gallon of water. Apply in the evening, once a week.

For biological control options, try the predatory mite Amblysueis (Neoseiulus) californicus, which can be effective against both the spider mites and the broad mite. This predatory mite is commercially available from many biocontrol companies.