How to get rid of elephant ear spider mites?

The red spider is one of the most common parasites that attacks plants, and unfortunately also the elephant ear. It is a mite (despite its name, it has nothing to do with arachnids) that is very small, barely visible since it measures about 0,4 millimeters. But you can be sure that it is present if you see that it has woven cobwebs between the leaves, for example.

Although it must be said that it is difficult for it to kill an elephant ear plant, it can cause severe damage. For this reason, I am going to explain to you How to get rid of elephant ear spider.

When is the red spider active?

The red spider, whose scientific name is Tetranychus urticae, is a mite that likes mild and even somewhat high temperatures. For this reason, It is especially active during the summer., but it would not be strange for it to start its activity at some point in the spring if it is being very hot. Also, if your elephant ear plant is indoors, and the temperatures inside the house exceed 18ºC, it will also You may have other problems.

But before I tell you how to identify it in your plant and how you can eliminate the pest, I wanted to tell you something else: if your elephant ear is healthy, that is, if all its needs (water, nutrients, environmental humidity, light) are met, the risk of it being attacked by this pest will be much lower than if it has some problem. For example, If the environment it is in is very dry, the red spider will probably act quickly. 

How to know if elephant ear has this pest?

The symptoms of this pest in the elephant ear are the same as we could see if it were any other plant, which are:

• Spider webs very fine between the leaves.
• On the beam, many appear white dots.
• On the underside, we will see white dots and other reddish ones.

And then there are other symptoms that, although not visible to the naked eye, can also alert you that your elephant ear is being affected by some pest, such as, for example, zero growth or dry leaves.

A curious but important detail is that This mite only affects the leaves; that is, it is rare for it to attack the stems. For this reason, I recommend that you carefully inspect all the foliage of your plant with a magnifying glass, since with this instrument it will be very easy to discover this annoying parasite.

How to treat elephant ear spider?

It can be a pest that is a bit difficult to eradicate, but it is not impossible to achieve it. In addition, we have in our favor that the elephant ear is a plant with large leaves and thick stems. Now you will know why I have told you this, since to eliminate this pest you may need a small or medium-sized paintbrush. You will moisten this brush with a little beer mixed with water in equal parts, or with diatomaceous earth., but if you opt for the latter, spray the plant with water first so that the product sticks to it. Then, just wipe it over the leaves.

Whether you use beer or diatomaceous earth, you can get elephant ear to make your plant pest-free in no time.

Can it be treated with chemical insecticides?

You may be wondering this. You may have some insecticide at home and you want to know if it can help you get rid of the red spider on your elephant ear plant. Well, I'm sorry to tell you that the answer is no. The red spider is a mite, so if you use a chemical product to eliminate it, you should use an acaricide.. And always with caution.

In fact, If there are children and/or pets, I advise you NOT to use chemical products.If you want to use it, you will have to put the plant in a place inaccessible to them. Keep in mind that these products are toxic to humans, as well as to the animals that live with us.

And after treating it, what to do?

There is a lot of talk about how to treat a plant to get rid of the pest it has, but… what happens after the treatment? The white or reddish spots are still there, on the leaves. Some may already be completely dry. What do we do about that? I recommend you cut only those leaves that are already brown., since they are of no use to him.

But in the case of the others, it is most likely that they will also end up drying out, but in the meantime they serve the elephant ear by having small areas of green. And that is because Green is the pigment of chlorophyll, which in turn is essential for photosynthesis to take place.Therefore, it does not hurt to leave them on the plant.

And finally, especially if the infestation has been severe, I advise you to change the pot and substrate. This is more than anything a preventive measure, to minimize the risk of the red spider causing problems again. As a substrate, you can use this for example.

I hope your plant recovers soon.