Heavily infested leaves may be covered with very fine, irregular webs in which mites, eggs, and shed skins are suspended. Overall, it gives the impression of heavy dust particles on the plant. Except in the most severe cases, these webs are very small and do not stretch from leaf to leaf. Rather, they are almost invisible but can be seen only under very close inspection stringing across the leaf's midrib or underside of the leaf. Warm, dry weather tends to favor rapid mite development and reproduction, enabling them to complete a generation in as little as 5 to 7 days.
Infestations are usually most severe in late summer and early fall.
Damage symptoms progress from stippling to yellowing, wilting, browning, and eventually to death of the leaves or whole plant. In addition to crawling, spider mites can be spread by wind currents and by people or animals moving through the landscape. To check for spider mites, place a white piece of paper beneath the branch or leaves and tap several times. Controlling spider mites is difficult because they reproduce so rapidly. One method to try involves spraying the plant with a strong jet of water once or twice a day to dislodge some of the insects and to create an environment that is cooler, more humid and less favorable for spider mite reproduction.