Isolate and destroy heavily infected plants. Because scale spreads more slowly, foliar or root pesticides are applied at 2 to 3 week intervals rather than weekly. Prune infested branches, hose off crawling scale with water, and improve the plant vigor by increasing the amount of light and by improving root health. Mites Two common types of mites on indoor plants include spider mites and eriophyid mites. Spider mites pierce the plant leaf to extract sap, causing tiny yellow spots on infected leaves.
Many spider mites are tiny red mites which are difficult to see without a magnifying glass.
Infested plants will develop a bronzed look. The leaves of mite-infested plants eventually turn brown and fall off. As mites multiply, the entire plant may turn yellow, drop leaves, and eventually the plant dies. Spider mites also spin small webbing on shoot tips and leaf axils. Eriophyid mites damage leaf buds.