IPM practitioners use insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, bacterial controls, good sanitation practices and beneficial predatory insects to control unwanted species. Frank Hale of the Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service explains that by knowing more about pests' life cycles, gardeners can control them when they're most vulnerable and use fewer chemicals. For example, look for insect pests in the garden to determine when they're feeding. That's the best time of day to spray them. Arborvitae, a common landscape shrub, is susceptible to spider mites.
Treatment is more successful if the gardener waits until the insects hatch.
To test for infestation, place a piece of white paper under a branch, and shake it firmly. Try a horticultural oil with some insecticidal soap added for control. Or spray plants with a dormant oil in the winter, before the eggs hatch. Dull green, lifeless-looking foliage may indicate the presence of this insect. To protect new foliage before insects attack, examine plants frequently in early spring.