If there are mites present, you will see little dots about the size of a period on this page. If it looks like dust but moves, it's a mite. These mites are greenish yellow to orange and have two distinct black spots on each side of the body, which give rise to their name. The two-spotted mite thrives whenever conditions are favorable for plant growth, but are most likely encountered under dry and hot summer conditions when their populations tend to explode. Spider mites that may infest honeylocust, linden, elm, willow, and oak are most destructive in the summer.
Spider mites on conifers and broad-leaved evergreens are cool weather pests.
They feed heavily and reproduce quickly in spring and fall. Activity is low during the hot part of summer, although damage is often at a maximum and becomes easier to see when other plants are green and growing normally. Spider mites also attack some garden crops including sweet corn and beans. All stages of the spider mite live on the undersides of leaves where very fine silk webbing can often be found when mites are very numerous. This webbing can also be found toward the tops of plants where the humidity is lower and can extend from leaf to leaf to cover the entire plant.