Each two-spotted female spider mite lays 10-20 eggs per day, 80-120 altogether during its life cycle of up to four weeks. These are mostly attached to the silk webbing. The six-legged larvae hatch after 3-15 days. Newly hatched larvae are almost colourless and have bright red eyes. They moult three times within 4-5 days, becoming a protonymph, then a deutonymph and finally the adult form. Both adults and nymphs have eight legs.
The first visible symptoms will be small yellowish or whitish specks, mainly around the midrib and larger veins of the leaves. If these spots grow bigger and merge, the empty cells give some areas of the leaf a whitish or silvery-transparent appearance.
To minimise the risk and rapid spread of spider mite infestations, try to keep the temperature lower (<25°C) and humidity higher (>60%), since this will slow the rate of reproduction. Higher humidity is also needed for the predators of the spider mite. Keep your growing areas clean and remove all leaf litter. Adequate irrigation is important, because water-stressed plants are more likely to suffer damage. CANNACURE can be sprayed on the plant to prevent spider mite.
When you see spider mites (recognisable from silk webbing on top of the leaves), remove the affected leaves. Flush the plant thoroughly with a mixture of alcohol and soap. Repeat this treatment several times a week or use a natural product like CANNACURE to control the pest. Or when treatment with a water based product is no longer desired remove the webs with a vacuum cleaner.
You can also use natural enemies: predatory mites, ladybirds, predatory bugs and lacewings.