HELP! Spider mites Neem oil vs mineral oil vs?

[Dr. Dave 4u]

Hey all!
Well, guess it thats time of year when the pests start up.
By the time I noticed spider mites on my desert rose they had also moved to two of my Catts.

I have made my own insecticidal soap in the past using water alcohol dish soap and olive oil.

But was wondering if maybe I should buy a commercial one?

Seems to be two kinds, one based on Neem oil and one based on Mineral oil. Anyone have any opinion which is better?

What do you find most successful for ridding your orchids of spider mites?

Thanks....

[estación seca]

Plain dish soap solution is adequate. Horticultural oil is adequate. 70% isopropyl alcohol is adequate. Stuff you buy, or mixtures of things, are not necessary.

[Roberta]

The biggie on any of these... one is not done. You have to spray about once a week for 3 weeks or more... all of these kill only the adults that they contact... won't tough eggs, so you need to nail multiple successive generations.

[rbarata]

Note that it's virtually impossible to erradicate spider mites.
It's better, for your own mental sanity, to see it this way: "I can control their population to low levels that won't harm any of my plants.".

[Dr. Dave 4u]

I saw a bizarre spider mite control by Missorchidgirl on youtube.
She has so many orchids and seems to have regular spider mite blooms to battle .
A few years ago after trying all the soaps alcohol etc she turned to Hairspray, yes woman hairspray...guess she was desperate!!!
I'm not going in that direction....

[rbarata]

I have never used any kind of oil but many people don't like it (although it does the job) because the plants get covered in oil which is harder to remove than dish soap.
I use a solution of 5 ml dish soap (a small spoon) + 2,5 ml alchool in 1 l of water. Put it in a spray bottle, apply it, and after 5 to 10 min wash the plant with plain water.

Don't forget to schedule this treatment together with your watering regimen. Otherwise you'll be overwatering the plant.

[Leafmite]

The craziest thing I ever did was to spray all the plants with olive oil...out of desperation. I sprayed them in the evening then spent all morning washing the oil off with warm, soapy water. It did work, though, and I did not have any problems with them, aphids or white fly for a couple of years after that. I would not recommend it, though, as it is really a pain to get Olive Oil off of plants (and you need to put down plastic first or it makes a mess). I probably will not use that method again.

Spidermites and mealy bugs can make one insane....

[Dusty Ol' Man]

In the past I have dealt with spider mites 3 times in my small collections. The first two times I used malathion (available through Amazon). The third time I used Sevin liquid diluted to one oz. per gal. Both used in a spray bottle and applied in a very targeted manner. All three times one application took care of the problem. These poisons are very mild where humans are concerned, and my pets are not attracted to it. Soaps and oils may be effective over time, but I don't want to spend the time to treat and retreat for insect problems. One and done...safely.

[estación seca]

You can't get rid oc spider mites. They're in the landscape outside. rbarata said above you need always en garde.

[WaterWitchin]

I keep rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and just spray the plant down. Repeat weekly for a few weeks. Then keep an eye out and respray as needed when you see the little buggers again.