Help! Are these spider mites on my mint plant?

[Tryingtoherb]

I bought this pot of mint 2 weeks ago and there were no such bugs on it. When I looked at it earlier, I saw tiny brown/red creatures crawling on the leaves and webs!
I'm going to hose the plant. Any other tips to prevent this from happening again? This pot has been indoors all this time, and it's warm and humid where I am. Thanks.

[JONA]

Yes Tryingtoherb,
That's Red Spider Mite.
Hose them off and repeat until no further sign.
As to prevention.
Just keep a watchful eye on it. Thankfully as it's a tough herb you can hose off as needed...something that a more delicate plant may not like.

[Tryingtoherb]

Yes Tryingtoherb,
That's Red Spider Mite.
Hose them off and repeat until no further sign.
As to prevention.
Just keep a watchful eye on it. Thankfully as it's a tough herb you can hose off as needed...something that a more delicate plant may not like.

Hi JONA, thank you for the response. After hosing (which couldn't take care of the underside of the small leaves), I used a spray bottle to spritz off the eggs.
As I was spritzing leaf after leaf, I developed a newfound respect for those who tend to herb gardens!

[JONA]

Agree with you T...
There are predators that growers can use against Spide Mite but they work by attacking the eggs and young.
Fine on a plant like tomato were you eat the fruit...a bit of a problem though when you actually want the leaf to eat.
So the water blast is about the best you can do I think.

[Tryingtoherb]

Hi JONA and everyone else who is reading, I would say I was diligent in spraying the leaves daily to get rid of the spider mites and their eggs but there would always be new eggs the next day.

I decided to cut and grow a new plant in a separate glass bottle of water. I thought it would be free of spider mites since I've given the cutting a thorough wash and rubbed the leaves to make sure the eggs are off. Alas, I spotted a few eggs the very next day.

Is there no way to grow a healthy mint from one that is already infested? Also, I've read about spraying really hot peppers on plants to get rid of mites on other plants. Would anyone know if it works on mint? Really want to save my mint...

[imafan26]

Spider mites are a seasonal problem for me. The like hot, dry, dusty weather a good rain usually stops them. I usually don't spray mint. It is actually easier for me to give the mint a close hair cut over a bag. Bag, seal and trash. I hose off the rest of the plant with a jet of water and if it is in the pot I will sometimes hose out the media for anything that may have fallen and repot if I have to. The new leaves usually grow back well, but I will hose down the leaves every day when I water when the weather is hot and dry.