White Mite Control: How to Get Rid of White Mites

This page is an expert guide on getting rid of White Mites in your home using the products and methods suggested by our experienced pest control specialists. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee you will be successful in eliminating White Mites from your home.

White Mites are tiny clear bugs that show up indoors or around our yard plants. White Mites reproduce rapidly and if left untreated, they soon multiply in large numbers and can potentially damage your garden plants and ornamental bushes.

Despite being difficult to see, White Mites are not entirely invisible; it’s just that they are extremely small. If they find their way indoors, you will find them on your furniture, carpets, curtains, bed linen and all other house furnishings.

Follow our DIY white mite control guide below to learn expert techniques and what professional product recommendations will best help to get rid of White Mites quickly and affordably.

Identification

Before you can carry out a treatment program, you need to be sure that what you are dealing with are white mites. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment products, leading to a waste of time and money. Below is some info about White Mites that can help with identification:

• White Mites are also called spider mites, because they share one very obvious feature with spiders—eight legs. Mites, and even ticks, are actually arachnids, and having eight legs is a common trait between arachnid species. 
• White mites come in different colors but there is a species known as the two-spotted spider mite, which is white.
• A white mite is also used to describe Wood Mites, a tiny translucent bug known to infest old, moisture-ridden or damp wood.
• White mites are also extremely tiny, measuring in at just 0.5 mm or 1/50th of an inch in length when adults. What can make them easy to identify as spider mites are their production of a fine silken thread that they leave behind on plants which resemble cobwebs.
• White Mites are considered harmless because they don’t bite or cause any structural damage. But in truth, they are harmful because they shed long hairs frequently. These airborne hairs are notorious for carrying allergens and will cause allergic reactions those in the house.
• If these White Mites are lucky enough to find their way to your yard, then your plants may be at risk. White Mites love to feed on plants, especially in the springtime. And when these White Mites are indoors, they’ll take over everything: your furniture, carpets, curtains, linens, and more.

Use the description and image about to help you to identify white mites on your property. If you are not entirely sure, contact us and one of our pros will help you with correct identification.

Inspection

Inspecting White Mites can be hard to do since they are so tiny, but there are prime areas where they can be discovered and treated.

Where To Inspect

White Mites are typically found in greenhouses, gardens, bushes, shrubs, and on house plants. If they have found their way indoors it's often due to wandering away from a house plant. If you have an infestation, check plants to find out where they are concentrated.

Check the indoor perimeter (along baseboards, around plumbing, behind electrical plating etc.) and outdoor perimeter alongside any points of entry that the White Mites may use to gain access to your home.

What to Look For

You should look for leaf damage, cast skins, webbing or the White Mites themselves. Because they are such small clear bugs, White Mites may look like a tiny white speck on a plant that is in movement. Another thing to watch out for are the silken threads they leave behind which look like little white cobweb-like hairs.

Treatment

Once you are certain you have White Mites and know their prime locations, it is time to begin treatment. Follow the steps below and your White Mite problem will be no more. Before conducting treatment, make sure your personal protective equipment is put on and keep people and pets away from treated areas until the application has dried.

Step 1:  Apply Supreme IT Outdoors

Supreme IT is a bifenthrin-based insecticide concentrate that will control white mites along with over 70 different pests, including cockroaches, termites, fleas, and more. You can also safely spray Supreme IT both indoors and outdoors and it will remain effective for up to 90 days.

Start by calculating the square footage of your target area to determine how much Supreme IT you will need. Mix the appropriate amount of Supreme IT in a gallon handpump sprayer with water.

The typical amount we recommend is between 0.25 to 0.5 fl. oz. per 1,000 sq. feet in 1 gallon of water.  You could also mix the Supreme IT with a surfactant (such as Nanotek Surfactant) to ensure the product sticks better to the surface area.

Agitate the sprayer once the product and water is poured until fully mixed then pump the sprayer a few times to produce a low-pressure spray.

Start by spraying the entry points around the structure of your home around doors, windows, vent openings and other voids in the wall. Then, perform a perimeter treatment, starting at one point of your home and spraying along the foundation, spraying 3 feet up the structure and 3 feet out.

Next, spray the Supreme IT onto treat trunks, ornamental plants and bushes at a low-to-medium pressure and preferably on a mist setting, thoroughly coating the leaves to the point of wet but not runoff. Be sure to treat the underside of leaves as well. Spray on calm days when wind speeds are low to minimize drift.

Spray Supreme indoors around baseboards, cabinets, windows, doors, and in other crack and crevice areas. Outdoors it can be used as a broadcast spray on the lawn and vegetation or around your structure foundation, windows, doors, eaves, and plumbing/electrical penetrations.

Step 2: Spray Supreme IT Indoors

Indoors, you should perform a spot treatment of areas where you suspect White Mite activity.

Supreme IT applications are limited to cracks and crevices and infested house plants. Prior to spraying house plants, first clean the plants outside or in the sink with water and soap to remove all traces of White Mite activity. Once that is done, you can treat it with Supreme IT.

Next, spot treat indoors in cracks and crevices you noted earlier such as around plumbing, along baseboards and other suspects areas of White Mite harborage.

Prevention

After you have treated the White Mite infestation, ensure they do not reinfest by implementing preventative measures. Clear excess foliage two feet away from your structure to keep host plants away. Take away points of entry by placing screens on windows and doors and using caulk to seal cracks and crevices.

Outdoors, watering regularly has shown to discourage White Mite activity. Water on a weekly basis at a rate of 1 to 1.5 inches, but be sure not to overwater as this may invite more pest activity to your yard.

Finally, perform a preventative application of Supreme IT around your yard and perimeter on a quarterly basis to ensure total control of White Mites and more pests all year round.

Key Takeaways

What are White Mites?

• White Mites are a species of spider mite and are tiny clear bugs known to infest outdoor garden plants and house plants but can also infest areas of the home.
• White mites are also used to describe Wood Mites, a type of mite known to frequent damp wood.
• While harmless to humans, White Mites can be damaging to host plants when they are present in large numbers.

How To Get Rid of White Mites In Your Home or Yard

• Apply Supreme IT in areas where you have noticed White Mite infestations indoors as well as outdoors to protect your plants and create a barrier that will keep them out.
• Supreme IT should be mixed in a pump sprayer at a rate of 0.25 to 0.5 fl. oz. per 1,000 sq. ft and sprayed on shrubs and plants to wet but before the point of runoff.

Preventing White Mite Reinfestation 

• Prevent future White Mite infestations by sealing up points of entry, watering your yard regularly, and applying follow-up treatments of Supreme IT every 90 days.