Red bugs on my mint

[Trellum]

Hi guys, I was wondering what could be done against a pest that is attacking my mint plants. The aggresors are some red nasty bugs and they are all over the plant, they are totally gross (I killed one with my finger by mistake - gross!). I started to see some little black eggs glued to the stem of my herb, some days later those red bugs started to propagate like a fire! They've very soft bodies, btw!

 

[blueeyes]

You little pests could be mites or aphids. Mites do have a soft body and usually a good hosing will take care of them. Have you found a photo of the bug on google. That might help a bit

 

[Trellum]

Hi blue! The bugs look like this:

Completely and absolutely gross!!! They have very soft bodies, and are infesting my mind plants mostly. Which is bad because I really liked to use that mint to prepare some tea

 

[Steverd]

Yep that's a MITE - YUKE, I hate mites. Mites have eight legs and look just like this. Yo have very good eyes. I like to use soap and water or Neem oil to treat for mights. Ladybugs might help... Or they might just fly away. If they are on your mint plant, I'm guessing you need to keep it organic like the soap and water. .

 

[Trellum]

Yep that's a MITE - YUKE, I hate mites. Mites have eight legs and look just like this. Yo have very good eyes. I like to use soap and water or Neem oil to treat for mights. Ladybugs might help... Or they might just fly away. If they are on your mint plant, I'm guessing you need to keep it organic like the soap and water. .

Yeah, those bugs are gross! I can't touch that plant anymore, otherwise my hand might go red, YUCK! I'll do as you said It seems mites are more common than I thought. I hope using soap and water is ok tho, but it's not like I'll be making tea with this plant anytime soon.

 

[Steverd]

Yeah, those bugs are gross! I can't touch that plant anymore, otherwise my hand might go red, YUCK! I'll do as you said It seems mites are more common than I thought. I hope using soap and water is ok tho, but it's not like I'll be making tea with this plant anytime soon.

OH NO, I almost threw up!!
I would get a new mint plant then.. There are a few other organic ways to kill mites. Do some research, but it's something like 120 degree water. Complete cover the plant for about 45 minutes. The problem is how to keep the water that temp. for 45 minutes. Some people say garlic water or 5% bleach water solution. Or check into Sucrashield - sugar-based insecticide. I used to use it on African violets.

 

[Trellum]

OH NO, I almost threw up!!
I would get a new mint plant then.. There are a few other organic ways to kill mites. Do some research, but it's something like 120 degree water. Complete cover the plant for about 45 minutes. The problem is how to keep the water that temp. for 45 minutes. Some people say garlic water or 5% bleach water solution. Or check into Sucrashield - sugar-based insecticide. I used to use it on African violets.

Yeah, I'll never see that mint plant the same way, lol. I'm considering to get a new plant, mostly because I can't get the image of my mint plant with mites all over it out of my head, yuck! Thanks a lot for the organic solutions! It'd be great to know how to prevent mites as well. Do you think there is a way to prevent them from appearing? or do you think there is no way to do that?

 

[jlynn71]

There was a guy I used to see all the time on PBS, his name is Jerry Baker. I looked on YouTube and he has a few videos there, nothing specific to mites, but maybe his tobacco, soap, etc solutions will help? Maybe also, you may find his books at the library or definitely on Amazon. I like him, practical solutions that are common sense, using household items in your garden.

 

[Trellum]

Awesome! Thanks for the advice! Next time I face this same issue I will search for his videos on YouTube. Sadly my mint died, I now have a new plant, which hasn't shown signs of disease. I hope i continues that way!

 

[Marck]

It's too bad the image link in the OP is dead, but from the description the pest sounds like Red Spider-mites (Tetranychus urticae). These mites will occur in large numbers and damage plants. However, not all red mites are Red-Spider-mites. There are also many beneficial predatory mites with red coloration (Phytoseiidae). These 'good' Red Mites are usually slightly larger and easier to see than Spider-mites. Such predatory mites are usually found solitary or in small numbers.