Hi Abby,

Thank you for contacting the UNH Ext Yard & Garden Infoline. My name is Debi Green. I am a master gardener volunteer and I am happy to help answer your question.

Although I am not an expert in insect identification, it appears that you have spider mites. I asked our horticulture expert, Sean O'Brien, to look at the photos. Originally he thought it was aphids but then he spotted what looked like webbing on the leaf in the first picture, at the top of the leaf and a few other whitish-looking spots. Below is some information on spider mites and what to do about them:

Spider Mites:

- Tiny and difficult to see, these pests are common in fruit trees, vegetables, berries, vines and ornamental plants.

- Spider mites are arachnids just like spiders and ticks.

- They live mostly under the surfaces of leaves in dense colonies of possibly hundreds of mites.

- Heavy infestations feature dense webbing that can cover leaves, twigs and fruit.

- Spider mites are sucking insects. Damage first appears as a stippling of light dots in leaves and if heavily infested the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. Check the underside of leaves to view the tiny spider mites.

- Plants that are water stressed or experiencing hot dusty conditions are most susceptible.

- Spider mites have many natural enemies. These include predatory mites, thrips, lacewings, and minute pirate bugs

- To help curtail infestations of spider mites in your plants, keep dust down, plant ground covers, use mulches and irrigate regularly to avoid drought stress.

- Use a directed water spray on the undersides of the infested plant's leaves once a day to help remove spider mites.

- If you are sure the plants are infested a good choice would be to spray insecticidal oil and/or soap on the undersides of leaves. Only use this method if the plants are not drought stressed or the weather is not hot. https://ucanr.edu/blog/spill-beans/article/more-invertebrate-pests

If you would like further confirmation on what the insects are, we do have an Insect ID lab. I have included the link below for your convenience.

Insect Identification submission form: https://extension.unh.edu/agriculture-gardens/pest-disease-growing-tools/insect-other-arthropods-identification

I hope you find this information helpful, and please do not hesitate to reach out again with any future questions!