The growing season is well under way.

Many plants have reached their peak and are starting to decline. However, their downturn may not be natural, but rather the result of an unsuspecting attacker. Able to live on most landscape trees and shrubs, spider mites are hard to see but their damage is not hard to find. If you have leaves of trees and shrubs turning off color and beginning to fall, take a close look, they may be infested with spider mites.

Here are steps to help your plants recover from the deadly attack:

Spider mites are closely related to spiders and chiggers. They are extremely small and hard to see with the naked eye. Their body color varies from yellow to pale green and usually has a dark spot on each side of the dorsal midline. Adult females overwinter and may turn an orange color in late fall. As the weather warms in the spring, the female will begin laying eggs. The process from egg to adult normally takes from 10 to 14 days during the summer with individual females living an average of two months. With 10 to 12 generations per year, their numbers can grow to damaging levels quickly.

Mites cause damage by feeding on the lower-leaf surface. They use piercing mouthparts to stab and suck the juice of individual cells. As the cells collapse, they turn chlorotic, giving the leaf a golden-yellow spotted appearance. Eventually, the leaf dies and falls off.

It is too early for the leaves to be falling. However, the mites are present, and so is the gold-flecked feeding damage. To scout for mites, hold a sheet of white paper beneath a branch and tap the branch. Mites will be dislodged and can be seen as tiny specks moving about on the paper.

Once the mites are identified, there are a few control strategies. Mites can be knocked off the plant with a steady, hard stream of water. Do this daily for several days in a row, then check for survivors. Although slow and not always effective, it is safe and easy. A more successful method of control is with insecticidal soaps. Available at most garden centers and retail outlets, soap is safe for the environment. The final option is traditional insecticides. For the best control use Kelthane or Orthene. Again, because their populations rise so quickly, frequent spraying is needed. Make sure to follow all label directions.