Soap Spray: An Alternative to a Conventional Acaricide for Controlling the Twospotted Spider Mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) in Greenhouses

Safer Agro-Chem’s insecticidal soap (6.2 or 12.4 g (AI)/liter) was as effective as dienochlor (0.3 g (AI)/liter) for controlling twospotted spider mites Tetranychus urticae Koch infesting Brassaia actinophylla grown in the greenhouse. Residues of soap on treated plants reduced the number of mites that became established. Significant phytotoxicity was observed on Cissus rhombifolia and Hedera helix when soap was applied using 12.4 g/liter, but phytotoxicity was not observed on Brassaia actinophylla, Chamaedorea elegans, Codiaeum variegatum, Dieffenbachia maculata, Dizygotheca elegantissima, and Dracaena marginata.