Yellow Spots on my Butterfly Bush

Upon checking the gardens I noticed that a few of my butterfly bushes had yellow spots and that can pretty much mean only one thing. Spider Mites!! These little guys will try to suck the life out of butterfly bushes if the plants are under any kind of heat or drought stress. Normally the butterfly bush won't be affected, but if you let them get too dry and they are in a sunny hot spot, you can pretty much expect the spider mites to be visiting your butterfly bush and the leaves to have small yellow spots all over them. One way to prevent this is by keeping your plants well-watered in warm, dry periods. I got a little couch potato in me during the recent hot weather and my butterfly bush are now taking the hit. The plants are close to the house, so I'll be spraying them with a garden hose from underneath for several days to show the spider mites who the boss is and they should find some other place to retreat to. There are chemicals for treating the butterfly bushes, but there are also a lot of plants still in bloom right now and I won't be taking any chances of harming the beneficial insects. Wishing you happy and healthy gardening!






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