It’s a bit overwhelming isn’t it! Always remember that if the worst comes to the worst (or you can’t be bothered to fight the bugs) you can always chop off all the leaves and start fresh. It’s a drastic step, but it’s better than throwing plants out!

You’re welcome!

I’d assume it’s a regular spider, fighting the good fight and eating your pests. I think they like plants because there’s often the odd fungus gnats, and they already have a framework to build a web on.

Early spider mite infections usually look like white specks on the undersides of leaves – often near the centre where there’s a vein. I have plants that only have these white specks, because I keep them showered so they can’t leaks webs. They’re pretty persistent if they find a plant they like!

Also look for browning on the edges of the leaves, and if you have any leaves that are a bit curled in on themselves, or have bumps and crevices (like at the ends of pointy leaves that have a slight curl) you can sometimes see webs there.

You can often see bits of soil caught in tiny webs, so if you see a bit of dirt that looks like it’s floating a mm or so away from the plant, that could be a sign of mites.

Question about spider mites– I’m noticing some individual web strands between the leaves of my tradescantia. No obvious damage yet and none of those weird cloudy webs. How do EARLY spider mite infestations look? Is it just a friendly (regular) spider?