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Spider mites feed by piercing the leaf surface and extracting leaf cells and fluid. What was once the plant's protective, waterproof casing is now punctured with thousands of tiny holes. Your plants sense they are losing too much moisture all of a sudden and close their stomata - but it's no use as the moisture is still being lost through the holes made by those evil critters! The injured leaves continue to become dehydrated and lose significantly more water. The effect snowballs as the plant's ability to photosynthesize and repair itself diminishes through sustained attack. Leaves die and fall off. The plant becomes weaker and weaker until it eventually gives up the ghost. Major infestations show up quickly given the right conditions. Plants that looked healthy two days ago can suddenly be covered in fine spider webs.
Leaves that have been attacked by spider mites are usually dry, brittle and discolored. Even a minor spider mite infestation can have a significant impact on a plant's productivity. But it doesn't stop there. The moisture stress caused by spider mite feeding actually makes the leaves taste better to the mites! Stressed leaves are sweeter and contain higher levels of soluble nitrogen. Both sugar and nitrogen are sought-after delicacies on the spider mite's menu.
