CAUTION: RED BAND SPIDER MITE TRAPS™ ARE EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE. DO NOT SET UP RED BAND SPIDER MITE TRAPS™ WITHIN 36 INCHES (100 CM) OF A HEAT SOURCE SUCH AS A WALL OR SPACE HEATER, LIGHTING EQUIPMENT (ESPECIALLY HID EQUIPMENT), OPEN FLAME (LIKE A CANDLE), ELECTRICAL WIRING, STOVE OR OTHER SUCH HEAT SOURCES. RED BAND TRAPS, LLC CANNOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE, INJURY OR DEATH RESULTING FROM THE USER NOT TAKING APPROPRIATE PRECAUTIONS OR MISUSE.
If possible, move your plants to a clean space for quarantine. A room with smooth surfaces is best because it is easy to clean smooth surfaces and because Spider Mites don’t seem to like smooth surfaces in my experience. Try to make the quarantine space as clean as possible before you move the plants in.
HANG A LINE. Set up a string line (or a rod or rope of some kind) from wall to opposing wall, about 10”-12” directly above the top(s) of your plant(s). This is your “hang line”. Or, you can use a shower curtain rod (still a “hang line”) if that works – what we need is something to hang the trap(s) from, directly over the top of any colonized zone of the plant(s). Small plants may only need one trap over the central stalk, larger plants may need more traps over more branches. The important thing is that you hang the traps as reasonably close to vertically above the infested area as possible, so you may need more than one line to hang the traps from (for big or multiple plants), or you may only need the shower curtain rod.
Open the bag and remove the traps. Gently unwind the string that is wrapped around each trap. Leave the wax paper on the trap for now.
LOOP AND THREAD. Leaving the wax paper on the trap, hang the loop end of the trap over the hang line. Thread the bottom string through the loop and CAREFULLY thread the rest of the trap through the loop. You may need to slightly bend the trap lengthwise to ease the sticky card through the loop. Gently pull the trap snug on your hang line. You should now have a trap hanging on a string above a plant. Be extremely cautious about proximity to heat sources – RED BAND SPIDER MITE TRAPS™ are extremely flammable and pose a serious fire risk if used incorrectly. Take care to ensure that traps never come closer than 36” (100cm) to any heat source including, but not limited to, lighting fixtures, lamps, space and wall heaters or open flames. Failure to take these and other suitable precautions may result in fire and subsequent injury, loss of life and/or property. Red Band Traps, LLC cannot be held liable for misuse of Red Band Spider Mite Traps™.
DEPLOY THE TRAP. Lightly entangle the loose end of the string hanging from the trap around the infested region of the plant. Not so tight that it injures the plant, but tight enough that it won’t fall off when there is air movement.
ARM THE TRAP. Carefully remove the wax paper from the trap, making sure that it is removed from both sides of the trap. The RED BAND SPIDER MITE TRAPS™ have been “deployed and armed”, the easy part is done. Go wash your hands really well (they are probably covered in Spider Mite eggs & such – YUCK!).
CLEAN YOUR GROW SPACE. Be a maniac. Vacuum the carpet EVERY DAY FOR 3 DAYS and throw away the vacuum dirt in a garbage can outside EVERY DAY. Scrub the grow space walls with soapy water. Wash your gardening tools. Wipe down your books. Clean yourself well after the fact and launder the clothes you wore while you cleaned the grow space. Be impressive in your cleaning skills, because you just spent good money on these traps and the package says they work, if you maintain clean horticultural habits. SPIDER MITES HAVE BEEN DOING WHAT THEY DO FOR MORE THAN 349 MILLION YEARS. Do you think you will win this war with half measures? Your choice, clean or buy more RED BAND SPIDER MITE TRAPS™ because if you don’t clean your grow space well, the Spider Mites will come back and you will need more RED BAND SPIDER MITE TRAPS™.
CHECK THE TRAP twice every day, in the morning and at night. You should be able to see the Spider Mite population advance across the surface of the trap. If the line of pest advance reaches the red line on the trap surface the trap is full and should be disposed of in the garbage outside, then replaced with a new trap. Wrap the used trap in in the provided wax paper (or a paper towel or some newspaper), carefully remove the string from the top of your plant and cut the loop at the top trap while holding the trap. Throw the trap into the garbage outside. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND AGAINST DISPOSING OF TRAPS IN THE COMPOST. There is a chance that the pest eggs which have been deposited on the trap may infest the compost and migrate from there to re-infest your plants. Again, you could buy more RED BAND SPIDER MITE TRAPS™, or... just be clean. Don’t forget to wash up after disposal.
CLEAN UP THOROUGHLY. Especially in the room you used to isolate the plants. If all worked according to plan, when the traps don’t collect any more Spider Mites then the little pests are gone and your job is done. You may need to deploy an occasional trap to knock down the Spider Mites which manage to find your plants in the future, but you shouldn't have to spray again.