Bonide Mite-X Ready-To-Use, 32 fl oz, Botanical Miticide for Mites Thrips & Aphids

Bonide Mite-X is a 32 fl oz ready-to-use trigger spray for controlling spider mites, broad mites, russet mites, thrips, and aphids on indoor and outdoor plants. Active ingredients are botanical extracts — cottonseed oil, clove oil, and garlic oil — in a low-toxicity carrier of food-grade fatty acids. Kills on contact, dries quickly, and (used correctly) is safe on most ornamentals, vegetables, and houseplants right up to harvest.

Active Ingredients + Mode of Action

• Cottonseed oil 0.40% — primary suffocating / smothering agent for soft-bodied pests
• Clove oil 0.20% — eugenol-based; disrupts the octopamine neuroreceptor in insects (a target absent in mammals, which is why botanical oil sprays have such low mammalian toxicity)
• Garlic oil 0.10% — sulfur-compound repellent + ovicidal activity
• Inert ingredients 99.30%: oleic acid, lauric acid, sodium bicarbonate, water (food-grade fatty acid carrier system)
• Contact action only — this is a knockdown spray, not a systemic. Pests die when sprayed; new pests landing later need to be re-sprayed. No long residual.
• EPA “25(b) minimum risk” class — exempt from full EPA registration because the active ingredients are on the FIFRA 25(b) minimum-risk list. CAUTION signal word, low acute toxicity profile.

What It Controls

• Two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) — the standard greenhouse / houseplant mite pest
• Broad mites (Polyphagotarsonemus latus) — the microscopic mite that causes leaf curl on peppers, citrus, and many ornamentals
• Russet mites (Aculops spp.) — tomato russet mite, cannabis russet mite
• Thrips (multiple species) — flower thrips, onion thrips, western flower thrips
• Aphids — soft-bodied juveniles and adults on stems and leaf undersides
• Other listed pests per the EPA label: scale crawlers, mealybug crawlers, whitefly nymphs (consult the full product label for the complete list)

Where to Use

• Houseplants — the most common use case. Safe to spray indoors; low odor (you'll smell the garlic + clove but it dissipates in minutes)
• Vegetable gardens — tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, leafy greens. Safe to spray up to harvest (read the label for any crop-specific caveats)
• Fruit trees — citrus, apple, pear, stone fruit. Spray when bees are NOT foraging (early morning or late evening)
• Ornamentals — roses, hibiscus, lantana, hydrangea, etc.
• Greenhouses — common organic miticide rotation partner with insecticidal soap and neem
• Cannabis — widely used in state-legal cannabis cultivation; check your state's allowed-pesticide list

How to Apply

1. Shake the bottle thoroughly — this is an emulsion of plant oils in water; the oils separate when the bottle sits. Mix until uniform before each spray session.
2. Spray to wet-but-not-dripping coverage. Get the underside of leaves — that's where mites and thrips live and feed. A face-up spray pattern is essential, not just a top-down spray.
3. Avoid direct application to open flowers when bees are foraging. Apply early morning or late evening when bee activity is low.
4. Re-apply every 5-7 days for at least 3 cycles to break the egg-hatch generation cycle of mites and thrips. A single spray kills present adults but eggs hatching 4-7 days later will re-populate.
5. Don't spray plants stressed by drought or extreme heat — oil sprays can phytotoxic-damage stressed leaves. Water plants well 24 hours before spraying; spray in the cool of the morning.
6. Spot-test sensitive plants first — some ferns, certain orchid varieties, and waxy-leaved succulents can be sensitive. Spray a single leaf and wait 48 hours before treating the whole plant.

Safety Notes

• CAUTION signal word — lowest of the EPA toxicity categories. Still wear gloves and eye protection during application
• Keep out of reach of children and pets until spray has dried
• Wash hands after handling; rinse spray equipment after use
• If swallowed: do not induce vomiting. Call a poison control center for advice. Oleic and lauric acids are food-grade (used in cooking), but the cumulative product has not been formulated for ingestion
• Toxic to bees with direct contact — like all oil-based sprays, applies bees that get directly sprayed. Apply at low-foraging times
• Plant phytotoxicity risk exists if applied during high heat (over 90°F), in full direct sun, or to drought-stressed plants. Don't combine with sulfur sprays within 14 days (oil + sulfur = leaf burn)

Specifications

• Manufacturer: Bonide Products LLC
• Manufacturer part number: 285
• Net contents: 32 fl oz (946 mL)
• Formulation: ready-to-use trigger spray (NOT a concentrate; do not dilute further)
• Active ingredients: cottonseed oil 0.40%, clove oil 0.20%, garlic oil 0.10%
• Inert ingredients: 99.30% (oleic acid, lauric acid, sodium bicarbonate, water)
• EPA classification: 25(b) minimum-risk pesticide (exempt from full EPA registration); CAUTION signal word
• Approved uses: indoor and outdoor; houseplants, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, ornamentals, greenhouses; safe up to harvest on edibles
• Country of origin: USA
• UPC: 037321002857

What’s in the Box

• One 32 fl oz (946 mL) ready-to-use trigger spray bottle of Bonide Mite-X

Compatible Accessories — Sold Separately

• Insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids) — rotation partner with Mite-X for resistance management
• Neem oil concentrate — for follow-up application 5-7 days after Mite-X spray cycle ends
• Hand magnifier (10× or 20×) — mites are easier to identify and treatment progress is easier to track when you can see the leaf undersides clearly
• Larger sprayer + Bonide concentrate version of Mite-X (Model 287, “Mite-X Concentrate”) if treating beyond the volume this RTU bottle covers
• Yellow sticky traps for thrips monitoring

Stop by Garoppo’s to pick one up, or schedule local delivery within our service area.