My Boston ivy has leaf drop. Bees, lizards, and dragonflies are hanging around a lot. Are they possibly eating spider mites? Is there anything I can do next spring as a preventative measure or do the problems carry on after winter? I live in Albuquerque, NM. I tried spraying water on the ivy but then I got more sun scorch. Thanks.
Hello Albuquerque! You are a long way from our gardening conditions.
A hot dry climate is exactly the type in which spider mites thrive, so your suspicion may be correct. Take a close look at the plant. Do you see webs? And tiny red spiders on the undersides of the leaves?
If so, then please refer to our answer to a previous inquirer here.
However, it is also possible that you are simply already seeing the usual leaf drop that ivies experience in autumn. Usually they change colour just before they drop.
For more information on growing this vine in your location, see an article from New Mexico State University here.
https://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2006/081206.html
For future reference, you may wish to contact your local Master Gardeners at https://mastergardeners.nmsu.edu/