Spider Mite CONTROLS... Try This...

[184481]

excellent! 10/10 thank you!!!!!!!!!

 

[FullyMeltedDome]

I've never had a problem with SM's,but have had them when I got a Clone n didn't check it great.Thought about Predator Mites,Lady Bugs etc.But they do some same things as SiderMites...They Poop.So if you use(Imo)any live treatments there will be fecal matter.Dont like Chems and The Co2 method is an old Wives Tale.I use Safers 3 in 1 Organic pest control.And I always put a No-Pest Strip somewhere for preventive Measures and Have stopped the one infestation I had Cold.But I have a cardboard box I put panda plastic on bottom,I Mylar the sides and I put a snap on fan and a couple snap on lights from the garage and every incoming plant goes straight in the box till they prove there not contagious.Peace and Stay Safe,DancesWithWeed ����

 

[Mikell]

Dichlorvos (No Pest Strips) are not intended to be hung continuously or near living space. To put it plainly, you're poisoning yourself with a nerve toxin while providing less than a lethal dose of pesticide to any mites present (pesticide resistance).

Segregating new cuttings is good practice.

My beef is with people providing advice to other growers with little to no evidence to support their claims

I couldn't agree more.

However Avid is a systemic chemical and WILL remain in your finished product no matter how much you flush or how long you grow your plants.

Avid is a tradename. Abamectin is the actual compound, comprised of two avermectins produced by bacterial fermentation. The process is similar to that of spinosad in a general way.

Abamectin has limited mobility within plant tissue and is not considered systemic (re: low water solubility).

It is considered translaminar, re: will migrate partially from one leaf surface to an another.

Abamectin binds to soil particles well and will not easily "flush" out, but is quickly broken down by soil bacteria (though very slow in sterile conditions). Breakdown in plant tissue is much faster, with a halflife of 2.4 days in tomatoes (Source). Surface foliage breakdown is fastest (due to sunlight), within 24hrs almost all abamectin is degraded completely.

Further reading, including verification of some of the information above.

There are toxicity concerns with abamectin and caution must be taken when applying and disposing of the mixed solution. Read all available safety information. It's not something I would generally recommend, but in the right situation is a potent insecticide.

Not really the boogeyman the fear mongers and Chicken Littles would have you think, but still something to take seriously. Educate yourselves.

 

[Sam_Skunkman]

Phytoseiulus persimilis does not work under 12 hours of light. They stop eating the pests. One of the reasons people have trouble getting rid of the Borg...... It has to be done under long light before flowering.
-SamS

http://urbangardenmagazine.com/2009/08/spider-mites-suck-hydroponic-pests/
Spider Mites Suck!

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Filed Under Issue 6, ladybugs, pests, pyrethrum, Raul del Cerro, spider mites, Technogarden
Raul del Cerro at Technogarden Inc. shares his tried and tested tips for tackling one of the most feared and loathed enemies of all indoor gardeners – the spider mite. We learn what they are, what they do to your plants, and how to make them die! DIE! DIE! DIE!!!
Spider Mites. Everybody gets them and everybody gets rid of them … eventually. After being infiltrated by spider mites more than once … most growers get serious.
First, allow me to break some harsh news. The number one rule for avoiding spider mites is … don’t accept plant gifts from your friends. If their plant genetics are just too tempting to pass up then I recommend putting the imported seedlings or cuttings into quarantine for a minimum of six months. Sound a little Draconian to you? Well, remember, most gardeners report that they discovered mites a short time after they accepted plants from a fellow grower. If you accept cuttings from other growers then your indoor garden is only as clean as theirs.
A note on cleanliness: your indoor garden and your house in general need to be AT LEAST as clean as a dentist’s office. Professional and commercial indoor growers are obsessive about cleanliness. Take a page out of their book.
Why are Spider Mite Attacks so Devastating?
An indoor garden can be paradise for all types of plant pests because of the lack of natural controls and predatory bugs (unless these are introduced by the grower). But spider mites are particularly vicious and can cause severe injury to your plants in a very short time. So what do they actually do?
A healthy plant regulates its water retention and transpiration through its leaves. A leaf contains a vast array of stomata that open and close like valves according to environmental conditions, allowing water to escape or to be retained. This moisture regulation is absolutely vital to a plant’s health. When the stomata are closed, the surface of a leaf is highly resistant to water loss. This is part of your plant’s life-support system. And guess what? Spider mites completely screw it up!
View Image 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.

Spider mites feed by piercing the leaf surface and extracting leaf cells and fluid. What was once the plant’s protective, waterproof casing quickly becomes 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.
And then it gets worse. 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 favorite delicacies on the spider mite menu.
A Tiny Mo Foe
Novice growers are continually astounded that something so small can wreak such a huge amount of havoc. Yes, spider mites are small. Really, really small. The female is only 1/50 of an inch long and the male is even smaller. They are mere specks when seen crawling on the undersurface of leaves. The adult has eight legs and is usually pale green or amber / yellow. Under a microscope they appear to have two (occasionally four) black spots. Young mites are six-legged. After two periods of molting and resting, they become adults and have eight legs. Generations may be completed in 5 to 40 days. If you don’t own a jeweler’s loupe, you should consider buying one. They are fairly inexpensive.
Spider mites are so tiny that they can float in on a breeze! They can therefore easily migrate from other plants that you may have in your house to your indoor garden. Mites will go dormant, even when pregnant. They will hitch a ride on your shoes and clothes and on your Rottweiller. Savvy growers cover all air intakes with a bug screen. Often you can buy these at your local indoor gardening store, or you can fashion one yourself with an ultra-fine mesh silkscreen or stainless steel screen. Just make sure it is 180 microns or less.
Tech Tip
Before you go cover all your intake and exhausts with 180-micron stainless steel screen, know that the screen is only 33% open area and so generates a great deal of air resistance. If you don’t take this into account you will cut down your CFMs of airflow and up the static pressure of your room’s air handling system(s). In order to get to what is called (Net Free Air) or (CFMs corrected for louver / screen / etc impingement) air flow you need to oversize the penetration / duct, so do the math. I usually like to oversize and go four times bigger than the ductwork for the 180-micron screened vent penetration.
Prevention, Control and Cure
“So how do I get rid of spider mites?” – this question is asked time and time again and the answer is an issue of hot debate and contention among indoor gardeners. There are so many different approaches and philosophies when it comes to pest management, with some growers invariably being willing to resort to more extreme measures than others.
Obviously, as with all pests, prevention is better than cure. But tell that to somebody who’s just discovered an infestation and this little gem of wisdom is not likely to be greeted very philosophically. The choice of product you use also depends on where your plants are in terms of their lifecycle. One product that is good for vegetative plants may not be advisable to use if your plants are heavily flowering. If you are a couple weeks away from harvest, even if you have the serious infestation and have the web thing going on, knock the bugs down with cold water and finish the crop. Some studies have even shown increased yields with moderate levels of insect stress.
View ImageKnow Thine Enemy

• Spider mites thrive in hot, dry conditions. Cooler, more humid conditions slow reproductive rates considerably.
• Outdoors, spider mites are active in the spring and go dormant over winter. The risk of spider mites is always greater if you live in a region that does not freeze during the winter.

Do the Rest of Us a Favor
Before you go running to your grow store with your spider mite woes, remember to change your clothes and shoes. Grow stores often have problems with spider mites and other insect problems due to customers dragging them in on their shoes and clothes.
Bombs Away
Many growers who are not using predator mites use a total release fogger (aka ‘bomb’) to treat a spider mite infestation in an indoor garden. These products release an insecticide ‘fog’ using an aerosol propellant. If you are going to bomb your indoor garden, you may want to consider moving your houseplants into the room and bombing them too.
The active ingredient of a total release fogger is Pyrethrum. Pyrethrum will kill adult mites but it will not kill the eggs. The gestation period of spider mites is temperature and humidity dependant, but most growers deploy a strategy of setting off multiple bombs three to five days apart. This will usually kill the adults and then the juvenile mites before they have had a chance to reproduce. I advise growers to go for three or four consecutive bombings depending on how close you are to harvest and how angry you are.
Another important thing to consider is all Pyrethrums are not equal. Natural Pyrethrum bombs are made from Chrysanthemum plants; they are suitable for food crops. Synthetic Pyrethrums are not suitable for food crop production. Read the fine print on the label and FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. UV (Ultraviolet) light reduces the insecticidal qualities of pyrethrum (most manufactures say in 14 days). However, if you are using High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps these put out virtually no UV light anyway.
Remember, the bomb’s propellant will harm your plants if you do not position it correctly. Do not push the plunger of a bomb and set it in front of an oscillating fan, which is going to blow the propellant all over your plants. Before you set the bomb off, shut off your grow-lights and fans, place a small piece of cardboard under the bomb, hold your breath, hit the button, run out of the room and go for some drinks. It is safe to come back in a couple hours to turn the fans on.
I tend to set off bombs as a preventative measure, when I flip (clean) the room in between crop cycles or … just if I feel like mites may be a threat.
CAUTION: Systemic Pesticides and Consumable Crops
If you are growing crops that you intend to consume, make sure that your pesticide is designed to be used for human consumption. Some systemic and residual pesticides (such as Floramite™ and Avid™) are not designed for food crops. Yes, they will kill mites and spider mites’ eggs, but the insecticide remains inside the crop; Avid™ is systemic which means it stays in the system of the plant and does not go away after time.
Mother Nature’s Controls
You can ask your grow store to purchase predatory bugs for you. Since they are live bugs most stores will require you to pre pay so they don’t get stuck with dead bugs if you forget show up in a couple days.
Ladybugs will eat spider mites if there are no other insect treats around (such as aphids); if you drop several thousand ladybugs in your garden they will eat everything, including each other. I have seen desperate growers that have gone this route. The aftermath of this is dead ladybugs everywhere.
Mighty Last Words
The best overall advice I can offer is that healthy plants will repel insect attacks. I’m pleased to report that I’ve experienced no spider mite infestations in over a year, and that was on an ornamental banana tree. Treat your plants right and they’ll do the preventative work for you.

Biological Control:
TARGET: Spider Mites
AGENT: Spider Mite Preds
SPECIAL SKILL: Enjoys high humidity, breeds faster than spider mites.
WEAPON ID: The three main spider mite preds are: Mesoseiulus longipes, Neoseiulus californicus, and Phytoseiulus persimilis. These are available as a triple-pack from some suppliers. Highly recommended.
BRIEF: Spider mite predators are small mites that eat only Spider Mites. They not only feed on spider mites and their eggs, they also breed twice as fast! Each spider mite predator sucks the juice out of about five spider mites a day, or twenty of their eggs. Different species of spider mite predators have their own preferred temperature and humidity. If you use a mix then each type will seek out their preferred “zones” in the plant structure. Predator mites do best with warm temperatures and high humidity. The more moisture in the air the better. (Spider mites hate high humidity.) They move quicker and reproduce faster than the spider mites. For best results apply one predator for every five spider mites, so you best catch that infestation early or deploy them as a precautionary measure.
Need extra reinforcements? Try Stethorus Punctillum. These specialist spider mite destroyers are actually tiny ladybugs which can eat more than 40 mites per day as adults. They eat spider mites at all stages and can find new infestations on their own by flying. Adult female spider mite destroyers lay up to 15 eggs per day. Just 100 spider mite destroyers are enough to start up a colony to protect an average home greenhouse.

 

[FullyMeltedDome]

����

 

[TanzanianMagic]

Here is my even easier solution.

Insects hate microbes (except when they have a symbiotic relationship with eachother). Therefore, anything that has rotted or is fermenting does the trick.

Non-aerated worm tea works a charm, as does anything that you fermented with sugar/molassis. Apply regularly until the problem has resolved itself.

 

[Mikell]

Interesting. Care to expand on your experience? I've read a lot about non-aerated but rarely come across anyone that has tried it.

 

[marrdogg]

Here is my even easier solution.

Insects hate microbes (except when they have a symbiotic relationship with eachother). Therefore, anything that has rotted or is fermenting does the trick.

Non-aerated worm tea works a charm, as does anything that you fermented with sugar/molassis. Apply regularly until the problem has resolved itself.

I want to know more about this also because nothing really seemst eradicate them.

 

[igrowone]

a microbe bath? that does sound very interesting, and makes a kind of sense
i will repost one suggestion i've seen, or seemed good
spraying doesn't cut it, tiny insects will find tiny hiding places, which means brief respite then reinfestation
inverting your plants into a bucket, and a complete treatment is done, no place to hide
i haven't tried it so read more before you try, and it would seem to be for smaller plants

 

[oc_grower]

Bud Bug

Just a note about 'Growing Edge' magazine - this publication is out of Corvallis, Oregon by Tom Alexander

Tom was the original editor/publisher of a magazine back in the late 1980's known as 'Sinsimelia Tips' which was published 4 times per year. It made 'High Times' the joke that they continued.

Tom had a store in Corvallis known as 'Full Moon Garden Center' which morphed into 'Full Moon Publishing' that is the name of the publisher for 'Growing Edge' magazine.

If it weren't for 'Black Thursday' and the brutal aftermath, his magazine would have eventually buried 'High Times' - no contest.

CC

Thanks for the info. Glad to see Oregonians here. I am just down the street from you in Oregon City. Growing some Spicy White Devil in hydro. I am going big on the medium. Where do you shop for supplies? I am get mine from Advanced Indoor Grow just off the Gladstone exit. Steve is a good dude and the prices are the best I have found.

 

[dr.bootz]

try a product called the guardian works wonders over night

 

[Lovepump]

SNS-217 with a littl Azadirachtin on the side

SNS-217 with a littl Azadirachtin on the side

I'm a lifelong Oregonian, grown for many years but until I moved to Eugene 22 years ago, I'd never actually "seen" or noticed spider mites. The mites in this area are very healthy and have developed resistance to most benign things like pyrethins. Since landing here, I've never had an indoor or greenhouse crop that did not get mites. Strangely, when my plants are outside but not in a greenhouse they do not get mites. It's nice during the summer but obviously doesn't help at other times.

If I had to choose a single product, hands down it would be Sierra Natural Solutions SNS-217 (I actually use the concentrate, SNS-217c and add water).

SNS-217 does one thing that other "benign" insectisides don't, in addition to killing the bugs, IT KILLS THE EGGS.

I

 

[Lovepump]

SNS-217, ventilation, plus an adjustable direction spray bot

SNS-217, ventilation, plus an adjustable direction spray bot

For some reason While I was typing my previous response it posted. It wasn't quite compete.

I wanted to mention that the wind obviously must have a lot to do with my outdoor crops not getting mites. Good ventilation may be the best weapon other than insectisides.

I'd also like to bring up some other things before I go back into SNS-217. Another active ingredient of some "benign" pesticides that works almost as well as SNS-217 is Azadirachtin (a derivative of neem). I've decided to stop using it even though it is cheaper than SNS-217. Azadirachtin is prohibited in the European Union and apparently toxic to aquatic life. Spinosad, I've not used because it kills bees. If you use it, keep it inside. I have not tried Floramite, however its active ingredient, Bifenazate, is also toxic to aquatic life. I have spent thousands of dollars on predatory insects of all types and it was a waste of thousands of dollars. In all cases, the predators have died and the mites thrived.

SNS-217 kills the live bugs with Rosemary Oil and it kills the eggs by coating them with the other ingredients (polyglyceryl oleate) and suffocating them. This is why it is so effective. A "poor man's SNS-217" would be a 2% rosemary oil + 98% water, but you'd lose out on the egg suffocation. Adding polyglyceryl oleate is somewhat expensive and excuses the price.

Overall SNS-217 is the hands-down winner.

Also, to save your back, you'll want to get a sprayer that has a directional tip. For example, I use this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Precipitator-360-Spray-Bottle-32-Ounce/dp/B002OUCMWI

 

[LyryC]

IPM integrated Pest Management.

Honestly.

Water. Is your #1 Spider Mite KILLER!!!

Just gotta know how to do it.

Mites hate moisture and cooler temps.

They love dry dusty hot conditions.

An easy preventative measure to mites is to spray down your garden, granted its not 50 400gallon pots on a mountain side lol.

But you will have to do it at a regular interval to keep the plants clean. Sometimes its not about eradicating the pests and just managing them.

I know we all don't want them but sometimes you can do better by just dealing with them naturally and simply than by making a huge fuss.

Out doors is so hard to keep clean especially in Sourthern California... too many lazy - thoughtless - unaware Landlords and property owners who Harbor pests on their properties in the trees and "gardens" letting them spread out infinitely...

Its an epidemic... people are completely oblivious to the fact that their property is wrecking the whole neighborhood...

 

[Lovepump]

IPM integrated Pest Management.

Honestly.

Water. Is your #1 Spider Mite KILLER!!!

Just gotta know how to do it.

Mites hate moisture and cooler temps.

They love dry dusty hot conditions.

The mites here are kinda used to water even if they don't like it. It rains a ton in Oregon. Doubtful that water would even phaze the eggs. You'd really have to stay on top of them because mites will be back in a couple days. And keep in mind, mold devastates plants pretty much overnight here, even strains known be mold resistant. From my experience using predator mites, which require high humidity, spraying with only water can be a bad thing, especially inside or in a greenhouse.

To be fair SNS-217 is "mostly water", right? But the other components help kill eggs. I won't make claims as to it being "anti-fungal" in any regard but there is evidence that rosemary oil is. But, how good and at what concentration - dunno. And, the components that kill the eggs are "soap-like/surfactant-like" so they coat the leaves/eggs better. Again, no claim, but it probably helps vs. fungus.

 

[Hydropimp]

What worked for me and it's not organic but killed them fuckers.

I bought 3 little bottles off of amazon I think.

Avid
Floramite
Forbid

I mix it to the instructions on the bottles.

First day I mixed all 3 Ingridents In the water bottle and applied all day.

Every 4 days I would spray a product rotating for 3 weeks.
Avid 4 days
Forbid 4 days
Floramite 4 days
All 3 4 days

This has kept them down for a long while.

The plants that are treated are then cloned and cloned and cloned.

Then treated with sns till flower. Then just let the girls ride

I would get it taken care of first then start the grow all over.

Don't want them chems in the flowers

 

[Mikell]

HAH, I'll just go ahead and save myself hundreds of dollars and buy pure rosemary.

Polyglyceral oleate is an emulsifier. While many have insecticidal properties, I've yet to see a comparison between yucca or any other that justifies being assfucked in the wallet.

Don't be a mark, make your mark XD

 

[Hydropimp]

And the 3 little bottles cost about 100.

If you buy it in the regular size you will spend a lot.

I keep my strains in beer cups of coco and at the time only had 3 girls.

 

[TanzanianMagic]

I want to know more about this also because nothing really seemst eradicate them.

Sorry for the delay, a lot happening this year.

I try to keep it as simple and natural as possible. Take a container (jar with a lid, bottle, bucket), and put the relevant organic matter (growtips for growth, flowers for flowering), put them in the container and crush them up a little. Add molassis or another sugar source (haven't tried fruits without molassis, however that would make sense), add water. If you make sure the vegetable matter stays below the water/brine, it won't stink.

You add a quarter teaspoon or less to a quart of water (I use filtered, with maerl added overnight to re-mineralize it), and pour it over your plants from top to bottom.

I think this is the best way to use molassis.

 

[BucketBud]

...had a situation with spider mites...used Captain Jack's DeadBug...BAMMM...no more spider mites...