[Raw710]

Hi i have recently found out I have hemp russet mites and literally makes me wanna call it quits. But I do have a couple of strains I would really like to keep around. I have read a lot of articles and forums about the matter. No where does it give a clear answer of how to kill the eggs. One article was saying the mites plant their eggs inside of the cannabis plant and many others never even mention that and just say it’s on the petioles and under side of the leaves. And it’s a stupid question but avid is a systemic so does it keep on killing the mites for 45 days or just the initial spray? Is there anything that wipes out the eggs? Thanks guys and girls!

[Raw710]

Sorry I forgot to add this question. But they say the russet mite can only travel short distances without air movement. What the hell is a short distance? A foot or a meter, seems like it could be anything?

[2011rex87]

I am a licensed pesticide applicator in Colorado and I am a licensed grower as well. I can shine some light onto this issue for you...

How do you know you have hemp russet mites? You need to scope your plants under at least 300x. Unless you have done that and have made a positive identification, you should not assume you know what the issue is. Forgive me if you HAVE DONE THIS ALREADY.. then we can move forward... but believe me a lot of issues can look like a hemp russet mite attack even though it's not.


If you truly really do honestly have hemp russet mites... You are in trouble and need to take immediate action. If you can afford it - just throw everything away and start over by cleaning your grow space. This sounds harsh but it's the most effective way to move forward without using pesticides.

It sounds like you only need to keep a few plants as backup genetics and you are willing to get rid of everything else... If you do keep a few plants - you need to guarantee they are free of mites. This could be achieved if you take very small clone cuttings to reduce the overall surface area of infected plant matter. A small clone has less surface area than a large mother plant. Surface area needs to be small because you are going to need to clean the clones to get rid of the mites and eggs.

How can you clean your clones? That's a matter of debate... There are plenty of commercial pesticides that I can recommend to you.

Some use enzymes that degrade chitin. These product use the enzyme chitinase to eventually destroy the body of the mite and cause it's death. https://www.doctorzymes.com/

Some products use neem oil or other plant based oils. SM90 is a popular product that is claimed to kill mites. In my experience, these plant based horticultural oils are not effective in most circumstances however they do work on occasion. You can try a DIP into a horticultural oil product that kills mites (make sure you read the label and dilute the concentrate). Rosemary oil is a common ingredient in miticides. Dips allow for more uniform coverage. Fill a solo cup with the product in it's properly mixed form and then dip the clone including the stem but AVOID the rooted area or the area that is to be rooted. You can test a few clones with different time frames. Some clones can handle 30 seconds in dips some can handle only a quick in and out before suffering.

There are other forms of bio controls such as predatory mites (ex. neoseiulus californicus) and bacteria and fungi that do claim to work on mites. We can discuss these if you would like..

I can continue if you want. Let me know and I can provide product names for you to try.

[WaxyTaxi]

Originally Posted by 2011rex87

I am a licensed pesticide applicator in Colorado and I am a licensed grower as well. I can shine some light onto this issue for you...

How do you know you have hemp russet mites? You need to scope your plants under at least 300x. Unless you have done that and have made a positive identification, you should not assume you know what the issue is. Forgive me if you HAVE DONE THIS ALREADY.. then we can move forward... but believe me a lot of issues can look like a hemp russet mite attack even though it's not.


If you truly really do honestly have hemp russet mites... You are in trouble and need to take immediate action. If you can afford it - just throw everything away and start over by cleaning your grow space. This sounds harsh but it's the most effective way to move forward without using pesticides.

It sounds like you only need to keep a few plants as backup genetics and you are willing to get rid of everything else... If you do keep a few plants - you need to guarantee they are free of mites. This could be achieved if you take very small clone cuttings to reduce the overall surface area of infected plant matter. A small clone has less surface area than a large mother plant. Surface area needs to be small because you are going to need to clean the clones to get rid of the mites and eggs.

How can you clean your clones? That's a matter of debate... There are plenty of commercial pesticides that I can recommend to you.

Some use enzymes that degrade chitin. These product use the enzyme chitinase to eventually destroy the body of the mite and cause it's death. https://www.doctorzymes.com/

Some products use neem oil or other plant based oils. SM90 is a popular product that is claimed to kill mites. In my experience, these plant based horticultural oils are not effective in most circumstances however they do work on occasion. You can try a DIP into a horticultural oil product that kills mites (make sure you read the label and dilute the concentrate). Rosemary oil is a common ingredient in miticides. Dips allow for more uniform coverage. Fill a solo cup with the product in it's properly mixed form and then dip the clone including the stem but AVOID the rooted area or the area that is to be rooted. You can test a few clones with different time frames. Some clones can handle 30 seconds in dips some can handle only a quick in and out before suffering.

There are other forms of bio controls such as predatory mites (ex. neoseiulus californicus) and bacteria and fungi that do claim to work on mites. We can discuss these if you would like..

I can continue if you want. Let me know and I can provide product names for you to try.

be ready for war buddy, avid and floramite, sulpher, ogbiowar foliar, insect frass, doctorzyme, neem oil(buildasoil)

thats how I beat them. avoid using sulpher in flower and try to use avid a couple weeks before flip or even longer before then.

if you use pesticides, make sure to use some organic crap that will help boost the plants health.

good luck and God speed

[toastyghostie]

Hemp russets like to hang out around the apical meristems and lower part of the plant at first. Galls can form on the plant as a symptom of infection and the russets inhabit those as well. I don't know about them living inside the plant but they are hard to kill and the eggs will hang around your environment for years causing reinfection.

However you treat them spray your area with hydrogen peroxide possibly your whole house if you've been cross contaminating before you figured it out. This will kill the eggs.

There is hope to have a clean grow again, but you have a hell of a lot of work ahead of you. Good luck

[stim]

elon musk is selling flamethrowers LOL good luck

[0.2microns]

Originally Posted by 2011rex87

I am a licensed pesticide applicator in Colorado and I am a licensed grower as well. I can shine some light onto this issue for you...

How do you know you have hemp russet mites? You need to scope your plants under at least 300x. Unless you have done that and have made a positive identification, you should not assume you know what the issue is. Forgive me if you HAVE DONE THIS ALREADY.. then we can move forward... but believe me a lot of issues can look like a hemp russet mite attack even though it's not.


If you truly really do honestly have hemp russet mites... You are in trouble and need to take immediate action. If you can afford it - just throw everything away and start over by cleaning your grow space. This sounds harsh but it's the most effective way to move forward without using pesticides.

It sounds like you only need to keep a few plants as backup genetics and you are willing to get rid of everything else... If you do keep a few plants - you need to guarantee they are free of mites. This could be achieved if you take very small clone cuttings to reduce the overall surface area of infected plant matter. A small clone has less surface area than a large mother plant. Surface area needs to be small because you are going to need to clean the clones to get rid of the mites and eggs.

How can you clean your clones? That's a matter of debate... There are plenty of commercial pesticides that I can recommend to you.

Some use enzymes that degrade chitin. These product use the enzyme chitinase to eventually destroy the body of the mite and cause it's death. https://www.doctorzymes.com/

Some products use neem oil or other plant based oils. SM90 is a popular product that is claimed to kill mites. In my experience, these plant based horticultural oils are not effective in most circumstances however they do work on occasion. You can try a DIP into a horticultural oil product that kills mites (make sure you read the label and dilute the concentrate). Rosemary oil is a common ingredient in miticides. Dips allow for more uniform coverage. Fill a solo cup with the product in it's properly mixed form and then dip the clone including the stem but AVOID the rooted area or the area that is to be rooted. You can test a few clones with different time frames. Some clones can handle 30 seconds in dips some can handle only a quick in and out before suffering.

There are other forms of bio controls such as predatory mites (ex. neoseiulus californicus) and bacteria and fungi that do claim to work on mites. We can discuss these if you would like..

I can continue if you want. Let me know and I can provide product names for you to try.

Let's talk about this. Spotted hemp russet mites, for real. Single plant infested showing damage on the pistils throughout. However not a single plant throughout the rest of the room has any damage, yet. The plants scoped next to the sick one had some russets here and there on the lower foliage.

Planning on Forbid 4F, Avid, PFR 97, then follow up with Andersonii to take them to the finish.

[2011rex87]

with all due respect - I highly recommend that you do not apply Forbid or Avid. These are untested and dangerous systemic pesticides that May (or may not) effect the health of the individual consuming your product.

That said, there are really "NO" fully tested pesticides because cannabis has been illegal for so long The long term studies have NOT been done to determine if spraying Avid on your cannabis is going to effect your health now or down the line. (Acute or Chronic)

We can discuss other options, but I think I posted in my original reply that you will need to start over by killing all your plants and cleaning your grow space if you would like to avoid using pesticides.

There are biological options for you such as enzymes that control soft bodied insect using chitinase enzymes.

If you absolutely MUST use pesticides - at least consider using organic based contact pesticides first such as insecticidal soap. Hemp Russets have soft bodies and are subject to degradation by the use of soaps which dry out the body until ruptures.

MPEDE is a SUPER SOAP that uses potassium salts of fatty acids - this should be your alternative in case regular strength soaps do not work. There are recipes for home made insecticidal soaps. They could look something like this.. soybean oil mixed with iso alcohol mixed with dish soap. There are endless combinations.

And Please... If you use chemicals - wear the proper PPE like gloves and eye protection and a respirator with the correct filters. Usually p-100 Organic Vapor filters from 3m will be sufficient for OMRI products.

[2011rex87]

BTW - I am unfamiliar with "spotted" russet mites.. Normally "spotted" refers to the "Two-Spotted" spider mite. Please try to determine which of these you actually have in your garden.

"Pest Management of Hemp in Enclosed Production
Hemp Russet Mite

Aculops cannibicola

Damage and Diagnosis.
Initial signs of infestation are subtle and easily missed. They can also vary among cultivars. A slightly curling along the edges of leaves is the most common symptom observed, but this is not expressed in all plants. Others respond to having a general dullness of leaves (russetting). As infestations progress
areas of leaves may have visible yellow or brown
spotting. Foliage also may become brittle foliage, often resulting in breaks at the leaf petiole. Ultimately, highest populations usually occur on developing buds, which results in buds that are smaller and of reduced quality.
The hemp russet mite is extremely small – much smaller than the twospotted spider mite - and normally cannot be observed without some magnification."

[Guy Brush]

Is it possible to get them with seeds bought?