i been using a guano mix to keep bugs including grasshoppers away for a few years & i get about a 90% success rate i mix a fairly high dose of bat guano in a gallon of water & let it sit for about a week when i open the lid & take a whif & it smells like raw sewage its ready. i filter it out really well & spray my plants very well a few times a week & stop about a month from harvest. the plants love the extra nutrients & there are little amount of bugs on the plants. i also spray other plants that surround mine.the plants use up the nutrients prior to harvest & there is absolutley no sewage/guano smell or taste.

[Mr Celsius]

Originally Posted by icon

i been using a guano mix to keep bugs including grasshoppers away for a few years & i get about a 90% success rate i mix a fairly high dose of bat guano in a gallon of water & let it sit for about a week when i open the lid & take a whif & it smells like raw sewage its ready. i filter it out really well & spray my plants very well a few times a week & stop about a month from harvest. the plants love the extra nutrients & there are little amount of bugs on the plants. i also spray other plants that surround mine.the plants use up the nutrients prior to harvest & there is absolutley no sewage/guano smell or taste.

Hasn't your mix gone anaerobic? It sounds that way. Normally anaerobic bacteria smell like an anus purged itself. I just feel a little skeptical about this one, sorry.

[Scay Beez]

icon: Spraying your plants in general will help keep bugs off even if it is just water. High-N bats eat mostly insects so it is possible the smell could deter insects. I think when the seasons outdoors aren't favorable outdoors or food supply is short that they will try harder to survive. Anaerobic extracts of guanos work extremely well. More of a NPK technique than compost tea.

Bugs are definitely attracted to decaying organic matter but not to c02. If so, then all c02 enhanced rooms would have a greater amount of bugs and IME, I've found this to be the opposite.

The "coastal root aphids" that have been so bad this year in norcal would have a beach party in sand. They can freely move through heavy clay soil. Sand works well for fungus gnats but will do nothing for root aphids. The ONLY way to get rid of the coastal root aphids is to get rid of ALL SOIL and go back to cuttings. Feel free to laugh at my 4 month olympic battle thread if you don't believe me.

Ladybugs work great when the lights are off.. they fly straight towards the light suicide style when it is on. Nematodes are great for preventing aphids, thrips, and fungus gnats in the soil but take a while to establish them in good numbers (about a week or two).

vinivici: Spinosad (Conserve sc is one brand) to get rid of them, nematodes for prevention.

Originally Posted by suby

Scy Beez had a thread about gnats and root rot but my friend was saying it was actuall a virus that would outright kill the plant once it had a foothold.

It was root aphids/root rot. Any munching insect can potentially spread a virus if it eats on a plant with a virus then starts eating on your plants. The root aphids use a root rot disease (furasium? I'm bad at spelling) to help them eat.


Just trying to clear up misinformation, no beef please I'm vegetarian.

- sbz

[Mr Celsius]

Flies and wasps are attracted by proteins. Mosquitoes and many other insects are attracted by bright colors, carbon dioxide, lactic acid, floral or fruity fragrances, warmth, and moisture and pheromones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_trap

I believe the observations that have been noticed about co2 filled rooms, is because the PPM is usually around 1500... possibly to high for bugs, but I know when I was running 1500ppm I got root aphids & mites.

No beef here, just clearing up some misinformation.

[ThereIsHope]

Originally Posted by Mr Celsius

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_trap

I believe the observations that have been noticed about co2 filled rooms, is because the PPM is usually around 1500... possibly to high for bugs, but I know when I was running 1500ppm I got root aphids & mites.
No beef here, just clearing up some misinformation.

1,500 PPMs of CO2 is not high enough to kill bugs at all.

You need to be between 5,000-10,000 PPMs to asphixiate the bastards. 8 hours or so will nuke their asses and send them to see jesus.

The best organic shit to kill bugs is neem oil. You have to be religious about using it to bust up a bugs life cycle but there is nothing better. It is a great soil drench as well.

[Mr Celsius]

Originally Posted by ThereIsHope

1,500 PPMs of CO2 is not high enough to kill bugs at all.

You need to be between 5,000-10,000 PPMs to asphixiate the bastards. 8 hours or so will nuke their asses and send them to see jesus.

The best organic shit to kill bugs is neem oil. You have to be religious about using it to bust up a bugs life cycle but there is nothing better. It is a great soil drench as well.

Point taken, thanks for the clarification. Could you send me a link to some info on killing bugs with Co2 and what ppms it takes?

[Suby]

I have been now battling thrips, the Western Flower thrip is a develish little fucker to boot.

I want tot point something about neem oil, it`s been brought to my attention by a friend.
When using neem one should avoid doing a soil drench with it too often, oil clogs the fine root hairs in the soil and blocks the roots from working efficiently, he recommended sticking to foliars if possible.
I have noticed a little less plumpness from my buds after a few soil drenches of neem so that`s something to consider.

Suby

[Mr Celsius]

I was actually just talking with a friend today about his root aphids and he asked if he could use neem oil, I was pretty iffy on it and told him to research it.

So can you? I've used SM-90 without problems...

[Scay Beez]

High concentrations of c02 will only kill live insects and not their eggs. It could work if repeated but, downtime of c02 (can't leave it at 8000-10000ppm all the time) will allow for more to be born and breed. A good method for a quick knockdown but not a complete solution.

Suby: Spinosad for thrips.

Mr. Celcius: I think there are different species of these going around. I first battled them in the midwest 6 years ago and they were ridiculously easy to get rid of with a few applications of Safer's Soap. Then my most recent outbreak (I make it sound like an STD) had me fooled several times thinking I got rid of them and as soon as I would give them an inch they are back in full force. I tried month long applications of Azatrol, Pyganic (5.4% pyrethrum), Nematodes, and Imidacloprid (all work together) for 4 months with no luck. After running into locals with the same problem, other icmag members online, and my friend who is a vine manager at a very well known Biodynamic Winery in the area I realized I wasn't the only one. I wholeheartedly recommend going back to cutting if possible. If he/she isn't on the coast or in CA, I'd recommend Pyganic from my personal experience.


- sbz

[Mr Celsius]

We're in Northern CA. I probably know what winery you're talking about, I've probably toured it. It has a really nice man who once studied to be a meteorologist.

Right now my friend is trying to apply neem oil with a few drops of soap and then some liquid pyrethrum. He's also spreading DE all over the place and on top of the soil.

He's about 5 weeks in, so he's trying to keep them alive for long enough. I looked at everything last night, just a slight yellowing of the leaves and not extremely droopy.

Thanks for the advice/experience Scay Bees