Help!help!help! Spider mites are trying to take over!

[morgentaler]

I did a three prong attack today. Soapy water to drown the little bastards, then an alcohol-water mix, and finally a garlic solution.
Garlic works good for other pests so I'm hoping it will help keep them down till I can find some pest strips or whatever.

Down with spider mites!

 

[stokesly]

since my brushing of the plans (2 1/2 hours ago) The mites have assembled about 1/2 of the webbing they had before. I am trying another route. I am going to take my airbrush and blow the fuckers off towards the back of the room. I am then going to wrap double sided tape around the stems under the buds, the base of the plant, on the floor, and around the bottoms of the pots. I will blow them off again tomorrow, remove and replace the tape. I'll let you know what happens.
Fuck those mites. I am going to find a way to decrease the number even if I end up taking the plants outside, dousing them with gas, and lighting the things up. At least then I will have the satisfaction that they met a fiery end.

 

[bbonging]

FLORAMITE!!!!!! IF YOU ARE AT WAR WITH MITES THIS IS THE ONLY SHIT TO USE !!!!
ok well there is other stuff but this is war and during war ya want a NUKE!!! +rep???

 

[morgentaler]

I was thinking of taking one of those sticky pads for trapping mice, slitting it and putting it around the base of the plant. that should catch anything I brush off, or tries to get back

 

[stokesly]

tape is harder to get around stems on a mature plant than I thought. The airbrush got them off and now they are somewhere else in the room. They haven't touched the lower buds so they can go there for a week, better than the tops. I also found this on flouramite - "Its suppost to only stay with the plant for 28 days". I only have 1-2 weeks left.
so far airbrush was the best at getting them off.

sticky tape is a good idea. I am going to run it around the rim of the pots and the base of the plants next go-around.

 

[milowerx96]

Floromite SC you can get small bottles on Ebay for 20 bucks. 1 oz makes 24 gallons Give it a shot.


http://cgi.ebay.com/1oz-BTL-FLORAMITE-SC-FREE-SHIPPING-3-5-DAYS_W0QQitemZ260476791119QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ca5a0694f

OKAY SO I HAVE 3 BEAUTIFUL PURPLE STRAIN PLANTS THAT ARE 3 WEEKS INTO FLOWERING. I NOTICED 1 PLANT ABOUT 3 WEEKS INTO VEG HAD SPIDER MITES SO SPED TO THE LOCAL HYDRO STORE AND BOUGHT 100% NEEM BY DYNAGRO. STARTED APPLICATING IT AS IT SAID. eVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL RECENTLY I STARTED NOTICING THAT THEY HAVE GOTTEN WORSE. I NEED THESE LITTLE FUKERS TO GO AWAY.PLEASE SOME TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD DO? +REP FOR YOUR ANSWERS.

 

[morgentaler]

No sign of a single living mite on my plant today.
Not bad.

When I spritzed the leaves with the alcohol, it was a 2:1 water:alcohol solution. It was left exposed to the air so it would evaporate quickly, and none was applied to the soil. Once there was no odor of alcohol, moved on to the next stage.

The garlic water was made from crushing and simmering a garlic clove in water for an hour. It stank like crazy. The water was strained, and sprayed liberally on both the plant and the soil. Garlic isn't cited for spider mites but works on a bunch of other bugs so I figured I'd give it a shot. Garlic seeds were planted in each corner of the pot as well. Preventative measures for the future.

I put a clear plastic bag over the top of the planter immediately after the garlic spray. It stayed on four around 18 hours. I took the bag off and inspected. No mites visible.

Doesn't mean I killed them all, but it's a reprieve for the plant, and the garlic will not affect the quality or taste of the buds later.

And it gives me time to prepare for their return.

 

[stokesly]

Glad that helped.

I am on day 2 of the airbrush. When I checked out the plants today I saw virtually no sign of webbing and a whole lot less mites on the buds. I ran the airbrush again and could see the little guys flying off the buds. I am going to keep it up 2x per day when I can and 1x when I have my day booked. Don't think they will be able to do much of anything since they will not really be able to get re-established like they were before. I am spraying plain air and pulling the finished plants out as I go from front to back.

I tried the alcohol/water and got a bit on some of the buds. I immediately stopped. Some of those buds now smell like dirty feet (they had low to no odor before and I still have to put my nose right next to them to smell it). They have been like that for about a week with no change in odor or power of odor. When I pull some of the leaves down that are coming from the buds I cannot see any powdery white stuff, brown stuff, or any webs. I also discovered that I have that going on with one of the other plants. Could they be rotting out from mite damage? Is it mold? WTF?

 

[morgentaler]

I would guess the dirty feet smell is anaerobic bacteria in the moisture that got into the buds. But other than getting as much airflow over them as possible, can't think of anything else to do.

 

[stokesly]

hope they can hold on a few more days. I checked the trichs with my handy radio shack microscope and I could harvest at any time. I just want the couchlock and it looks like I can keep the mites at bay pretty effectively. When I came home they had hardly made any comeback at all. The airbrush is freakin' sweet. I think no change in the smell because I have higher temps, lower humidity. Hopefully the smelly ones won't make me sick. Some of the biggest are stinky.

 

[stokesly]

just out of curiosity.. I have heard people say that mites can destroy a flowering crop, and have lost a few buds on my first run and found webbing inside of them. Is that always how they kill the buds?

I also tried to find out if mites had an absolutely favorite food other than weed. I thought if some flower or houseplant was like mite crack that I could just put that in the room so that the majority go to that host.

I also ran across an article where a guy would treat all but 1 plant and leave that for the sacrificial plant.

Anyone try to bait mites in this manner?

 

[thesleep]

Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 10

​

permalink
Don't trust these poison lovers.
Use only natural methods

Worm compost drip tea spray
remove by hand
mist plants

when you throw mother nature out the window, she comes back in through the front door with a pitchfork

 

[OregonMeds]

You will always be battling them there, I have the same problem here just too many other growers around so they never die year round and they are super mites with massive resistance to everything.

Anyway they just eat neem oil etc for breakfast it's useless people just don't understand there is absolutely ZERO chance of fighting them without the real deal chemicals.

Three viable options:
Floramite SC
Avid
The pest strips specifically mentioned above maybe maybe if your grow is small enough.

You don't have to choose which to use only which you'll start with. If you actually read the directions on floramite and avid they say very clearly that you are supposed to alternate between miticides so that you don't create more and more tolerant bugs that make things even worse in the future...

And now is the future and nobody read the directions and we made resistant mites which could ruin all food crops at some point now... Meaning it's way too late to still have the idea you can be mite free and chemical free. The only way to be mite free where you are now is to not have any plants because you aren't a pro with a sealed grow who can disinfect before he goes in ea time and keep it clean that way. No in a regular home grrow they will always come back in some way, usually on your clothes or dogs or cats or blowing in the wind.


And since you can't use floramite or avid in flower that's where the pest strips come in, and anything else you can come up with that doesn't blow all the trichomes off the plant or melt them off or that doesn't make your bud taste like crap like many things will.

Read the labels and follow all safety precautions you can floramite and avid are not sold to the general consumer for a reason they are the real deal professional chemicals don't be dumb you have to use them but you should use them wisely and properly.

There is no plant they love more than MJ, sorry no houseplant decoy they'll go for... Yes some do leave a sacrificial plant but it makes no sense if you are using the chemicals you're just making sure they always come back fast if you give them a save haven plant.

Your airbrush method or bristle brush may get you that week to harvest but it won't help next run, next run they'll have the jump on you.

 

[stokesly]

Thanks, keeping them at bay and awaiting the future (even though that sounds ominous too). I probably will throw my hands up and go with the chems, but I think that I am first going to clean and use a no-pest strip with the next run (short flower) and if that one goes to shit I will be plenty inspired to break out the big guns since I am already tired of blowing the damned things off and coming in later to see them trying to rebuild.
I HATE chems, but at least if I am doing the app then I know how it is done. I don't have that luxury with anything I buy from anyone.
BTW - I have been checking Trichs since I want to pull them asap, and have not noticed any damage, so I don't think the airbrush is hurting them. The mites are definitely growing in numbers though so I will end up:

Bleaching the room
Azamax
No pest strips - I have a about a 2x3x8 maybe 3x3x8 (haven't measured in a bit) space
Safers/Dr doom

I don't want family to have any potential exposure to anything too extreme which is another reason I am scared of chems.

I know that lowering temps, better airflow, and higher humidity will get me to a whole lot better of a place which I will be able to do after this harvest. I was probably running at 80+ degrees at the top 1' of the plants and dry as a bone w/too small of an exhaust fan. I started out cheap and have been slowly adding equipment as I go - letting it pay for itself.

Still, not doing too bad for this being my 2nd run.

I know what you are talking about w/ pest resistance and if I can't do it w/ what I listed above, or be able to minimize and manage the problem, then I will alternate w/ the harder stuff.

 

[Mcgician]

You will always be battling them there, I have the same problem here just too many other growers around so they never die year round and they are super mites with massive resistance to everything.

Anyway they just eat neem oil etc for breakfast it's useless people just don't understand there is absolutely ZERO chance of fighting them without the real deal chemicals.

Three viable options:
Floramite SC
Avid
The pest strips specifically mentioned above maybe maybe if your grow is small enough.

You don't have to choose which to use only which you'll start with. If you actually read the directions on floramite and avid they say very clearly that you are supposed to alternate between miticides so that you don't create more and more tolerant bugs that make things even worse in the future...

And now is the future and nobody read the directions and we made resistant mites which could ruin all food crops at some point now... Meaning it's way too late to still have the idea you can be mite free and chemical free. The only way to be mite free where you are now is to not have any plants because you aren't a pro with a sealed grow who can disinfect before he goes in ea time and keep it clean that way. No in a regular home grrow they will always come back in some way, usually on your clothes or dogs or cats or blowing in the wind.


And since you can't use floramite or avid in flower that's where the pest strips come in, and anything else you can come up with that doesn't blow all the trichomes off the plant or melt them off or that doesn't make your bud taste like crap like many things will.

Read the labels and follow all safety precautions you can floramite and avid are not sold to the general consumer for a reason they are the real deal professional chemicals don't be dumb you have to use them but you should use them wisely and properly.

There is no plant they love more than MJ, sorry no houseplant decoy they'll go for... Yes some do leave a sacrificial plant but it makes no sense if you are using the chemicals you're just making sure they always come back fast if you give them a save haven plant.

Your airbrush method or bristle brush may get you that week to harvest but it won't help next run, next run they'll have the jump on you.

I read the PDF instructions for Avid online, and it scared me out of using it! Damn shit is straight POISON!!! I've also heard it's systemic, which means that the stuff doesn't go away, and in some cases has caused mercury poisoning. I hate doing things naturally if I know of a better way, but fuck............not even I'm willing to deal with that stuff. IMO, if you don't have a full on CDC spec biosuit to wear while spraying it, don't even think about it.

 

[OregonMeds]

Good luck...

Whatever you do use make sure and spray and fight preventatively as often as the directions say don't wait until you're seeing a single bug always just assume they are there from now on because they probably are.

I told you the stuff was serious, I don't blame you one bit.

I use a $40 respirator and wear gloves and hat and put on a full set of overalls and then immediately leave the house after for hours... Once it's evaporated it's nothing and I dont' worry about it. Your family would have to eat the sprayed plants before the systemic action wore off to hurt them if they aren't there while you spray and before it dries but then again I wouldn't use them at first either until I finally gave in.

 

[stokesly]

It may work, but my kid comes before my plants. I will just deal with mite infested weed if I have to

 

[gitland]

Neem oil solution often. Every few days. Keeps mites down...

 

[stokesly]

chopped at 53 days because they were getting bad. probably 50/40/10 - cloudy/clear/amber. Gonna take my plastic down, soak in bleach water, use bleach cleaner on walls, ceiling, and floor, put a no pest strip in for a couple of days, neem & soap, then don't bug me on the ones going in, then azamax a bit later on and another no pest strip in a couple of weeks. Improving ventilation to lower temps and misting plants to help if they are still there.
I will let you know how bad they get next time.

 

[stokesly]

First pics I have shared on this site. Again, this was my 2nd grow and cut early, but just wanted to show it. This is mitey weed for sure.