Spider mite egg shells

Anyone know how to tell the difference between the active eggs and the empty shells? I had a 2-spotted mite issue, after 8 days of treatment I haven't seen any live activity for at last 6 days, however there is still plenty of eggs to be found. It's my understanding that the shells are left behind, and probably several are dying as hatching, but how can I tell that they are all dead if the shells are still there? Do they look distinctively different? I see the eggs in various sizes and ranging for clear to milky white opaque.

fuck these mother fuckers!!!!! dude ull be good by harvest if worst comes to worst just make sure u keep on it ull be good no worries

Well I'm not worried about being able to at least manage any populations through harvest, I can't even find any live activity. I am using HotShots, and they seem to be working, but I don't want to use them longer than I have to mainly because I don't want to have to breathe in any more of that shit myself than needed.

roidrage152 said:

Anyone know how to tell the difference between the active eggs and the empty shells? I had a 2-spotted mite issue, after 8 days of treatment I haven't seen any live activity for at last 6 days, however there is still plenty of eggs to be found. It's my understanding that the shells are left behind, and probably several are dying as hatching, but how can I tell that they are all dead if the shells are still there? Do they look distinctively different? I see the eggs in various sizes and ranging for clear to milky white opaque.

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You think you have mites then spray your plants down with water. You'll see small webs.

If so use Mighty Wash. Azamax will make your plants all taste the same. If you have mites during flowering you absolutely do not want to use azamax. No matter what anybody says. Mighty wash for me every other day for 1 week and then every 3rd day for the next week. Seems to do it for me. I apply once a week throughout though just to make sure cause they can reproduce rapidly.

Also another thing I noticed is if I take a bamboo shoot and then cut it on the top down the middle of the shoot. Follow me now.....Take a string and tie it through the slit at the top of the bamboo shoot. Then with the string pull the buds into the bamboo shoot for support. Just keep unraveling and wrap through the bamboo shoot and then to the next bud. By doing this you will accomplish two things. Support all the buds to give them the support to fully mature with full light and since spider mites are competitive by nature they go to the highest point the can climb. You will see all the bugs hanging on the strings and bamboo shoots you can kill them there too. I found that extremely helpful because the mites wont even mess with the plants tops. That is as long as the bamboo is taller then the bud tops.

No question I have mites, but I caught it before webs. I can't find at least a couple eggs on pretty much any plant. In hours of examining over the course of a week, I cannot find a live mite, but I still see a decent amount of eggs. Live or dead, who knows. Doing Hotshots for 15 days, then dropping a bomb in there. Then I'll probably go to weekly Neem or something.

So now day 15 of my spider mite battle. I put hotshot no pest strips on day one. It was fairly easy for me to find live activity, and by day three not a live mite in sight after combined hours of searching. I am still however able to find many eggs. My temps are 80+ during lights on, close to 70 when off so I imagine they should be in a fairly fast life cycle. How do I know if these eggs are still able to hatch? I want to take the hotshots down, for health reasons and so I don't have resistance issues assuming there is still life. Over the course of this 15 days I've done 2 mighty washes, and 1 insecticidal soap application. If I still see eggs does that mean there is still life? Or could these eggs be dead? There are no live mites to be found.

wondering the same exact thing myself

Tons of people have done way less than I have with way more mites, and gotten rid of them. I think my problem is my scope that is able to see the eggs, I think most people aren't looking so closely. I'm just going to assume I'm done with them, and do basic organic preventative weekly treatments for a while until I'm more sure.

If you are flowering, I cant really help you. I wont spray anything on flowering plants. It never turns out well and I want quality meds not poison.

In veg a good soaking of floramite followed by a good soaking of azamax ( about 8 days later)will fix the problem.

I have tried every "voodoo" cure for mites and it cost me 9 months of anguish. I have never had to resort to avermectin but it is on the shelf.
I have read that floromite resistant bugs are now in B.C.

The eggs are viable until they hatch, 2-3 days, and then the theory is that the residual is what kills them off. BUT there is always a few eggs that survive. These are the bastards that bring the population back again. This can take a few weeks of no activity, then all of a sudden you have them back. Even after you clean the room, sterilized with bleach, bomb, etc., etc., etc.... You can get them back, and probably will. They are a fact of life on this planet and thrive in specific climates. The best we can do is to keep them at bay. Love the higher than Bamboo trick. Great! Try this little trick. Take cheap Cellulous sponge and cut into 3/4" wide strips, either direction on the sponge, for different bottom of the stem diameters. Wrap this wet around the stem at the base about 1-/2" inches above grade holding it tightly in place with a twist tie or nylon tie. Soak again and every spray, with your favorite bug juice, each and every day and you'll stop them from migrating which is how they populate. Again, being competitive, they migrate across the soil/media and up the stem, to the next plant matter area for fresh sucking and no competition from fellows already present. For cuttings, I make a 1'1/4" square with a 1/4" hole in the center (paper hole punch works great & is cheap) and place the cutting through the hole and then the gel an then into cloneing environment. After the roots appear, it'll stay in place and stretch as the plant matures. This way is better than the wrap, no voids. Remember these are tiny, tiny bugs that can make it through microscopic gaps, so the contact surface along with your favorite juice (try the pepper/garlic/tobacco combination; watch 'em explode!) is a very important and significant aid in the war ahead. As always, peace...

do dead mites just hang on the foliage or do they drop off when they die?