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Organic Spider Mite Control: Predators
- Thread starter moses wellfleet
- Start date
Could you make a new thread with the predator name in the thread? We have a sticky that acts as an index to all the biological control thread. Each thread is kept separate so one does not
have to read 80 pages to get what you need.
hh keeps the index thread. Give him a shout.
Ps nice thread
have to read 80 pages to get what you need.
hh keeps the index thread. Give him a shout.
Ps nice thread
ok delete. there is no interest anyway
Big interest, just didn't want to litter the tread until it was renamed.
You are so wrong!
Gotta be patient with the community. Especially with this type of thread.
I always wait for Mad and the others to "approve" the threads before adding them to the list.
While I'm interested, I don't know enough about them to comment. Many people aren't interested until they have a problem in which case they'll be able to look in the stickies.
As it is the list has stagnated and needs new listings. Thanks for the thread and some excellent pictures.
If you care to retitle as Mad suggested you can follow the examples in the index for your title.
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=224594
If not I'll wait a couple of days and post it as is. No difference to me, but it may help simplify the index for others.
We're up to 10!!!
While I'm interested, I don't know enough about them to comment. Many people aren't interested until they have a problem in which case they'll be able to look in the stickies.
As it is the list has stagnated and needs new listings. Thanks for the thread and some excellent pictures.
If you care to retitle as Mad suggested you can follow the examples in the index for your title.
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=224594
If not I'll wait a couple of days and post it as is. No difference to me, but it may help simplify the index for others.
We're up to 10!!!
I'm definitely interested in these, was about to order some and I'm trying to decide how much of them will die off during shipping because of the cold winter temperatures and if its worth it. Has anyone ordered these and had them shipped in the winter or during colder temperatures.
hey you know what? it doesn't matter what the thread title is. we can call the link whatever in the sticky
ok the reason i never mentioned the species in the title is because i use 2 species of predatory mites, amblyseius californicus as well as persimilis, and the names are quite long.
persimilis is your first choice because it is extremely aggresive and moves quickly through the crop preying on mites in large numbers and it reproduces quickly under optimal conditions. it is also visible to the naked eye so you can see the progress. but unfortunately it doesnt like exactly the same climatic conditions as the red spider mite, tetranychus urticae.
while spider mites love hot dry conditions persimilis prefers a temp of 25 degrees celsius with a relative humidity above 70%.
that is why i also introduced californicus which has greater tolerance of hot dry conditions so the spider mites cant find a hot dry corner in the grow room where they will be safe from the persimilis. the californicus is unfortunately very difficult to see with the naked eye, unlike the bright red persimilis that can be clearly seen attacking the spider mites.
my spider mite problem was quite severe when i introduced the preds but obviously you want them as early as possible so that their population numbers can be effective against the mites
i have heard of them wiping out the spider mites completely and then dying out from lack of food. but in my case, a year later they are still there feeding off their herd of tame mites which is far too small and insignificant to harm my crop. in my view this is the correct balance to achieve then i will never have to purchase the preds again.
in fact some companies offer spider mites for sale along with the predatory mites so that you can achieve this balance before the rogue mites find and destroy your crop.
persimilis is your first choice because it is extremely aggresive and moves quickly through the crop preying on mites in large numbers and it reproduces quickly under optimal conditions. it is also visible to the naked eye so you can see the progress. but unfortunately it doesnt like exactly the same climatic conditions as the red spider mite, tetranychus urticae.
while spider mites love hot dry conditions persimilis prefers a temp of 25 degrees celsius with a relative humidity above 70%.
that is why i also introduced californicus which has greater tolerance of hot dry conditions so the spider mites cant find a hot dry corner in the grow room where they will be safe from the persimilis. the californicus is unfortunately very difficult to see with the naked eye, unlike the bright red persimilis that can be clearly seen attacking the spider mites.
my spider mite problem was quite severe when i introduced the preds but obviously you want them as early as possible so that their population numbers can be effective against the mites
i have heard of them wiping out the spider mites completely and then dying out from lack of food. but in my case, a year later they are still there feeding off their herd of tame mites which is far too small and insignificant to harm my crop. in my view this is the correct balance to achieve then i will never have to purchase the preds again.
in fact some companies offer spider mites for sale along with the predatory mites so that you can achieve this balance before the rogue mites find and destroy your crop.
you cannot send them in the regular mail they must be shipped the same as a live animal, like a domestic dog or cat.they need to breathe and freezing temperatures will kill them. your supplier will no doubt have this arranged with the shipping company.
I used predators on a crop of Mr. Nice - Super Silver Haze. I don't know which species. This grow was my first experience with SSH and spider mites. They almost wiped me out.
The only problem I had was dispensing the predators. I let some of the vermiculite get on the buds. A lot of it actually.
The crop was salvaged and I shared some of the grow with Lavender Cowboy. I miss that guy.
Burn1
The only problem I had was dispensing the predators. I let some of the vermiculite get on the buds. A lot of it actually.
The crop was salvaged and I shared some of the grow with Lavender Cowboy. I miss that guy.
Burn1
Still Invisible
Member
I have only had them once; initially I blasted the plants leaves with a hose every couple of weeks and that got rid of most of them, but they always came back.
Then I got some spray from the garden shop and that got rid of them completely, with just one spray.
You can go the hassle and expense of importing these bugs but there are cheap sprays out there that will get rid of them in one hit.
Then I got some spray from the garden shop and that got rid of them completely, with just one spray.
You can go the hassle and expense of importing these bugs but there are cheap sprays out there that will get rid of them in one hit.
Keeping biological controls around takes a bit of effort, but there are some advantages.
A crop with a pest/predator balance has little risk of developing infestation late in flower when spraying is ruled out.
sorry i cant agree spraying is work... i would rather have an army of little helpers any day!
i just got off the fone with the bugman it seems that since i purchased my critters this form of pest control has really taken off
so prices have come down a lot in the last year and probably will drop further!
so prices have come down a lot in the last year and probably will drop further!
does anyone have some experience maintaining their own breeding populations of mite predators?
I plan on getting some flour mites going so I have somewhere to keep my predators between infestations. but how do I do that? if I order some predators will they come with viable flour mites or flour mite eggs?
I plan on getting some flour mites going so I have somewhere to keep my predators between infestations. but how do I do that? if I order some predators will they come with viable flour mites or flour mite eggs?
yes this is an interesting question, some preds can survive on a diet of pollen. but i will check with my supplier on the details.
