Spider mites AKA The Borg

[PurplePotion]

Had spider mites, and thought I killed them with Azamax and sns209. They came back a few weeks later. No pest strips + imidacloprid. Room has never been cleaner pest wise. Only watered with imid a few times a couple months ago; vegging plants only. No pest strips took care of any lingering in the flower room. Haven’t seen a sign since.

 

[TheForgotten]

Are these mites?

I don't think so.
I don't see any, if you had mites creating that much effect on your plants you'd definitely see webs....

 

[Muarco]

I don't think so.
I don't see any, if you had mites creating that much effect on your plants you'd definitely see webs....

I've seen some tiny white round bodies move on the leaf. Took a jewellery loop (60x) to look closer but I can't detect a face or legs. When I had thrips in the past I could see them clearly with a 60x but those look even smaller than thrips. I gave some Spinosad mixed with Neem oil and Potassium soap. Hope that works. So far only one plant is showing heavy tacoing and curling on the leaves. I'm quite worried cause it could spread to other 15 plants and I'm running perpetual so haven't really got the time to do a clean start.

Update: Most definitely broad mites. White body, smaller than regular mites and they don't seem to leave webbing behind. Twisted growth, leaf curling, clawing and spindled growth. I discarded a plant last week thinking was genetically week when I saw the pistils dying off the buds.

If you look closer you can even notice those white round bodies that I'm talking about. Probably eggs or young mites.
I now discovered that some mites like to munch on pistils thus causing that unique look. I'm just curious on how I should behave with the other tents since I got around 15 plants divided in 3 tents but they are all sharing the same room.

 

[chronic82]

I've seen some tiny white round bodies move on the leaf. Took a jewellery loop (60x) to look closer but I can't detect a face or legs. When I had thrips in the past I could see them clearly with a 60x but those look even smaller than thrips. I gave some Spinosad mixed with Neem oil and Potassium soap. Hope that works. So far only one plant is showing heavy tacoing and curling on the leaves. I'm quite worried cause it could spread to other 15 plants and I'm running perpetual so haven't really got the time to do a clean start.

Update: Most definitely broad mites. White body, smaller than regular mites and they don't seem to leave webbing behind. Twisted growth, leaf curling, clawing and spindled growth. I discarded a plant last week thinking was genetically week when I saw the pistils dying off the buds.
View Image

If you look closer you can even notice those white round bodies that I'm talking about. Probably eggs or young mites.
I now discovered that some mites like to munch on pistils thus causing that unique look. I'm just curious on how I should behave with the other tents since I got around 15 plants divided in 3 tents but they are all sharing the same room.

From the looks of your old posts you’ve had these things for a while. Im curious to how you got them if you grow autos from seed mostly. I’ve always been curious if they could be transported by seeds.

 

[TheForgotten]

Get a couple No Pest strips, NOW....

 

[Muarco]

From the looks of your old posts you’ve had these things for a while. Im curious to how you got them if you grow autos from seed mostly. I’ve always been curious if they could be transported by seeds.

Here comes my guess: I live in a pretty rural area and my grow room is quite well sealed. Despite that I occasionally find some stinkbugs every once in a while. I believe they could have hitched a ride pretty much like them

 

[Crooked8]

Look up the dangers of no pest strips. Having them up all the time is def shady.

 

[usda101]

There back in my garden , I'm fighting .

 

[PurplePotion]

Wash all your plants off in the sink. Water everything in veg with imidacloprid a few times and stick a few no pest strips in there (2 per 4x4 area with 7-8’ ceilings). Turn off intake/exhaust fans for the longest durations possible. Imid is in a lot of pest control and fertilizer combo products. I ended up using a product made for insect control in lawns and around the landscape. This was the only one I could find that did not contain a slow release fertilizer with it. What you’re looking for is imidacloprid with the least amount of additional ingredients. I don’t recommend using it on flowering plants— use no pest strips in the flowering room and remove them at least a couple weeks before harvest.

Mind you, these are steps for gaining control. Once you are pest-free, step back to more natural IPM practices; at the end of the day, the best defense is a healthy plant. Don’t bring anything new into the area that could potentially bring new critters in. Always wash new plant material you’ve received from friends/dispo’s and quarantine them until you are sure they are pest and disease free. #1 Keep a clean grow area

 

[sshz]

No pest strips are the worst things you can put in your garden while the plants are growing. The vapors are absorbed by the leaves and buds and are carcinogenic- they can and will cause cancer. They also may or may not be effective depending on the type of mite, but you are risking your health long term if you use them. Read the warning labels and let the user beware........if you must use them, do it when you are shut down with no plants in the room.

 

[chronic82]

Here comes my guess: I live in a pretty rural area and my grow room is quite well sealed. Despite that I occasionally find some stinkbugs every once in a while. I believe they could have hitched a ride pretty much like them
View Image

Yeah that’s possible if they are native or have been introduced to your area. I’ve read they can live on fruit trees.

But they also attack buds mostly and if they are destroying buds they are probably laying eggs in them too and that’s where the seeds could have got contaminated.

 

[herbgreen]

No pest strips are the worst things you can put in your garden while the plants are growing. The vapors are absorbed by the leaves and buds and are carcinogenic- they can and will cause cancer. They also may or may not be effective depending on the type of mite, but you are risking your health long term if you use them. Read the warning labels and let the user beware........if you must use them, do it when you are shut down with no plants in the room.

And even worse than that kev jodey was talking about that getting into the room and it never really leaves

People's crop test hot for pesticides years after because of use no pest strip

Prevent the situation use safer soap in veg every three days before the bugs show up

 

[Ready4]

When I had them, I battled and tried many things. They came back.

Finally, I used Mighty Wash - worked 100% effective, not one mite since.

 

[Mr. J]

My God... Reading through this thread makes me happy that I never have to smoke weed grown by anyone else, ever again.

 

[Muarco]

Yeah that’s possible if they are native or have been introduced to your area. I’ve read they can live on fruit trees.

But they also attack buds mostly and if they are destroying buds they are probably laying eggs in them too and that’s where the seeds could have got contaminated.

When I was at Spannabis in 2014, Cervantes was specifically saying that there are more risks for growers that are near viticultural sites. That's sadly my case. Seems that those bastards are travelling through air from the vineyard down the road.

Trusted biological pesticides: Abamectin, Etoxazole, Micronized Sulfur

Trusted biological predators: Phytoseiulus persimilis

 

[chronic82]

When I was at Spannabis in 2014, Cervantes was specifically saying that there are more risks for growers that are near viticultural sites. That's sadly my case. Seems that those bastards are travelling through air from the vineyard down the road.

Trusted biological pesticides: Abamectin, Etoxazole, Micronized Sulfur

Trusted biological predators: Phytoseiulus persimilis

You can get some small cans of spray foam fairly cheap and use that to seal your rooms up better. Also check into andersoni predators. Evergreengrowers sells sachets of them for only a 1$ each. They last much longer than persimilis. When you see the price differences in predators it’s a reflection of there effectiveness. It has nothing to do with the amount of effort they take to produce. They’re all produced the same way

 

[q3corn]

You can get some small cans of spray foam fairly cheap and use that to seal your rooms up better. Also check into andersoni predators. Evergreengrowers sells sachets of them for only a 1$ each. They last much longer than persimilis. When you see the price differences in predators it’s a reflection of there effectiveness. It has nothing to do with the amount of effort they take to produce. They’re all produced the same way

I had great success with a combination of andersoni, persimilis, and cucumeris. Also from evergreen growers. Great company. I was able to kill mites and thrips with bugs from them, although now I can't exactly remember which ones, lol

 

[chronic82]

I had great success with a combination of andersoni, persimilis, and cucumeris. Also from evergreen growers. Great company. I was able to kill mites and thrips with bugs from them, although now I can't exactly remember which ones, lol

Yeah evergreen is awesome. You can literally see the bugs as soon as you open the box. The first time I used andersoni alone and I could see them walking on my plants for 6 weeks . I later tried persimilis and cucumeris and swirski as preventative and they were only visible for about 2-3 weeks. Straliops wormsley are also a good idea to add to the soil

 

[wvkindbud38]

Trifecta Crop Control is what I use, along with a lol Sevin. But I won't spray anything on buds after a week or 2. It's pricey but works good. I think it's best to kinda rotate the 2, like us one this time and the other next time.

 

[Mr D]

Cypermethrin based foggers work well to get rid of mites. Not to be used on flowering plants. Should be safe to use on plants in veg which will not be put in to flower for at least 16 days after treatment due to it's half life.

Once your flowering area is empty you can treat it with a Cypermethrin based fogger to kill any remaining mites and eggs.

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/carbaryl-dicrotophos/cypermet-ext.html