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Spider Mites right before Harvest

Hawk518

Active member
10/29/23 - Yet another beginner Q: SPIDER MITES!

Two plants VERY close to harvest time. But noticed a lot of leaves with issues. Trimmed them all off. While trimming I saw what must be spider mites on the top of one of the top colas. WTH?! I'd swear they weren't there yesterday!

Please give me advice on what my next steps are. I’ve now read everything from:
  • it’s no big deal if you’re close to harvest (which I am)
  • it will be ok if you wash the buds
  • OMG! Your harvest is destroyed. The End is nigh. Give up now.

GDP_THC Bomb__10_29_2023_02_MITES.jpg
 

exoticrobotic

Well-known member
You could try to remove the little bastards and their webs by hand and try smoking it but it may taste acrid.

Maybe use the worst affected buds to make bubble hash.

I'm sure the mites and their shit float whilst the trichomes sink.
 

Ca++

Well-known member
Fucking hell, I wish I hadn't of popped round. I will have to burn my clothes before I go home. I'm going to be stood on my doorstep stripping naked ffs lol

The condom looking humidity tents they build, never crossed my mind as a rot hazard before. I have seen them vacuumed, and the look on peoples faces as the inevitable happens.

I just had a brainwave you could try. They always head towards the top. So pin a bug card to the top. Like a little flag. The cross bones seems appropriate.

I drown them with wetting agent myself. In bloom, yukka might be a smoke friendly option. It won't penetrate the webs though, and brings it's own RH problems.

When you hang them, the bugs will crawl to your string or whatever. Like a mass exodus. Yet those left will still be too many. I have known people smoke them, when it was their percy crop. Or sell them, to someone that didn't know. Stories of predators help, if you actually tossed them over, and got all the packing stuck to your buds. It is what it is though. I wouldn't touch it, but some people will smoke anything.

It's hard to look at the pics without starting to itch, but the leaves are not looking great. You may of actually lost this one.
 

Dime

Well-known member
10/29/23 - Yet another beginner Q: SPIDER MITES!

Two plants VERY close to harvest time. But noticed a lot of leaves with issues. Trimmed them all off. While trimming I saw what must be spider mites on the top of one of the top colas. WTH?! I'd swear they weren't there yesterday!

Please give me advice on what my next steps are. I’ve now read everything from:
  • it’s no big deal if you’re close to harvest (which I am)
  • it will be ok if you wash the buds
  • OMG! Your harvest is destroyed. The End is nigh. Give up now.

View attachment 18912177
I would put a garbage bag around it pot an all and burn it then disinfect and start a maintenance program for the next run. The eggs and mites will spread wherever you move it.
 

Ca++

Well-known member
I would put a garbage bag around it pot an all and burn it then disinfect and start a maintenance program for the next run. The eggs and mites will spread wherever you move it.
I like to bake a mite infested room. Get all the eggs hatched, while there is no food for the adults. Unfortunately the juveniles eat the shit of the adults, so they won't die off straight away. The lifecycle is pretty quick though. I have not needed flea sprays and such. They have to eat.
 

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