"The return of Cyclamen/broad/borg mites"
Here is my multi-pronged approach.
STRATEGY
Get rid of as many mites as possible, then send in the predators.
1. Make fermentation of microgreens/sprouted hempseeds.
Take hempseeds (baitshops have them). Take the hempseeds, put them in a bottle with a fermentation lock (cheap, can be bought at any beer brewing/fermentation store or online). Put the sprouted seeds in the bottle. Dissolve honey (organic, flower) in water, and add water to the bottle. I like to put a little H2O2 hydrogen pyroxide in the water that is in the fermentation lock. It will be usable after 1 week, and keep and improve for at least a year.
Use a teaspoon per quart. You can't overdose with it, however you can use too much in that it is acidic and too much pulls down the pH of the mix. Although this can easily be remedied by watering with the correct pH.
2. Get predatory mites
The Western Predatory Mite or Galendomus Occidentalis is especially mentioned with regards to Russett Mites. Also, they seem ideal for indoor temperatures and humidity. "(over 75 degrees) and relatively low humidity (35%-65%)".
3. Make a mix of insecticidal soap, pyrethrin, H2O2
Pyrethrin is made from chrysanthemums, and breaks down in 7 days.
H202 or hydrogen pyroxide is an unstable molecule which breaks down into H2O (water) and O2 (oxygen). One O atom breaks away from the H2O2, leaving behind H2O or water, until it meets another O atom to form O2 (oxygen), sometimes O3 (ozone). While it does so, it does a lot of damage. It is not a poison as such.
Say to a quart or liter of water, add a teaspoon of soap, a teaspoon of H202 and the indicated amount of pyrethrin (usually 10 drops per quart).
When spraying the fermentation mix, spray every node for at least 5 seconds, until the water cascades down the leaves. This will wash down a lot of the mites.
EXECUTION
1. In the evening, spray the plant with the pyrethrin and soap mix, making sure to get everything. Spray twice with a 1 day interval.
2. Spray with the fermentation mix. Repeat step 2. for 3 days in a row.
3. When you see a clear reduction in mites (clean leaves), set the predatory mites out.
WHY THIS WORKS
First, you kill as many mites as possible with pyrethrin and soap. Then, the fermentation mix creates a biofilm that makes it harder for the mites to get a hold. It also covers the plant in beneficial fungi, which will be tracked around by the insects as they move across the plant. Lastly, the honey in the fermentation mix makes the predatory mites go crazy.
This reduction in the mite population makes the work of the predatory mites much easier. Also, when you see your plants crawling with bugs, you can be sure it are the predatory mites.
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ZERO ability for the mites to build tolerance, and the schedule breaks the breeding cycle of the current outbreak.
