UVC for spider mites????

[Loc Dog]

Has anyone used UVC to kill spider mites/eggs??? I have found no definitive answer to how much wattage, how close to plants, and how often. A lot of hearsay that it is really bad for the plants. Only found one suggestion of 12 minutes at lights out every 3 days. It is also supposed to kill mold.

 

[Creeperpark]

UVC kills germs, they work very well in hospitals.
Ultraviolet-C
Germicidal UV or also known as Ultraviolet-C (UVC) light is within the electromagnetic spectrum, which is divided into categories based on wavelength. Other recognizable categories include radio waves, microwaves, infrared light, visible light, X-rays, and gamma-rays.
Ultraviolet-C
It makes up 10% of the total light that the sun generates. This electromagnetic energy has shorter wavelengths than visible light but longer wavelengths than x-rays. UV-C stands for ultraviolet-C, and it is one of the classified subbands of ultraviolet light, measured by its light wavelengths (measured in nanometres). Google

UV LEDs - UVA, UVB, UVC LED Lights | ILT

ILT offers a range of UV LEDs (UVA, UVB and UVC) in multiple styles. Learn about our kits and applications.

www.internationallight.com

 

[goingrey]

For UVB there is this study that says it "strongly decreased survivorship and egg production" of spider mites.

Deleterious effects of UV-B radiation on herbivorous spider mites: they can avoid it by remaining on lower leaf surfaces - PubMed

The herbivorous spider mite Tetranychus urticae usually remains on the lower leaf surfaces of its host plants. Although terrestrial animals are generally thought to be well protected from damage because of UV radiation, insect herbivory frequently increases when solar UV-B (280-315 nm) radiation...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Can't find anything about UVC.

 

[Cerathule]

If UVB does it, then UVC does it even more. But it's gradually way more harmful the more energic/blueshifted the radiation becomes, both to plants and humans, so beware. I dount you can get rid of the mites as there will always be a shaded spot somewhere where a mite or an egg survives. The spidermites also weave their eggs to the underside of the leaves to shield them from harmful sunrays.

 

[Loc Dog]

UVC kills germs, they work very well in hospitals.
Ultraviolet-C
Germicidal UV or also known as Ultraviolet-C (UVC) light is within the electromagnetic spectrum, which is divided into categories based on wavelength. Other recognizable categories include radio waves, microwaves, infrared light, visible light, X-rays, and gamma-rays.
Ultraviolet-C
It makes up 10% of the total light that the sun generates. This electromagnetic energy has shorter wavelengths than visible light but longer wavelengths than x-rays. UV-C stands for ultraviolet-C, and it is one of the classified subbands of ultraviolet light, measured by its light wavelengths (measured in nanometres). Google

UV LEDs - UVA, UVB, UVC LED Lights | ILT

ILT offers a range of UV LEDs (UVA, UVB and UVC) in multiple styles. Learn about our kits and applications.

www.internationallight.com

Thanks. Have been researching it a lot. Most dangerous of the UV bands, and almost all is absorbed by atmosphere and does not reach us. It does kill spider mite eggs, preventing them from hatching. How much light, at what distance and how often, and is it hurting the plant. Those are the things I am not sure about.

Someone on another site said he noticed damage after 8 second exposure. I just used for 12 minutes where I found them.

Just checked and no UVC from sun reaches the earth, from wikipedia - Short-wave UV, germicidal UV, ionizing radiation at shorter wavelengths, completely absorbed by the ozone layer and atmosphere: hard UV.

 

[Loc Dog]

For UVB there is this study that says it "strongly decreased survivorship and egg production" of spider mites.

Deleterious effects of UV-B radiation on herbivorous spider mites: they can avoid it by remaining on lower leaf surfaces - PubMed

The herbivorous spider mite Tetranychus urticae usually remains on the lower leaf surfaces of its host plants. Although terrestrial animals are generally thought to be well protected from damage because of UV radiation, insect herbivory frequently increases when solar UV-B (280-315 nm) radiation...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Can't find anything about UVC.

I have one. Have not used since I moved. Suppose to trigger plants to produce more resin with 15 minutes at lights on and off. Will set that up tomorrow.