An easy treatment for spidermites.

[Seamaiden]

OD plants get hit by spider mites, and I would definitely not use it outside because it kills pollinators.

Just because something's used commonly in agriculture absolutely does not mean it's not toxic. You know that one of the ag chem companies (I think Monsanto, yay!) is trying to get a new cocktail approved, yes? Wanna know what it contains? Agent Orange. For ag use. No shit.

 

[Prince Blanc]

That does not come as a surprise. It is a proven defoliant after all. Never mind the proven risks! o_O

 

[infocus]

Honestly guys, you're much better off avoiding heavy pesticides. Ipm is a better approach. I understand that pesticides are not always avoidable, i have had to resort to them myself, but i have NEVER used systemics and don't plan to.

 

[durian]

Hate to say it, but smoking anything is going to increase your chances of getting cancer.

Yes, you shouldn’t have said that. i’d prefer to live in ignorant bliss.

 

[infocus]

Eat brownies instead. Lasts longer, stone’s stronger and don.t have to worry about smoking spider poo. or cancer.

 

[Tuku]

I used them once and stopped after I watched the activity under the microscope. it takes a while for them to find all the spider mite, and all the time they do black poops all over the buds and leaves that you then have to smoke. Id rather take my chances with a spray .. but maybe not the heavy shit talked about in this thread.

How could you tell the predators from the mites? Did you actually see them eat each other?

 

[Supercharge]

Predators are colored different (clear to red, depending on variety), have longer legs, and a more rounded, streamlined appearance. Eggs are different, too - spider-mite eggs appear perfectly round, clear to amber in color (depending on how close it is to hatching), while predator eggs are at least twice as large, and colored slightly pink. Unlike spider mites, predators don't make any webbing, but they often lay their eggs right among the spider-mite webbing. Predators breed twice as fast as spider mites, so you should see a gradual increase in their population, and after a few weeks of increase, the spider-mites decline. Predators go from egg to adult in about 7 days, while spider-mites take about 14 days (depending on temperature).

 

[carBon.14]

so what's a good natural alternative product? predator mites are expensive and only good in certain situations.

 

[Purpz]

Neem? It works for other pests, but I've never had mites. I've heard it's good.

 

[goliath]

neem doesnt work. tried it before and the little punks just come back

 

[DarkSpark]

if neem oil is not killing your spider mites it might be because you aren't applying it often enough or maybe you are applying it at the wrong time. Never apply neem oil when temperatures are above 90 degrees or when the plants are water stressed.

 

[Rosenberg]

Thanks for the info on abamectin. I have read various accounts of its effectiveness. If mixed with spinosad it is far more effective. Spinosad is not highly systemic but may transmit through the laminar of the leaf. Spinosad is supposed to have a relatively short half life.

 

[goliath]

whats relatively short?

 

[Rosenberg]

From a facts sheet online…“Under field conditions, spinosad dissipates rapidly from soil surfaces with observed half-lives of less than 1 day. Photolysis studies in the laboratory under artificial sunlight have revealed photodegradation half-lives of 9 to 10 days Spinosad present in deeper soil layers or shaded soil also degrades rapidly. Under laboratory conditions of darkness, spinosad degradation half-lives of 9 to 17 days (25 C) and 5 to 68 days (20 C)”

 

[Plasma]

So to recap; a combo of spinosad and abamectin as early into the flowering period as possible to allow for the half life.

 

[salmon]

Folks, I’d like to point something out about “half-life”. The “half-life” is the time required for half of the compound to break down. 1 half-life = 50% remaining, 2 half-lives = 25% remaining, 3 half-lives = 12% remaining, 4 half-lives = 6% remaining, 5 half-lives = 3% remaining etc etc..

~S

 

[Plasma]

So the half lives above mean that’s when 50% is left, not when it’s all gone?

 

[salmon]

Correct. That’s why it’s called a half life. It’s a curve.

~S

 

[Plasma]

I see. I always understood it that it was all gone by the end of the half life. I'm glad I've not used anything like this before. Thank you for enlightening me to this rather important fact.

 

[salmon]

Some more info from online:

Half-lives can vary widely based on environmental factors. The amount of chemical remaining after a half-life will always depend on the amount of the chemical originally applied. It should be noted that some chemicals may degrade into compounds of toxicological significance.

~S