Help identifying mite

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Jimster

Jimster

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I’m going to do a little test. I’m going to put a piece of apple, lettuce, or a piece of tomato in one of the pots. If the mites are eating it, then I know they are white soil mites which eat decomposing material, commonly found in compost/worm bins.
I have no idea what they could be, but soil mites or another critter that lives on decaying stuff sounds about right. Be aware that damage can sometimes take a few weeks to become apparent, but it sounds like you have looked things over pretty well for mites, and didn't see any of the telltale dots on the leaves that they leave behind. There are a million different scavenger bugs out there. As long as they aren't hurting anything, I'd let them alone. They might even be beneficial!
 
SouthernOhio

SouthernOhio

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I have no idea what they could be, but soil mites or another critter that lives on decaying stuff sounds about right. Be aware that damage can sometimes take a few weeks to become apparent, but it sounds like you have looked things over pretty well for mites, and didn't see any of the telltale dots on the leaves that they leave behind. There are a million different scavenger bugs out there. As long as they aren't hurting anything, I'd let them alone. They might even be beneficial!
They are Broad Mites. Been dealing with them for over 9 months. You are seeing a couple of stages. They turn into a "black" hard shelled critter. They are in the very tops of your plants. A few will travel up the plant, laying eggs, usually you can see their trail right along each side of the vein of a leaf, You will see tiny, clear, "egg' shaped transparent dots along with "black spots" in a line that you can follow. They go straight to the most nutrients. The tops. Everyday, more hatch along that line. It will begin to look like a nutrient lockout, so you fertilize and help feed them. You eventually have to get rid of all soil, isolate possibly infected plants and most likely get rid of and clean everything. Get Miticide soil drench, they are in the soil too. DE,Spinocide, Safer Miticide Soap, Neem oil after you have knocked them down. They are demons from hell.
You can get about 80% of them. They start causing problems about week 4 or 5 of flower, you start noticing the infestation. They will eat the resin right off your buds.
Best to get a computer microscope to see. Cost about 15 bucks for a cheap one.
Good luck!
 
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Beachwalker

Beachwalker

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Thanks for the recommendation! I’m going to order the 12oz bottle. They have it for $32 right now.
I respectfully disagree that they can be handled with one product, you have to rotate at least two products or more for best results and if the last gentleman above identifying them as broad mites is correct I would take his advice very seriously, best wishes!
 
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Beachwalker

Beachwalker

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They’ve been there a few months. I’ve never seen leaf damage. I’ve been reading way too much about mites, my skin is starting to crawl! They look a lot like dust mites which I learned can live on house plants if there is dust and high enough humidity. I doubt it but I’m not ruling it out. I’m going to check the bait I set out tomorrow morning to see if these mites are feeding on it...
I'm pretty sure you would have seen damaged by now they must be some kind of either benign or predatory mite I don't know but they're not the bad kind apparently, that's a good thing! Are you continuing to spray them?
 
Seraphine

Seraphine

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I am not ruling broad mites out, the only reasons I think they are not is that the eggs I have seen are clear and round, not elliptical and spotted like broad mite eggs and I am fairly certain I’ve had these for quite some time and have had successful harvests and I can see them without magnification. I think they came in some potting soil I bought before I switched to coco coir. But FML if they are broad mites. I’ll keep up the research. Thanks for the information, not the news I wanted I’ll double check under the leaves tomorrow for any eggs. I have some avid coming to tomorrow that I will add to the rotation if needed.
 
Seraphine

Seraphine

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They are Broad Mites. Been dealing with them for over 9 months. You are seeing a couple of stages. They turn into a "black" hard shelled critter. They are in the very tops of your plants. A few will travel up the plant, laying eggs, usually you can see their trail right along each side of the vein of a leaf, You will see tiny, clear, "egg' shaped transparent dots along with "black spots" in a line that you can follow. They go straight to the most nutrients. The tops. Everyday, more hatch along that line. It will begin to look like a nutrient lockout, so you fertilize and help feed them. You eventually have to get rid of all soil, isolate possibly infected plants and most likely get rid of and clean everything. Get Miticide soil drench, they are in the soil too. DE,Spinocide, Safer Miticide Soap, Neem oil after you have knocked them down. They are demons from hell.
You can get about 80% of them. They start causing problems about week 4 or 5 of flower, you start noticing the infestation. They will eat the resin right off your buds.
Best to get a computer microscope to see. Cost about 15 bucks for a cheap one.
Good luck!
What miticide soil drench have you used? I could use the help! I only know of azamax that can be used as a soil drench.
 
SouthernOhio

SouthernOhio

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I am not ruling broad mites out, the only reasons I think they are not is that the eggs I have seen are clear and round, not elliptical and spotted like broad mite eggs and I am fairly certain I’ve had these for quite some time and have had successful harvests and I can see them without magnification. I think they came in some potting soil I bought before I switched to coco coir. But FML if they are broad mites. I’ll keep up the research. Thanks for the information, not the news I wanted I’ll double check under the leaves tomorrow for any eggs. I have some avid coming to tomorrow that I will add to the rotation if needed.
I had spider mite and Broad mite eggs at the same time. A computer microscope will tell you the truth. It took me weeks to spot an "adult" Broad Mite.
There is no movement because the tiny egg shaped larvae are feeding on the leaf cell and stay there. After they are gone, there is a "grazing' spot. I was looking at where they had been and not where they actually were. Adults live 5-9 days? So there are these idle grazers, they turn green, then off they go. Sprayed with Safer Soap every 3 days, 3 times, then hit them with Neem oil. Gave them a couple days to shake it off.
Have to look the soil drench up.
"Root Cleaner"
 
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SouthernOhio

SouthernOhio

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What miticide soil drench have you used? I could use the help! I only know of azamax that can be used as a soil drench.
"Root Cleaner"
I have Avid, Azamax, Safer Brand 5118 Soap, DE , Neem Oil and Spectracide foggers on my shelf now.
Believe me, you do not want them to get a foothold. They are slow going from plant to plant. I never seen these before. I didn't know I had them. A white fly can carry 5 or 6 on it's body alone.
 
Beachwalker

Beachwalker

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I had spider mite and Broad mite eggs at the same time. A computer microscope will tell you the truth. It took me weeks to spot an "adult" Broad Mite.
There is no movement because the tiny egg shaped larvae are feeding on the leaf cell and stay there. After they are gone, there is a "grazing' spot. I was looking at where they had been and not where they actually were. Adults live 5-9 days? So there are these idle grazers, they turn green, then off they go. Sprayed with Safer Soap every 3 days, 3 times, then hit them with Neem oil. Gave them a couple days to shake it off.
Have to look the soil drench up.
"Root Cleaner"
What I find confusing is she says she's had these for quite a while, weeks if not longer, and she's noticed no damage at all?
 
Seraphine

Seraphine

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What I find confusing is she says she's had these for quite a while weeks if not longer, and she's noticed no damage at all?
Right. Last year, I found these in my soil because I saw spring tails so I looked with a scope. I’ll try to find an old picture of what I took last year to make sure they are the same. Initially I thought they were bulb mites so as a result I switched to coco. I cleaned everything and thought that solved my problem until I saw them again maybe 2 months ago. I’ll continue to treat my veg tent. I’ll leave the ones in my flower tent alone since I don’t want to mess with the buds. It is possible they are two different pests.
 
SouthernOhio

SouthernOhio

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What I find confusing is she says she's had these for quite a while, weeks if not longer, and she's noticed no damage at all?
A computer microscope is the best way to tell what she has. I had them for 9 months or more. Not till I bought 1 did I find out what they were. Was spreading from 1 plant to the next and I was treating for "spider mites" and feeding them with CalMag. They eat spider mites for a snack and drink Azamax like "Ovaltine" . lol
 
Spiny Norman

Spiny Norman

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Where I live if you send a good photo of the insect/arachnid to a major museum and ask them to identify it for you they will, the agricultural department will do the same and it does not cost anything. This may be a way to identify them as they have experts in this field and it takes the guess work out of it. You don't have to tell them what plants they are growing on either.
 
Seraphine

Seraphine

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I don’t get clones and no one really visits so I they were not brought in that way. They have to be in my yard. I tried contacting my extension agent the first time and that person wanted to know what plant i found it on. I panicked and I never emailed back.

Here’s my plan: Order the digital microscope and some more insecticides. I will continue to monitor my veg and flower tents for broad mite damage. Keep cleaning/sanitizing and treat with the less toxic stuff (save the avid for later). If I can confirm they are broad mites, there are some new miticides out there will treat effectively, expensive but they work. @SouthernOhio check these out: PFR-97 20% WDG (CERTIS) for veg and flower and Preferal (SePRO) for veg. They contain Isaria fumosorosea (Apopka Strain 97) which is a fungus that targets broad mites and will continue to reinfect broad mites and other insects, killing them over and over. Similar to milky spore. If you have the $$$, i’d look into them.

Once I find them outside, I will contact the extension agent again, if they appear to be causing damage to plants outside, I’ll have to tear the host plants out and burn them and treat the perimeter of my house. If not, they will just find their way back in and I’ll find myself here again. I’m going to check my tomato plants closely, they have leaf septoria but I’ll check for mites too. My tomatoes are the only plants that are showing damage, I tore out some dwarf Alberta spruces a while back because I suspected spruce mites(those are red/brown mites).
I pray to the cannabis gods that they are not broad mites 😭

Thanks for everyone’s help and listening to my ramblings.
 
Mr.jiujitsu

Mr.jiujitsu

1,701
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I’m going to do a little test. I’m going to put a piece of apple, lettuce, or a piece of tomato in one of the pots. If the mites are eating it, then I know they are white soil mites which eat decomposing material, commonly found in compost/worm bins.
If it’s fungus gnats use potato slices they love those
 
Beachwalker

Beachwalker

7,055
313
I don’t get clones and no one really visits so I they were not brought in that way. They have to be in my yard. I tried contacting my extension agent the first time and that person wanted to know what plant i found it on. I panicked and I never emailed back.

Here’s my plan: Order the digital microscope and some more insecticides. I will continue to monitor my veg and flower tents for broad mite damage. Keep cleaning/sanitizing and treat with the less toxic stuff (save the avid for later). If I can confirm they are broad mites, there are some new miticides out there will treat effectively, expensive but they work. @SouthernOhio check these out: PFR-97 20% WDG (CERTIS) for veg and flower and Preferal (SePRO) for veg. They contain Isaria fumosorosea (Apopka Strain 97) which is a fungus that targets broad mites and will continue to reinfect broad mites and other insects, killing them over and over. Similar to milky spore. If you have the $$$, i’d look into them.

Once I find them outside, I will contact the extension agent again, if they appear to be causing damage to plants outside, I’ll have to tear the host plants out and burn them and treat the perimeter of my house. If not, they will just find their way back in and I’ll find myself here again. I’m going to check my tomato plants closely, they have leaf septoria but I’ll check for mites too. My tomatoes are the only plants that are showing damage, I tore out some dwarf Alberta spruces a while back because I suspected spruce mites(those are red/brown mites).
I pray to the cannabis gods that they are not broad mites 😭

Thanks for everyone’s help and listening to my ramblings.
I suspect mine came in on my dogs, I do have a vegetable garden but I try to be careful and either hose off or completely shower off and separate clothes every single time. If you have outdoor pets that's a pretty good way for things to travel
 
SouthernOhio

SouthernOhio

104
63
I don’t get clones and no one really visits so I they were not brought in that way. They have to be in my yard. I tried contacting my extension agent the first time and that person wanted to know what plant i found it on. I panicked and I never emailed back.

Here’s my plan: Order the digital microscope and some more insecticides. I will continue to monitor my veg and flower tents for broad mite damage. Keep cleaning/sanitizing and treat with the less toxic stuff (save the avid for later). If I can confirm they are broad mites, there are some new miticides out there will treat effectively, expensive but they work. @SouthernOhio check these out: PFR-97 20% WDG (CERTIS) for veg and flower and Preferal (SePRO) for veg. They contain Isaria fumosorosea (Apopka Strain 97) which is a fungus that targets broad mites and will continue to reinfect broad mites and other insects, killing them over and over. Similar to milky spore. If you have the $$$, i’d look into them.

Once I find them outside, I will contact the extension agent again, if they appear to be causing damage to plants outside, I’ll have to tear the host plants out and burn them and treat the perimeter of my house. If not, they will just find their way back in and I’ll find myself here again. I’m going to check my tomato plants closely, they have leaf septoria but I’ll check for mites too. My tomatoes are the only plants that are showing damage, I tore out some dwarf Alberta spruces a while back because I suspected spruce mites(those are red/brown mites).
I pray to the cannabis gods that they are not broad mites 😭

Thanks for everyone’s help and listening to my ramblings.
Jorge Cervantes has a video about killing Broad and Russets. The guy was using PFR-97 and a few different ways to kill, from fungus, to "fatty acids", was too expensive for the small amount I needed of the PFR.
In extreme cases in flower, I spray the undersides with very cold Ethanol.
Turns anywhere they have eaten brown, amazingly, doesn't harm the healthy parts of the leaf. I wash off with water.
Take a leaf and try it, you can see where they have been.
 

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