Russet mites help!

[Spartan11]

Russet mites have taken over my rooms. I really need some help to completely kill these things. I've used green cleaner, met 52, all per plus, and forbid 4f. So far the green cleaner has helped the most but they're still coming back. I lowered the temps about 10 degrees in all rooms. I bleached and bombed with pyrithium bombs in all empty rooms. I don't so much see them at the tops of the plants mostly at bottoms on the inside so I've been going in every day and cleaning all the dead leaves and growth that looks bad.

Please help what can I do I'm too far in to torch the rooms..

Anyone who has dealt with or beat these things please help.

 

[Vestrimatrik]

20ml neem oil and 2ml cinnamon leaf oil per gallon of water...
Shake well and put in a sprayer. Spray everything, and I mean everything (except for electrical of course). Top, bottom, and sides.... walls, pots, and around any entrance.

3 treatments, 3 days apart right before lights on. After the first 3 treatments, slow down to one treatment a week to kill off the rest and prevent any more popping up.

This is the method I used to get rid of mine. Besides, neem oil and cinnamon leaf oil are both things cannabis plants like.

If you need any more help, just ask
Vestri

 

[TorturedSoul]

I had never heard of those things before reading this post. I just did a little searching/reading and, wow, that's a scary SoB.

here is the passage from the Cannabis Encyclopedia about russet mites.

Hemp Russet Mites


These microscopic four-legged mites infested Cannabis plants in a secure greenhouse at Indiana University. This picture shows them on a leaf petiole that was about 2 mm wide

Garden Threat: low to high
Common Names: hemp russet mite, mites
Hemp Russet Mite species that attack cannabis include: Aculops cannabicola
Identify: Hemp russet mites are not well-known but this appalling pest is growing in infamy because it is so hard to control. The mites are very small reaching only 0.2 mm in length and they have just two pairs of legs attached to their pale beige bodies. Even though hemp russet mites are virtually impossible to see with the naked eye, they are easy to distinguish from other destructive mites because they leave no webbing. At 80ºF (27ºC) hemp russet mites achieve a 30-day lifecycle.

Damage: Feeds on all types of cannabis plants. They live and feed mainly on leaves, petioles, and meristems. Feeding damage causes leaflets to curl at edges followed by chlorosis and necrosis. Leaves and petioles become brittle. Infestations turn leaves beige with hemp russet mite bodies! Mites feed on female stigmas rendering them sterile. They also consume resin glands which can reduce resin production severely. Hemp russet mites feed on cannabis plants until host is dead. They congregate on the upper part of the plant as it dies. Hemp russet mites vector viruses.
Cause: Introduced to gardens by unsanitary practices, contaminated stock and bad luck. Hemp russet mites hide on plants indoors and in greenhouses. They are believed to overwinter on contaminated seed indoors and outdoors. The minute mites spread easily to nearby plants by splashing water. Wind also carries them greater distances.
Prevention: Keep garden area clean and disinfected. Introduce only pest-free stock into gardens. Disinfect seeds. Keep the garden below 70ºF (21ºC) and below 50% humidity to slow reproductive process. Remove seriously damaged foliage and plants from garden.
Control:
Biological: The fungus, Hirsutella thompsonii, is a pathogen to hemp russet mites, but I have not seen it available commercially.
Sprays: Miticides and sulfur sprays are somewhat effective. Make sure to get complete foliage coverage when spraying.

I read these things are in California and other west coast states, and have been the cause of more than a few zero-harvest crops. Overwinters on contaminated seeds, FFS? I read about people spraying/drenching with all kinds of stuff that ISN'T rated safe to be used on consumable plants and still losing their crop, yikes. HtH does a person disinfect their seeds? I think(?) I read that temperatures of 120°F+ for an hour might kill these b@stards - but that doesn't seem like it'd be stellar for the seeds' viability.

A layer of diatomaceous earth on the top of your soil/medium (in addition to anything/everything else you can think of to kill the actual mites) might help kill the newly-hatched larva in the soil, but with them being so small, IDK. And IDK if these critters even need to "go to ground" for part of their life cycle; if not, then it probably won't help.

I was just gifted a bunch of seeds from someone in another state, who (I think) received them from multiple people who live in multiple states. Now I'm... concerned.

It's not every day I read a post and end up getting the living sh!t scared out of me....