Oh No! Spider Mites?

[Regrowth]

I was doing some research earlier about terpenes present in cannabis that may act as insect repellents.
Here's one anyway but only seems particularly useful if you're able to attract predator insects.

Nerolidol, or trans-nerolidol, is a terpene found in many strong aromatic plants such as jasmine, tea tree, and lemongrass, and it can also be found in some cannabis strains. It’s known for a nuanced floral aroma with notes of citrus, apples, and rose, and is often used as a fragrance or food additive. Researchers have also found evidence that nerolidol has sedative, anti-anxiety, antimicrobial, anti-parasitic, anti-oxidant, and pain-relieving properties, and may be an insect repellent.

The results of the present study suggest that the enzyme (3S)-(E)-nerolidol synthase plays an important role in regulating the formation of 4,8-dimethyl-1,3(E),7-nonatriene, a key signal molecule in induced plant defense mediated by the attraction of enemies of herbivores.

These creatures had been secretly here for a while, feeding, breeding, lurking… Male mites doted over the cocoons of their loves, waiting for their soulmates to emerge. The most fragrant females attracted the males using a witches’ brew of volatile compounds including the terpenoid nerolidol. [1] The males just couldn’t get enough. More intoxicating nerolidol, more affection.

But this isn’t a spider love story. It’s a story of floral vengeance.

I found a few other candidates I may research later or perhaps someone who knows more could chime in.

Various terpenes have been integrated into organic insecticide products due to demonstrated scientific viability. [1-3, 5]
The Environmental Protection Agency considers D-limonene, α-terpinene, and p-cymene acceptable for use in insecticide products with an exemption for residue tolerance due to a high safety profiles in human beings.

A search of quoted text may lead to the respective origins as I'm unfamiliar with linking policies.

 

[Vegan4life]

Ok, I'll share what has worked for me with spider mites. I have had them on multiple occasions and this is my new routine if and when I get them. First thing I do is sulfur burns. This is for assistance against two main things....potential PM, and mites (specifically hemp russet mites and spider mites).

The science behind the sulfur burn is that when you heat up the sulfur to the melting point (not burning point) the sulfur particles become microscopic and essentially coat the surfaces and underside of the leaves and stems and cause the pH of the leaves to be uninhabitable for mold spores or mites. I do weekly burns in my veg tents and for the first two weeks of flower. You can go later if need but if you focus on keeping your veg plants clean....things will work out after a harvest (assuming you keep a clean grow room....which lets be honest, most of us don't, we see it in the pics).

The second thing I do is use SNS-209 as a full systemic treatment. I chose this for one reason....in all my research into battling hemp russet mites (which I had last year), the only successes I found were greenhouse growers that did sulfur burns and did a systemic treatment with SNS-209. Based on that being the only thing that growers said worked, I started with those two. And I was clean within a month or so. I have kept doing both since then.

For spider mites.....its easy to see when you have them. Those little white spots are your first clue. If you see those, you have a lot more than you think.

Step 1. Remove any foliage with the spots or any other signs of damage. This will get rid of the eggs they laid as well as the mature adults munching on your girls.

Step 2. Get a bright flashlight. Take the plant to a semi dark area and start shining the light on the underside of your leaves. Any adult spider mites will show as a small black dot from the flashlight. Either pluck that leaf off (probably eggs on there too) or at least wipe the undersides of the leaf with your finger or wet paper towel. Doesn't take much to kill them but leaving them on your plant if you see it is pretty silly. Get rid of it.

Step 3. Get a sprayer, a garden spray is best and even if you don't like spraying with products, spray the shit outta the underside of your leaves every couple days with just water. If you did step 1 and step 2 (time consuming I know....I run 20+ plants at any given time but if you want to get rid of them you need to get rid of the source leaves) then spraying isn't difficult

If you decide you want to use something in your sprays, then I have a few recommendations. All of these recommendations are things I have done or do regularly. WARNING!!! IF you do sulfur burns like I do, don't spray with anything that is oil based (like Neem). Oils and Sulfur don't mix well at all and your plants will be angry.

These are the things that I spray with..and I generally will spray with a rinse the following day. The rinse should just be water or water and silica. The silica will act like a coat of wax against pest pressure, making it harder for them to get back to eating your girls. Also don't spray with the same thing on back to back sprays.

1. Captain Jacks Dead Bug followed at recommended ratio (remember to rinse the following day with water and silica
2. Safer Insect Soap (at recommended ratio if you buy the concentrated stuff which is the cheaper way to go....though the stuff they sell in spray bottles sprays really well.....ALSO, rinse with water and silica the following day)
3. water and ISO alcohol at a 9:1 ratio. I Know someone commented that they ruined their crops, I have sprayed in flower with no ill effects but I don't spray in flower because I focus on my veg plants being clean.
4. Water and Hydrogen Peroxide at 4:1

Give your plants a good looking over from different angles, and once a week perform Step 1, and Step 2 before doing step 3. If you stay on it....and if you remove leaves with damage (pests and eggs are always there too) any time you see them, and you spray with just water and silica (invest in a good sprayer and keep it clean), and if you keep your grow room/area clean, you should be pest free within a month. Clean your tents with vinegar/water mix, wiping down the walls, poles, floors, ceiling, cords, all of it. I Know it sucks but battling pests for months on months fucking sucks worse.

KEY INFO!!! Don't stop the treatment when you think you are clear. Chances are there are eggs or juveniles somewhere that will come back with a vengeance. So if you don't see pests, keep treating for 2 more weeks. It will pay off. No sense in quitting just before you get to the finish line.

If you don't grow a perpetual like me....you can simply limp your plants into harvest, clean the hell outta everything and hope you got everything, and hopefully start over clean with new seedlings. Thats not an option to me. Pests suck but they are all beatable. It takes vigilance and a structured routine if you want to eradicate them. This routine has beaten spider mites, hemp russet mites and now aphids (which I think are the hardest to deal with personally....cause the sulfur burns don't stop em).

Ladybugs are great against aphids, not so much against spider mites. Predator mites....meh....no real luck using them. A set scheduled IPM Is your best defense, take it for what its worth. The times I have had issues with pests are always when I get lazy. Set a routine and stick to it. Its really only labor intensive the first 2 weeks....then you can kind of reel it back to once a week. Don't forget the rinse, the plants will thank you!! Cheers and good luck. Any follow up questions, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for your in depth reply, very educational and helpful. I am growing in LOS, I have at least a month probably longer until harvest. I want to get through this grow while beating those bastards back, then I will deep clean. Should I plan on throwing out my soil after this grow? Or can it be treated with something?

 

[Vegan4life]

and lids were just that lids.. they didn't wiegh out oz's it was more like a 5 finger bag.. I stoped smoking that mex when it went up to 15 dollars per lid.. But back then you was able to get a nice variety of weed.. 35$ for a oz of lumbo,, or 15$ for a 3 gram stick of Thai. Or 35$ a 7gram stick of buddha stick double dipped in opium.

That is a spider mite. The red might even be a preditory mites? I've never looked into the clover mites myself....... but here's the preditory mites feasting on a spider mite. Spider mites will come in afew different colors depending on the age and stage of life..

mites.jpg

• NorCaliwood
• Dec 14, 2020

GL. prevention is the best way to defeat them. I always do a spray regiment right as I put them into flower.

Wow 5 finger bag! Lucky to get a 4 finger bag where I came from (So Cal, San Bernardino area) , occasionally find some Thai stick, Columbian gold or Oaxacan spears but not very often.

 

[bluter]

Sulfur burns are the shit against mites...more for protection than treatment. Once you start treating your plants in veg with sulfur, it will be tough for them bastards to ever get a foothold (unless you are a dumbass that goes tromping around outside and then goes directly into your grow space.....and there are plenty that do that shit and then bitch about not being about to get rid of pests)

death from above is one of my favorites.

a

That is a spider mite. The red might even be a preditory mites? I've never looked into the clover mites myself....... but here's the preditory mites feasting on a spider mite.

mites.jpg

• NorCaliwood
• Dec 14, 2020

GL. prevention is the best way to defeat them. I always do a spray regiment right as I put them into flower.

red mites are pretty much always the good guys. there are bigger ones you can see without magnification. they are generally all hunters. i've had red ones when i had common two-spotted mites. they kept the crappy mites in check to a degree, but not well enough.

i agree with the prevention plan. i do some myself.

For months I had a major infestation of spider mites. I tried the neem oil and insecticidal soap, both of which were only a temporary cover up.
Then I put one of those hot shot bug strip things in the tent. Problem solved!!
Well, that's all I have to say about that....

i've recommend hotshots for multiple types of predatory issues.
it requires some management, you have to limit human exposure.

hotshots are most effective when used in conjunction with other treatments. they should also never be used after the second wk of flower. actually i do not use them in flower at all.

 

[Vegan4life]

The second thing I do is use SNS-209 as a full systemic treatment. I chose this for one reason....in all my research into battling hemp russet mites (which I had last year), the only successes I found were greenhouse growers that did sulfur burns and did a systemic treatment with SNS-209. Based on that being the only thing that growers said worked, I started with those two. And I was clean within a month or so. I have kept doing both since then.

Is it ok to use the SNS-209 drench @ 5 weeks of 12/12? I just got a bottle. @Van Stank

 

[SmokingWings]

Wow 5 finger bag! Lucky to get a 4 finger bag where I came from (So Cal, San Bernardino area) , occasionally find some Thai stick, Columbian gold or Oaxacan spears but not very often.

4 finger bags became 3 fingers. The weed was becoming greener, just as many seeds, harsher smoke and the effects were dropping. The Thai Sticks were starting to cost to much and getting harder to find, Acapulco Gold was almost impossible and most of the people I knew were quitting smoking because of the lower quality or because of drug testing at work.

 

[Van Stank]

Is it ok to use the SNS-209 drench @ 5 weeks of 12/12? I just got a bottle. @Van Stank

Well I want you to know that SNS-209 is a better system prevention method than a treatment method.

What do I mean by that. Its not meant to treat an infestation. That is what spraying is for. The systemic treatment is a bit slower and more of a deterrent than an answer for a problem if that makes sense. Plucking infested leaves is your first line of defense...get as many bugs AND EGGS off the plant as possible. Spraying is next as it will kill those that are wondering around that you can't see. Lastly the systemic part helps IF and when you have something that makes it past the first two layers of defense. They start munching on the plants and go "Yuck, this shit don't taste good, let me go look elsewhere" or in some cases the systemic treatments will interfere with the reproductive cycles of the pests. Win win.

I am not sure I would start in week 5 of flower.....I think I would pluck and wipe away bugs off your plant and save the 209 for starting a new plant or plants. You can certainly try and see if it will help at all.

 

[Vegan4life]

I just sprayed plants again this afternoon, I sprayed with the diluted rosemary tea that I made mixed with some ISO, 9:1 mix. I only saw 6 mites. I must have caught it early, thank god! I'll keep checking and spray them again on the weekend.

 

[Auggie]

i battled mites for years,, mainly cuz i was growing in soil, and the soil/peat moss is where the mites were coming from

so i kept reinfesting my grow room on a regular basis

i tried everything under the sun to eradicate them,, and i never did till i stopped growing in soil,

I grow in Canna Coco.
Have for as long as I can remember.

Spider Mites is a running battle, constant.
I never get rid of them
I just keep them under control.

I use Plant Therapy, but SNS will do the job also.
Both of em are an oil of some kind, a little bit of alcohol for preservative, a teaspoon of dish soap as a stickant ... It coats the bug and it suffocates.
The Plant Therapy says you can use it the day of harvest.
I use it every other week, up to two weeks before harvest and have had no problems - and it works.

Use, then wait two days and spray again. A real drench, get under the leaves. The stuff kills mites, but it doesn't kill eggs.
So, Ms Mite lays eggs, you come along an hour later and kill her, and her eggs hatch two days later.
If I get a bad infection, I will do every other day for a week or ten days.

Also, if you don't have bugs, it won't hurt your plant at all.

It also helps to prevent PM.

 

[jimihendrix58]

While I wouldnt use it on flowering plants, if you want to 10000000000000000000% Eradicate the fuckers Id rotate Avid, and Forbid 4F, as directed, and with use of good ventilation.
It takes Forbid 70 days to get out of the plant. Forbid is Systemic.
Id drench the whole area(s), and vegging plants as directed.
This WILL 100% Eradicate them.
Also remember Mites are Arachnids, and Not Insects, so Insecticides, do not work on Mites. Soap ect WILL kill them, but is not going to stop the egg/breeding cycle.

 

[Diatomacious]

Mites leave feces that are toxic to humans. Dont put that in your body please

I've had some pretty nasty infections of mites in my time... webbing on the buds, mite orgies hanging from the leaves (they love to cluster f**k). I still smoked the bud and had no ill effects from mite feces (never tried eating them). I seriously doubt you will get sick from them unless you're the boy in the bubble.

During bud your best bet is to spray every 2 weeks with soap and neem oil mix. This will kill the adults but not the eggs (keeps em from webbing your buds). You will not notice the taste in the product if you use a non-scented organic soap. Soap alone is not enough to slow them up which is why I add the neem oil extract, this seems to deter them for about 2 weeks before they replenish their ranks.

They are some resilient little SOB's so your best defense against them is prevention (take a shower before entering the grow and keep your space clean and tidy). Just make absolutely sure you lower the humidity in the grow and keep the air moving so the buds do not develop mold from the moisture (dry em quick as possible).

 

[Auggie]

I've had some pretty nasty infections of mites in my time... webbing on the buds, mite orgies hanging from the leaves (they love to cluster f**k). I still smoked the bud and had no ill effects from mite feces (never tried eating them). I seriously doubt you will get sick from them unless you're the boy in the bubble.

During bud your best bet is to spray every 2 weeks with soap and neem oil mix. This will kill the adults but not the eggs (keeps em from webbing your buds). You will not notice the taste in the product if you use a non-scented organic soap. Soap alone is not enough to slow them up which is why I add the neem oil extract, this seems to deter them for about 2 weeks before they replenish their ranks.

They are some resilient little SOB's so your best defense against them is prevention (take a shower before entering the grow and keep your space clean and tidy). Just make absolutely sure you lower the humidity in the grow and keep the air moving so the buds do not develop mold from the moisture (dry em quick as possible).

Neem tastes awful.
Use the SNS stuff, or Plant Therapy.
Can use right up to the day of harvest. I've done it.
Use every other day till clear.

 

[Diatomacious]

Neem tastes awful.
Use the SNS stuff, or Plant Therapy.
Can use right up to the day of harvest. I've done it.
Use every other day till clear.

I'd say @jimihendrix58 is pretty dead on if you can catch them in veg. Best bet is to be rid of them before bud but stuff happens. I tried the SNS217C and was unhappy with the results but I did not spray them every other day... maybe once a week with a busy schedule and about 60+ plants to spray. That alone will wear out an old codger like me lol.

 

[Diatomacious]

Forgot to mention... if your neem is making your smoke taste bad I'd switch brands. I tried a couple myself that seemed to do very little against the predators but finally found one that seemed to work for me. I can't taste it in the bud and I'm pretty picky.

 

[Auggie]

I'd say @jimihendrix58 is pretty dead on if you can catch them in veg. Best bet is to be rid of them before bud but stuff happens. I tried the SNS217C and was unhappy with the results but I did not spray them every other day... maybe once a week with a busy schedule and about 60+ plants to spray. That alone will wear out an old codger like me lol.

Yea, the trouble with the oil and water sauces is that they kill the live bugs, but not their eggs.
So Ms. Spider lays eggs, then you kill her, then two days later they hatch.

So, you gotta kill mamma, then you gotta kill babies before they become mammas ... but one always makes it ... so you gotta kill her, then you gotta kill her babies .. .but you miss one ... and the beat goes on.

My step son is a termite inspector and applicator. He tells me that he does not kill bugs, he only controls them so they don't do too much damage.

We have the same task. We never get them all. Mother nature will get her bite, we just control the bite size. There is always bugs in your room. And mine. And his ... and yea, even hers.
We all got bugs.

I've gotten pretty fast with spraying a room. Including mix time I can do a 110 plant room in about 20 minutes.

 

[Auggie]

Forgot to mention... if your neem is making your smoke taste bad I'd switch brands. I tried a couple myself that seemed to do very little against the predators but finally found one that seemed to work for me. I can't taste it in the bud and I'm pretty picky.

I just don't use it.
Shit looks and smells nasty to me.

Oil and water works great, and is universal, and does not harm the plant or the environment or me.

 

[nivek]

I just don't use it.
Shit looks and smells nasty to me.

second that,, i have never used it and probably am too ignorant on the subject to even comment,,,,

and perhaps neem can be used as a systemic,

but most i have heard about using it is as a spray,,

and it is an oil,,,

all over my plants??

milk was bad enuf thanks,,

 

[Vegan4life]

I am just going to keep trying to knock them down with water mixed with iso and water mixed with h202. I just ordered some "Lost Coast plant therapy" I may try that this coming week. I am now just starting week 7 of 12/12 and I am not going to use neem or any toxic sprays while in flower. I just got done spraying with water and h202, 1 gallon water to 8 ounces h202. I looked over plants with a loupe before spraying, I only found around 8 mites. but I could see some eggs on a few leaves with the mites. I plucked the leaves and put them in a jar of iso. No webbing going on...

 

[DeltaDubie]

I am just going to keep trying to knock them down with water mixed with iso and water mixed with h202. I just ordered some "Lost Coast plant therapy" I may try that this coming week. I am now just starting week 7 of 12/12 and I am not going to use neem or any toxic sprays while in flower. I just got done spraying with water and h202, 1 gallon water to 8 ounces h202. I looked over plants with a loupe before spraying, I only found around 8 mites. but I could see some eggs on a few leaves with the mites. I plucked the leaves and put them in a jar of iso. No webbing going on...

safer soap is not bad but will wipe out buds.. mites can explode indoors grows overnight into millions and billions..

if indoor only one thing to do mate termination! garbage to the dump

clean grow op for a month use some safer soap and mop up ..

grow from seed and never bring anything to your grow room

.. destroy your crop..

cheers..

 

[Vegan4life]

safer soap is not bad but will wipe out buds.. mites can explode indoors grows overnight into millions and billions..

if indoor only one thing to do mate termination! garbage to the dump

clean grow op for a month use some safer soap and mop up ..

grow from seed and never bring anything to your grow room

.. destroy your crop..

cheers..

NOT AN OPTION!!! The Borg will DIE!!!