Spider mites at harvest

[HiighTide]

Buds ready to harvest and and I’ve found mites. My plan to clean them from the buds is to use the baking soda, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, dish detergent & Epsom salt spray recipe but, as the first bucket in the bud wash method then proceed to wash the buds as normal with the next 3 buckets.
Has anyone tried this method? If so, what were your results ? Thanks

 

[SmokingWings]

What you have there looks like a major infestation. I have not come across that recipe you mention for spraying with baking soda, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, dish detergent & Epsom salt.

Maybe do two washes with baking soda and one of the acids, either vinegar or the lemon juice. Maybe a couple of drops of dish soap (the mildest you have available with no fragrances if at all possible) in the first rinse. Then a quick rinse with plain warm water. After that proceed with the traditional 4 Bucket Bud Washing routine.

Bucket 1 is good swishing around rinse with Hydrogen Peroxide & water. Bucket 2 is a wash with the usual baking soda, lemon juice & water mix. Then the rinse with warm water followed by another final rinse. My thoughts are that there is no point in trying to use the Bud Wash method to kill the mites, just use it to get all the webs and mites off the harvested buds.

While waiting for the buds to dry overnight it will be a good time to admit that there is a mite problem. Admitting the problem is the first step. A mite problem, even a really bad one, can be beaten.

Have a good day.

 

[HiighTide]

What you have there looks like a major infestation. I have not come across that recipe you mention for spraying with baking soda, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, dish detergent & Epsom salt.

Maybe do two washes with baking soda and one of the acids, either vinegar or the lemon juice. Maybe a couple of drops of dish soap (the mildest you have available with no fragrances if at all possible) in the first rinse. Then a quick rinse with plain warm water. After that proceed with the traditional 4 Bucket Bud Washing routine.

Bucket 1 is good swishing around rinse with Hydrogen Peroxide & water. Bucket 2 is a wash with the usual baking soda, lemon juice & water mix. Then the rinse with warm water followed by another final rinse. My thoughts are that there is no point in trying to use the Bud Wash method to kill the mites, just use it to get all the webs and mites off the harvested buds.

While waiting for the buds to dry overnight it will be a good time to admit that there is a mite problem. Admitting the problem is the first step. A mite problem, even a really bad one, can be beaten.

Have a good day.

Thanks for the input and I’ll proceed with the wash to remove as much as I can.
Yeah there’s no denying there’s a mite problem. I’m not one to focus on the problem though, more the solution. Nothing a little diligence can’t take care of over time.
‘Thanks again though, will update progress to try and help any others reading this.

 

[Konks Dirt Empire]

I have a link for bud washing in my signature, but used it for aphids. I don't think it was specific to aphids but you must read the fine print! It worked really well once I had the hang of it and was on my last few plants.

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

Spinosad and wash well after harvest.

 

[nivek]

Yeah there’s no denying there’s a mite problem. I’m not one to focus on the problem though, more the solution. Nothing a little diligence can’t take care of over time.

that would suggest you have plans for more growing in the future

i might suggest you might put just a wee bit of focus into the problem friend

karma sent

 

[HiighTide]

that would suggest you have plans for more growing in the future

i might suggest you might put just a wee bit of focus into the problem friend

karma sent

Got the IPM schedule covered already. Thanks

 

[SmokingWings]

.....
Yeah there’s no denying there’s a mite problem. I’m not one to focus on the problem though, more the solution. Nothing a little diligence can’t take care of over time. ....

Really hard to find people posting messages about how much fun, and how easy, it is to control and then get rid of a mite problem.

My solution was to go to war. I figured out a maintenance schedule for spraying Neem Oil or Nuke 'Em. I learned to look for the tell-tale signs on the plants from the time they were 2 inch high clones up to plants in full flower.

As the mite problem gets under control you might notice that the flowering period takes a week or two longer because the plant is healthier. It is growing bigger and denser buds instead of trying to regrow the leaf tissue destroyed by the mites.

Good luck with the battle.

 

[HiighTide]

Harvested and washed yesterday and for the past 24hrs no sign of spider mites. I’ll let these dry for the next 5-6 days and afterwards will begin sterilization of the grow room.

Thanks all who chimed in to help.

 

[HiighTide]

I read that when you harvest and hang to dry that the mites would migrate to the top of the plant.
Day 4 of drying and they’ve made it to the top & forming a web. Ill cut it and see if any others form and go from there.

 

[HiighTide]

Also found more at the top of 3 other hanging branches. I’ll cut the tops off where the mites are and continue drying and watching for more to surface.

 

[HiighTide]

After removing the mites I let the plants dry as usual and allowed an extra day or two to see if anymore mites would surface, but none ever did, so after ten days drying I trimmed and bagged for curing. Three days have passed and so far, no sign of mites as the buds cure.
I started the room reset yesterday and everything from the ceiling to the floors got a bleaching. I used a bleach/water solution, no particular measurement, but I do like to smell the bleach when I’m cleaning. Everything got bleached hooks and hangers, pulleys, ropes, cords, lights, ductwork, fans, dehumidifier, humidifier, controllers, pumps EVERYTHING got bleached.
After spraying the room I allowed a couple hrs for the bleach to work it’s magic and for me to recover from the fumes, I came back and scrubbed everything in the room and mopped the floor.
In my research I found that mites are supposed to die in high heat, so I hooked up all lights, turned on a heater, shut off all fans and filters and started to raise the temps in the room. Temps reached 125F after an hr or so and somewhere in the past 18hrs it made it up to 134F with the humidity so thick it distorts the pic.

I’ll continue with the heat soaking for another six hours to make it a full 24hrs, then I’ll air it out for a day or two.