About 30 days into veg, I noticed all these dead little bugs around a 400 watt metal halide light, that has the hood sideways for side lighting. It's not hung normally, but just sitting there as cfl's give top lighting. I point this light at white widow and cali connections 22 to give them a boost. The light hood is old, and has a sturdy metal hood. No fan or anything. And It allows me to sit it vertically on it's end. Looking I noticed about 20 dead bugs that look like gnats to me, but I'm no bug expert. Looking more closely, I realized they are on the plant leaves of 8 plants, as well and just harder to see. Yet dead. I started thinking, why? The heat? Thirst? as the plants which are in 5 gallon buckets had not been watered in 4 days. I'm also not sure they are on every strain, but it seems like most of them. Also I had been so careful to have a closed environment, but who knows. Maybe they were on my clothes, or shoes when I walked in. I've been careful not to over water, and usually give them about .75 gallons each every 4 days to a week. Sometimes a gallon each. Lately I've been adding molasses.
So I thought that was the end of that. But I keep finding an occasional new one flying around or dead. Not complaining as dead is better than alive, lol. I started thinking maybe they bite the leaves and it's poisonous to them? All plants come from high end, top quality strains and are all different with the exception that two are white widows. The rest are a range from indica to sativa and mixes in between. Strains like northern lights, sour diesel, Santa Muerte, blue dream auto, lsd, white widow etc. So I'm not so sure it's the strain causing this.
As the days passed this keeps happening. The blue dream is the only auto and it has about 10 cfls around it at 2700k and in flowering, doing nicely. I came in yesterday and found the worst outbreak today I'd ever seen. I'd say about 50 to 70 little dead bugs, all on ONE leave. It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen and I don't understand it. I worried they'd get on the sticky buds (yuck), but instead they were neatly placed on the one leaf. I'm guessing they hatched on the leaf, and then promptly died? I'm guessing I have disease and bug resistant strains? They are all feminized. The rest are still in their last days of veg, and looks amazingly healthy. I want to protect them, but don't know what to do about this. And it seems before I can do anything they die anyway, as if the plants are taking care of themselves. Anyone have this happen to them?
So I thought that was the end of that. But I keep finding an occasional new one flying around or dead. Not complaining as dead is better than alive, lol. I started thinking maybe they bite the leaves and it's poisonous to them? All plants come from high end, top quality strains and are all different with the exception that two are white widows. The rest are a range from indica to sativa and mixes in between. Strains like northern lights, sour diesel, Santa Muerte, blue dream auto, lsd, white widow etc. So I'm not so sure it's the strain causing this.
As the days passed this keeps happening. The blue dream is the only auto and it has about 10 cfls around it at 2700k and in flowering, doing nicely. I came in yesterday and found the worst outbreak today I'd ever seen. I'd say about 50 to 70 little dead bugs, all on ONE leave. It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen and I don't understand it. I worried they'd get on the sticky buds (yuck), but instead they were neatly placed on the one leaf. I'm guessing they hatched on the leaf, and then promptly died? I'm guessing I have disease and bug resistant strains? They are all feminized. The rest are still in their last days of veg, and looks amazingly healthy. I want to protect them, but don't know what to do about this. And it seems before I can do anything they die anyway, as if the plants are taking care of themselves. Anyone have this happen to them?
Check the dead bugs to see which one they are...
Your soil will turn into a small volcano like in science class, but it won't kill the plants. (in my experience, and I would do it again if need be)
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