What are these bugs, should I be concerned?

[Jbreezy]

Couple of pictures here and some of the results of damage caused, I don’t think there is an infestation yet, but I want to remedy before it’s a real problem. You have to look pretty hard to find them, I’d say there’s about 3-4 when you look real close at a plant. Doesn’t seem like anything on underside. Some plants seem to be affected more than others.

 

[Pennywise]

Either spider mites or aphids

 

[oldsmokey]

Either way time to get busy got any neem oil?

 

[Justin Goody]

Looks like aphids. (Edit - some spider mite damage) Spider mites are way harder to see, I usually run my finger over them and look for the dark streak or wait for them to move (they move a certain way) Either way maybe consider ladybugs or neem oil pretty soon.

 

[Jbreezy]

Looks like aphids. (Edit - some spider mite damage) Spider mites are way harder to see, I usually run my finger over them and look for the dark streak or wait for them to move (they move a certain way) Either way maybe consider ladybugs or neem oil pretty soon.

Any good resources on how to use neem oil?

 

[Justin Goody]

Any good resources on how to use neem oil?

Plenty of opinions on here, but here’s what I do if possible:
Take the plant far away from other plants. Trim away the most affected leaves and burn them lol. Take a fairly high pressure hose nozzle and turn the plant sideways so you can see the bottoms of the leaves (Spider mites live on the bottom, treating the top does almost nothing). Spray off the leaves from below. This will likely shock your plant, but mites will ruin it. I’ve found I can remove about 80% of them with the hose. Let the plant dry. Mix your neem oil to whatever the bottle says for spider mites (or use premixed) and turn the plant over again. Spray the bottoms of the leaves liberally. If you miss a spot, that’s where they’ll be hiding. Set the plant up and let it dry again. Use diatomaceous earth around the base of the plant. Repeat in a few days. It seems drastic but spider mites will ruin your crop and the next one if you don’t get rid of them.

 

[oldsmokey]

Any good resources on how to use neem oil?

Here is my mixture half a teaspoon of neem oil quarter teaspoon safer soap into one liter of warm water mix and spray. It's a good idea to warm the neem oil in a hot water bath before mixing.

You want to mix a fresh batch every time you use it. I would apply every 3 days spraying in between with water.of course only spraying when the lights are off.

 

[Bionic Chronic NZ]

neem oil asap man

 

[Southerncough]

I use 1 tsp of neem oil with a drop of dish soap and a few shakes of cayenne pepper (powder) in a spray bottle full of warm water. If you do use the pepper, be sure to keep your mouth closed while spraying and try to keep the mist out of your eyes. Knocks out spider mites almost instantly and keeps caterpillars off outdoor plants. I'm lazy and mix one bottle for my indoor and outdoor plants.
Then as mentioned i treat every few days afterwards because if you see damage they're already laying eggs under the leaves so more will show up within a week.
Also, be sure to shake the bottle well before and during use to keep it mixed because the neem oil wants to separate from the water pretty quickly.
I just sing a little song "spray spray spray....shake shake shake...spray spray spray..."

 

[CanadianJim]

It may be a coincidence, but I had spider mites until a few of those showed up. Haven't seen the spider mites since. They may be predatory mites. Aphids mostly show up at the growth tips.

 

[LowcountrySC]

Plenty of opinions on here, but here’s what I do if possible:
Take the plant far away from other plants. Trim away the most affected leaves and burn them lol. Take a fairly high pressure hose nozzle and turn the plant sideways so you can see the bottoms of the leaves (Spider mites live on the bottom, treating the top does almost nothing). Spray off the leaves from below. This will likely shock your plant, but mites will ruin it. I’ve found I can remove about 80% of them with the hose. Let the plant dry. Mix your neem oil to whatever the bottle says for spider mites (or use premixed) and turn the plant over again. Spray the bottoms of the leaves liberally. If you miss a spot, that’s where they’ll be hiding. Set the plant up and let it dry again. Use diatomaceous earth around the base of the plant. Repeat in a few days. It seems drastic but spider mites will ruin your crop and the next one if you don’t get rid of them.

Can the diatomaceous earth be used as a preventative measure for outdoor growers? Do you put it on the plant soil, or on ground around the plant?

 

[Justin Goody]

Can the diatomaceous earth be used as a preventative measure for outdoor growers? Do you put it on the plant soil, or on ground around the plant?

Definitely. I’d spread it around before there’s a problem if possible. It can be applied anywhere on the plant, even blown under the leaves. It’s harmless except to things with exoskeletons.

 

[LowcountrySC]

Definitely. I’d spread it around before there’s a problem if possible. It can be applied anywhere on the plant, even blown under the leaves. It’s harmless except to things with exoskeletons.

Cool. I have a big bag of it in the garage. Thanks.

 

[Botanical Bondage]

Cool. I have a big bag of it in the garage. Thanks.

Make sure you wear a mask. It won't be kind to your lungs. Also I'd make sure it was "food grade" diatomaceous earth.

Good luck