What's your IPM for indoors

[Dankman_420]

Hello growers! I've recently got spider mites and I want to implement a IPM in my garden. I'm trying to find out what the best IPM program is so I can keep these pests under control. What is your IPM? Thanks and have a Dank day

 

[Gazoo]

I use a HOME made DIY Lady but home that will sloow release and if set-up correctly will last
from mid veg through flower with Live Lady Bugs keeping a watch and making sure no critters will
get the chance to reproduce

Spoiler: LINK to DIY LADY Bug Home

New Moon Over Guawi: A High Brix Journey

Nice! I bet they keep pests out of there! Looking good (and detailed) in here Gazoo! :high-five:

www.420magazine.com

 

[Dankman_420]

I use a HOME made DIY Lady but home that will sloow release and if set-up correctly will last
from mid veg through flower with Live Lady Bugs keeping a watch and making sure no critters will
get the chance to reproduce

Spoiler: LINK to DIY LADY Bug Home

New Moon Over Guawi: A High Brix Journey

Nice! I bet they keep pests out of there! Looking good (and detailed) in here Gazoo! :high-five:

www.420magazine.com

Hey Gazoo, I've got some ladybugs in my garden right now too. I've got a chunk of a damp sponge and couple of raisins for food and water source. I'm hoping to keep them around for awhile. Another tent I have sprayed. So no LB's in there for awhile. Stop by and see the progress. Link at the bottom

 

[AdaminCO]

I’ve tried it all. Predatory mites 5 species, lady bugs, and the Neem oil.
I hear Castile soap non scented works too, but never tried it.
The only thing that worked quickly 2 treatments was this Agro stuff.

Home - GrowSafe by AgroMagen

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www.agromagen.com

Is safe for the ladybugs, but destroys the mites. I highly recommend trying this. It’s all organic, has a good smell, and actually works with minimal use.

 

[Weaselcracker]

For mites, over the period of two hellish years, I sprayed with lots of different soaps, isopropyl alcohol mixes, bleach, and pyrethrum based products. I also twice tried releasing 500 ladybugs into the grow- the poor things just mostly fried on the lights, wandered into cracks, teleported to another universe, did everything but hang around and eat mites. This appears to be the same experience everyone has when they buy ladybugs.

Every one of the sprays worked except the ‘dr doom’ pyrethrum based spray which they were clearly completely immune to. I got the impression that simple dish soap and water worked as well as anything.

However the sprays only worked to kill (most of) the adult mites, while the eggs and babies continued to hatch out just fine.

Also two years running I shut the grow down in mid winter, bleached it all down, repainted and then left it off in freezing temps for a couple months. As soon as I started up again the mites did too.

In the end what worked for me is Mite-Rid, which is an extract of neem oil. At the time I had to order it from Australia. It works as a systemic pesticide meaning it absorbs into your plants, turning them into something that kills mites for several weeks, breaking the life cycle. It worked perfectly and was the final happy ending to the nightmare.

Not 100% sure what an IPM is or if this fits the description but it is seems generally pretty safe and non-toxic/nasty and it killed the mites which was all I cared about by then.

 

[Gazoo]

The idea is IPM

Stopping them before they get established is key

Keeping a live colony of lady bugs (or what ever they call a bunch of them) in the tent Helps keep the first
appearance of any pest under control by either eliminating or keeping them down to a manageable amount

I also use Yellow sticky traps at the start BEFORE lady bug release so I can monitor
for any indication of pests before I set-up the Lady Bug Hotel

 

[Weaselcracker]

what ever they call a bunch of them

A bunch of ladybugs is called a ‘loveliness’. No joke.

Keeping a live colony of lady bugs...in the tent

Has anyone ever actually achieved this though? I’ve never seen or heard of it, just repeats of what happened with mine.

 

[Dankman_420]

Im not sure if the ladybugs are working or not. They do like to commit suicide by HPS as @Weaselcracker said. @Gazoo how often do you have to set loose new batches of the ladybugs? I'm trying to stay mostly organic. But if it keeps going I'm considering using green cleaner for a weekly or biweekly preventative regimen. Just to be safe. Woody does the same thing I think. I'll look into all the stuff everyone's spoken about because I have to think they will get amune to the same shit getting sprayed over and over

 

[Weaselcracker]

Yes it sounds like one difference between my situation and most other peoples is that I do not have spider mites in the wild here. I got them as a gift from a friend on some clones. Now that I got rid of them I can only get them again from a domestic source.
So yes- to some extent they will become immune to sprays and if you’re constantly being reinfected then the systemic sprays wouldn’t be the way to go. But it’s my understanding (which could be wrong) that almost any direct spray messes them up. I was told even a brisk water spray damages their mouthparts and basically incapacitates them. So in that sense frequent spraying would work, and is exactly what many people do with neem oil.

 

[Dankman_420]

Yes it sounds like one difference between my situation and most other peoples is that I do not have spider mites in the wild here. I got them as a gift from a friend on some clones. Now that I got rid of them I can only get them again from a domestic source.
So yes- to some extent they will become immune to sprays and if you’re constantly being reinfected then the systemic sprays wouldn’t be the way to go. But it’s my understanding (which could be wrong) that almost any direct spray messes them up. I was told even a brisk water spray damages their mouthparts and basically incapacitates them. So in that sense frequent spraying would work, and is exactly what many people do with neem oil.

I don't take in clones either or let anyone in my grows. I've learned that they are probably everywhere in my yard. It's full of blue spruce trees and fruit trees. We've been picking apples lately and I all of a sudden have them. I guess they love all of those trees. I'm going to have to spray before I see them as a preventative measure. Sucks, I hate spraying shit on my erbs

 

[Weaselcracker]

My botanist/gardener friend just sprays them off with a pump sprayer and water. He says that spraying with plain water and washing them off frequently is enough to keep them under control. That's for his outdoor plants, but still maybe worth looking into.

 

[Gazoo]

A bunch of ladybugs is called a ‘loveliness’. No joke.



Has anyone ever actually achieved this though? I’ve never seen or heard of it, just repeats of what happened with mine.

I have done it multiple times, Many pictures in my journal with active lady bugs from the same LOVELINESS home
Can be seen in the pictures from mid veg to end of 10 week flower. They will multiply in the home, its all about the
slow release overtime. The Raisins, Wet Sponge and a place for them to hid away from the light is all thats required

ZERO pest over approximately 5 or so INDOOR grows, Not sure the effect outside

 

[Gazoo]

Im not sure if the ladybugs are working or not. They do like to commit suicide by HPS as @Weaselcracker said. @Gazoo how often do you have to set loose new batches of the ladybugs? I'm trying to stay mostly organic. But if it keeps going I'm considering using green cleaner for a weekly or biweekly preventative regimen. Just to be safe. Woody does the same thing I think. I'll look into all the stuff everyone's spoken about because I have to think they will get amune to the same shit getting sprayed over and over

My lady bug home in the link is set to release 24 hours a day BUT its only 1 very small hole at the top of the
clone dome, only the smart ones find the hole so its very slow and I estimate there are less than a dozen on the
girls at any time. This allows for them to re-populate in the home

Oh yes I run only Organic and dont use pesticides

 

[Dankman_420]

My lady bug home in the link is set to release 24 hours a day BUT its only 1 very small hole at the top of the
clone dome, only the smart ones find the hole so its very slow and I estimate there are less than a dozen on the
girls at any time. This allows for them to re-populate in the home

Oh yes I run only Organic and dont use pesticides

Thanks Gazoo! I'm really hoping for the ladybugs to work. I'll let them do their job Your link at the bottom won't let me click on it. I'll search for your journal

 

[Gazoo]

Thanks Gazoo! I'm really hoping for the ladybugs to work. I'll let them do their job Your link at the bottom won't let me click on it. I'll search for your journal

Oh its the way the SPOILER tag works.
You click on the BLACK SPOILER box that will open the drop down
part of the message, CLICK on the Green link inside the drop-down, should be at the very top.

I can link my journal here buts its an On-Going Journal thats been running over a year now so
its a bit difficult to find on the fly

If you still have problems finding it LMK and I will copy and IM it to you

 

[Weaselcracker]

I have done it multiple times, Many pictures in my journal with active lady bugs from the same LOVELINESS home
Can be seen in the pictures from mid veg to end of 10 week flower. They will multiply in the home, its all about the
slow release overtime. The Raisins, Wet Sponge and a place for them to hid away from the light is all thats required

ZERO pest over approximately 5 or so INDOOR grows, Not sure the effect outside

That’s really cool

 

[AdaminCO]

You should also look into predatory mites. There are a few different species, some slow release, others you just dump out. I bought 10000 mites and 1000 ladybugs to establish a colony. The extra mites are good for ladybug food too.
This place by far has the best packaging and products.

Producer of beneficial insects for biological pest control

biological pest control, natural enemies, beneficials, beneficial insects, biocontrol, bio-control, integrated pest management, ipm, organic, safe, natural, all-natural, certified organic, environmentally-friendly, eco, economical, efficient, sustainable, greenhouse, farm, interiorscape, garden

greenmethods.com

 

[Gazoo]

You should also look into predatory mites. There are a few different species, some slow release, others you just dump out. I bought 10000 mites and 1000 ladybugs to establish a colony. The extra mites are good for ladybug food too.
This place by far has the best packaging and products.

Producer of beneficial insects for biological pest control

biological pest control, natural enemies, beneficials, beneficial insects, biocontrol, bio-control, integrated pest management, ipm, organic, safe, natural, all-natural, certified organic, environmentally-friendly, eco, economical, efficient, sustainable, greenhouse, farm, interiorscape, garden

greenmethods.com

Just a Heads-up on the predatory mites or other live natural enemy's.

They are usually shipped in a package with "fine wood chips" just a bit
bigger than (saw dust)

If using during flower DO NOT just open the package and sprinkle over
the tops of the plants. WHY ?, Because all the wood chips get STUCK to the buds,
Learned that the hard way

 

[Dankman_420]

Just a Heads-up on the predatory mites or other live natural enemy's.

They are usually shipped in a package with "fine wood chips" just a bit
bigger than (saw dust)

If using during flower DO NOT just open the package and sprinkle over
the tops of the plants. WHY ?, Because all the wood chips get STUCK to the buds,
Learned that the hard way

I bet you were pissed. Lol

 

[Weaselcracker]

just bring in a package of termites, or maybe some beavers?