Day 40 flower- Spider mites and Aphids. What do I do???

[NugHeuser]

Might also add that the several times I sprayed with neem(during veg and weeks 1 and 2 of flower) the mist on the plants was usually dry within 10 to 20 mins and that was before i had the added air flow of the AC.

And i also already have some diatomacous earth that I got for gnats but never used so I'll be adding that tonight. Never used it because it instantly started making a mess and was getting into the air and was breathing it in. I'll bring home a respirator mask from work and be more careful about it this time.

 

[714steadyeddie]

Might also add that the several times I sprayed with neem(during veg and weeks 1 and 2 of flower) the mist on the plants was usually dry within 10 to 20 mins and that was before i had the added air flow of the AC.

And i also already have some diatomacous earth that I got for gnats but never used so I'll be adding that tonight. Never used it because it instantly started making a mess and was getting into the air and was breathing it in. I'll bring home a respirator mask from work and be more careful about it this time.

turn off all fans when dusting your soil with it.

I use spinosad but never that late into flower. If you aren't selling the bud to dispensaries go for it. Just wash the buds at the end for some peace of mind.

I just recently harvested some crop with PM, I sprayed neem oil like two weeks before harvest. They still had some PM but I dunked the the branches right before I hung them in a bucket of RO water. Smoked smooth as hell after too.

 

[greg nr]

Great advice guys I appreciate the feed back. Was thinking of hitting them with neem but won't be now. Does the spinosad kill aphids or just the spider mites? And also spraying down the plants will drench the buds too and I've got a couple tennis ball sized colas, so now am I risking mold by doing this?? I have good air flow; 410 cfm fan, 8000 btu A.C. connected to the tent via ducting(A.C. on medium during lights on and fan mode on high during lights off) and a 12" oscillating fan, all in a 5x5. RH does climb up to 60 and 70s after lights go off but slowly drops back down to around 45 to 50 by the time lights come back on.

So, does spinosad kill aphids? And will I be risking mold?

Spinosad will kill aphids. EVERYTHING kills aphids. They are the kittens of the bug world. Even dawn diluted in water will kill them. If it's just aphids, I'd stay away from the artillery. Find something mild and topical. But mites are warriors.

 

[Invisighost]

Might also add that the several times I sprayed with neem(during veg and weeks 1 and 2 of flower) the mist on the plants was usually dry within 10 to 20 mins and that was before i had the added air flow of the AC.

And i also already have some diatomacous earth that I got for gnats but never used so I'll be adding that tonight. Never used it because it instantly started making a mess and was getting into the air and was breathing it in. I'll bring home a respirator mask from work and be more careful about it this time.

yea I just hold my breath, never had any issues using it. You don't want to open the bag and inhale as much as you can though of course LoL, as with anything used for killing. Like 714 said just make sure to stop air flow beforehand and it doesn't take much at all. Don't have to coat the soil in it, maybe a tsp to tbsp depending on size of your pots. It is not effective if it gets wet so will need to reapply if you water. I've used neem several times in late flower and have noticed zero difference in taste. Prob just depends on the person though in regards to that..good luck

 

[NugHeuser]

turn off all fans when dusting your soil with it.

I use spinosad but never that late into flower. If you aren't selling the bud to dispensaries go for it. Just wash the buds at the end for some peace of mind.

I just recently harvested some crop with PM, I sprayed neem oil like two weeks before harvest. They still had some PM but I dunked the the branches right before I hung them in a bucket of RO water. Smoked smooth as hell after too.

I see, so when you say dunk the buds to wash them, are we talking a simple dunk and back out or giving some vigorous shakes while it's dunked in the water?

And also is spinosad a one time spray ordeal or do I need to spray multiple times?

 

[whitebb2727]

absolutely correct. I dust all my vegetables with the Food Grade. You can actually feed it in small dosages to pets to get rid of parasites/worms. The stuff has been used forever in gardening but I think most people just don't really know about it or realize the benefits in the cannabis industry..It destroys bugs, literally..

Oh its great stuff. I mix it in my soil for pests and silica.

Its just not good for flower. The stuff doesn't needed to be breathed. Its fine for drinking or eating.

I've actually used it to get rid of pin worms.

The food grade is safe to consume. Taste like crap but safe.

Just be careful with the stuff guys.

I use it on my vegetable garden. I wear a respirator and use an air hose and jar to blow it on my garden.

 

[NugHeuser]

Spinosad will kill aphids. EVERYTHING kills aphids. They are the kittens of the bug world. Even dawn diluted in water will kill them. If it's just aphids, I'd stay away from the artillery. Find something mild and topical. But mites are warriors.

I know for sure that it's atleast aphids because I watched one for several minutes with a cheap 100x scope (either 60x or 100x, one of the two) and I could see it's beady black eyes, head and body. I've also seen oval green things that are very small that appear to have no eyes or legs(I'm guessing eggs?).

Where I get the idea of spider mites is on two occasions I noticed several black specks on the bottom of a leaf, they were two small to tell what they were and I didn't have my scope at the time. There may be a very slight chance that it was still tiny specks of dirt from when I was tipping plants upside down to transplant 6 or 7 weeks ago..

 

[whitebb2727]

I see, so when you say dunk the buds to wash them, are we talking a simple dunk and back out or giving some vigorous shakes while it's dunked in the water?

And also is spinosad a one time spray ordeal or do I need to spray multiple times?

With spinosad two foilar treatments and twice added to water will wipe them out.

Adding it to your water increases its systemic effect.

 

[714steadyeddie]

I see, so when you say dunk the buds to wash them, are we talking a simple dunk and back out or giving some vigorous shakes while it's dunked in the water?

And also is spinosad a one time spray ordeal or do I need to spray multiple times?

Yea I dunked them in water and shook it vigorously.

@whitebb2727 is giving out good advise regarding spinosad. I would take his recommendation

 

[Cx2H]

Greetings, got mites and aphids?

Kill the host ants that have brought them in there or they will bring in more.

Ladybugs are your friend and in huge numbers outside right now. Go catch some.

Neem works on Borg.

 

[HydoDan]

Anyone ever tried using a wet dry vac for bug removal... Just got the idea from sucking fungus gnats out of the air..
I don't know if vacuuming your buds will work.. just a thought..

 

[Cx2H]

Anyone ever tried using a wet dry vac for bug removal... Just got the idea from sucking fungus gnats out of the air..
I don't know if vacuuming your buds will work.. just a thought..

Yeah vacuum works when it's out if control with webbing IMO.

 

[whitebb2727]

Anyone ever tried using a wet dry vac for bug removal... Just got the idea from sucking fungus gnats out of the air..
I don't know if vacuuming your buds will work.. just a thought..

Yes. Lol. I plug my shop vac into my variable transformer (variac) so it doesn't suck so hard.

I've tried it full power. It works but tears leaves up a bit.

Spider mites hate water and simply setting plants outside or shower and spraying them off will greatly reduce numbers.

 

[NugHeuser]

UPDATE;

I really don't know what to think guys. I just looked at my scope and it's a 60x lens, is that powerful enough to make out mites and most bugs?
I've confirmed one single aphid about 4 or 5 days ago and saw some black specks a little smaller than fine pepper that I assumed were spider mites.
I've checked several leaves on several random plants each evening since then and I see tiny specks here and there but nothing I can make out and I just actually pulled a plant out to get a better look at it and scoped many upper and lower leaves and I'm seeing a couple specks here and there but nothing I can make out as a bug, would need a much stronger scope to see if they were bugs. Is 60x enough?

 

[Cx2H]

UPDATE;

I really don't know what to think guys. I just looked at my scope and it's a 60x lens, is that powerful enough to make out mites and most bugs?
I've confirmed one single aphid about 4 or 5 days ago and saw some black specks a little smaller than fine pepper that I assumed were spider mites.
I've checked several leaves on several random plants each evening since then and I see tiny specks here and there but nothing I can make out and I just actually pulled a plant out to get a better look at it and scoped many upper and lower leaves and I'm seeing a couple specks here and there but nothing I can make out as a bug, would need a much stronger scope to see if they were bugs. Is 60x enough?

You sprayed neem at some point?
It fux up reproduction and causes mutations.
#hmm

 

[soter dank]

for vegging plants i take them a shower with soapy water and light peroxide or bleach with a sponge. it take time but it works. then a super super super good rinse! to get all that soap out! you could even do one part bleach nine parts water to kill all bugs and mold spores, but that's for tissue culture and it works! but you got to rinse really really good and it has to be a fast wash! it works for me when i bring in wild strains that have contams!

 

[NugHeuser]

You sprayed neem at some point?
It fux up reproduction and causes mutations.
#hmm

So if I do have pests is a 60x lens plenty strong enough to make them out even if they're young?

 

[HydoDan]

So if I do have pests is a 60x lens plenty strong enough to make them out even if they're young?

You can see mites without magnification.. Look on bottom of leaves.. 60x can see eggs..

 

[legalcanada]

i've seen people spray diluted isopropyl alcohol during flower, apparently was quite effective against a fairly bad infestation. like 1/10th 90% iso.

i know people who wash all of their buds with lemon juice and baking soda. it's like water curing, doesn't really affect potency much but does diminish smell/taste.

 

[Buba Blend]

So if I do have pests is a 60x lens plenty strong enough to make them out even if they're young?

Welcome to riu!
Was reading your stuff posted on 1st grow . Good stuff, found my way here.
How did it go with the bugs?
Only skimmed this thread.
Spider mites are easy to spot with the naked eye. Broad mites are the ones that can be seen with a 60x.
60x is also needed to see leaf miners larvae on the under side of leaves, a common bug in MJ.
Did you figure out what they were?