a mite mysterious

i know these critters are tough, but this experience has to take the cake
i grow in a small chamber, i had just completed a grow which turned out to be a male
tough luck, but male is removed and waiting to collect a little pollen
there are no mites apparent on this plant at all, can't prove it's mite free, but it looks it
i pasteurize my grow soil at 180 degrees, pots are washed/brushed with water and detergent
so i just have a new seedling pop, about an inch tall, and i see what looks like rust spots
spider mites, so i hit them with this organic mix of oils(rosemary and others), dead on contact
i had mites over a year ago, but have had several mite free grows since then
it's the dead of winter where i am, and march has been like january
they must have survived in the room for a year, and there are no other plants in the house

those things can get in anywhere, open window or any airflow into the house, if you have pets keep them away and they can even get on your clothes. if you go for a walk though a park then they can get on your clothes.
hope you dont get them again after this. all you can do is be as thorough as you can but even the most experienced growers get mites which is why they use neem oil even when they dont have an outbreak, to stomp it out b4 it begins.
lu

they are the borg, took me totally off guard
i have thought about the neem oil, most have good things to say, but i've seen some that feel it doesn't do anything
i may have nuked the seedling with the heavy wash of insecticidal oils, though i do see dead mites

It's important to follow up and hit them again with a mild pesticide 3-5 days after you first treat the plant as they lay eggs before they die, and those eggs hatch quickly and then you're right back to square one. make sure you take care of that, though; they can cause your girls to have seeds!

yeah, it's not my 1st rodeo with these devils, they are the worst pest, hit 'em, then hit 'em again
i did have good luck(relatively) with this organic oil mix with a plat that was about 4 weeks into flower
your options are on the low side at that stage

I heard Dawn soap dilluted with water works if you spray it upwards toward the bottom of the leaves, as that's where the mites tend to live. I've heard it worked and I've heard it doesn't, I've never tried it myself.

Have you tried increasing the humidity of your room? They hate it.

the only thing with the neem oil is it stinks and it will be with you for a while, it made me feel sick. i was a bit heavy with the mix aswell and it screwed up a couple of younger plants so only use a light mix on the younger plants. i have heard lots of good things though about spinosad, so you may want to give that a go. someone who has used it might come along and tell you if its any good.
lu

LowTimes said:

I heard Dawn soap dilluted with water works if you spray it upwards toward the bottom of the leaves, as that's where the mites tend to live. I've heard it worked and I've heard it doesn't, I've never tried it myself.

Have you tried increasing the humidity of your room? They hate it.

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the humidity is very low now, and i've read too they don't like the humidity
i'll have to think that over, i could do that i suppose
dilute soap i've also heard of, but not tried
the interesting thing here is the plant was so tiny, it was easy to see their behavior
and the little pricks went right under the tiny leaves at the first touch of spray
at which point i went a little wild and really laid on the spray, looks like no survivors, including the seedling

luciferateme said:

the only thing with the neem oil is it stinks and it will be with you for a while, it made me feel sick. i was a bit heavy with the mix aswell and it screwed up a couple of younger plants so only use a light mix on the younger plants. i have heard lots of good things though about spinosad, so you may want to give that a go. someone who has used it might come along and tell you if its any good.
lu

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thanks for those thoughts, i'm really cautious with pesticides, even organic ones
i've read enough posts like this to make me a bit cautious of the neem oil
this other spray is made from peppermint, clove, thyme, and rosemary oil, i'm comfortable with those ingredients
was fine on a more mature plant, looks like it really laid out my seedling though

Just under no circumstances spray flowering plants past 3 weeks. I wouldn't risk contaminating my bud. Make sure you get rid of that problem VERY early in the bud. Also, the thought of smoking a bunch of insects is fucking sick.

LowTimes said:

Just under no circumstances spray flowering plants past 3 weeks. I wouldn't risk contaminating my bud. Make sure you get rid of that problem VERY early in the bud. Also, the thought of smoking a bunch of insects is fucking sick.

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i normally wouldn't, i did make an exception for this particular mix
it's composed of plant oils that i feel very comfortable with, they are the kind you find in many foods
and to give its due, i didn't see a trace of mites in the finished product(though i'd expect there were probably a few)
and i only vape, which gives a little distance between my lips and the bud
but if you think about it, what do you expect to be in outdoor grown? there are bugs in there(and other stuff)

buy some floramite on ebay. just dont over do it or spray on too small of a plant.

Mr. Limpet said:

buy some floramite on ebay. just dont over do it or spray on too small of a plant.

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thanks for the suggestion, i had read up on floramite when i had my last infestation
it is synthetic pesticide? that was why i haven't tried it yet, though so early on, i probably wouldn't have a problem with that so far from flower
what happened is i scoped them out with a jewelers loop, got a good look at them
5 feet away is the pesticide mix i used last time, practically a reflex action and i grab it and start hosing away
i knew i had probably fucked up after the drenching, this is what these little monsters do to you, i lost my cool completely

They're absolutely dreadful and should be exterminated from the earth. Infiltrating your garden and sucking the life right out of your plants. Little vampire shits.

they do drive you mad, its not so bad when you can see the little feckers. but nowadays theres new ninja mites that hide out in the shadows and wear camouflage gear im sure of it. the times i stood and shouted at the plants for letting it happen! bugs + weed = raving looneys.
lu

ok, time for a final thought AND the likely cause, here's the history
as i mentioned i pasteurize and sterilize everything, i did have a mite outbreak about a year ago, but have had several mite free grows since
what got me suspicious was there was about a half dozen mites on a plant that wasn't bigger than a wooden match
another thing i do use in my grows is a covering of smooth pebbles, keeps the top layer moist, reduces perlite floating
so i reuse pebbles, but i do pasteurize, i figure that is sure death
then i think about the pot i took them from, it was the grow with the mite problem!
but again, heated at 180 for a good hour, maybe more
this is what i think happened, those devils survived that process
i believe this because of the numbers, they had to be in those pebbles to pop out so quick
so ladies and gentlemen, this is one capability of the borg, just my opinion but i feel fairly sure this is what happened