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

NugHeuser

NugHeuser

Well-Known Member
Just found out lastnight that I have aphids and spider mites. My plants are at day 40 and I'm guessing have around 3 to 4 weeks left, and a couple random plants have have longer than that. I'm going to take a closer look in about a half hour to see if they're infested or just here and there.

So, ladybugs are an option but I've read good and bad things about them. Some people have problems getting the bugs to crawl around the plant or even stay alive.

Green lacewings is something I just saw trying to surf through threads, I don't know anything about them though.

Neem oil, I have some and I know people say it's safe basically till the end but I'm thinking it's not a good idea to be spraying buds, risking the taste and mold.

So that's about all I can think of. Anybody else have any recommendations or opinions on any of the above?
 
RustyShacklefurd

RustyShacklefurd

Well-Known Member
You coukd try a little jam mixed with borax in the corner of the room, not 100% sure it will bait them into taking it and its a slow process of killing them, i know it worked on the ants in my vegetavle garden thos year, ive also heard dawn soap but not too sure this far into flower for yhe aphids you could try some hydrogeb peroxide 1 tsp per gallon and sticky traps
 
DrCannaPath

DrCannaPath

Well-Known Member
Hey brother and sorry to hear youre having issues with spider mites. They suck!!!
Anyway, you can try one of many many tried recipes or ways to tackle them. It'll exhaust you to say the least but it can be done and the issue can be rectified!

Total eradication vs control!
Chemicals vs organics
Insecticides vs predatory mites

If it were me, I'd lower the temps, and maybe raise humidity a little (if doable without risking getting mold) as to mess with their environment.
Id then mix up some neem oil insecticide spray (must know that this requires multiple applications at 3-4 day intervals) with added other essential oils in the mix. Some of the oils that are helpful against mites and other insects are:
Peppermint oil
Lemon oil
Rosemary oil
Lavender oil
Canola oil

Goin in once to twice a week with this spray will help keep things under control til harvest.
If this doesnt eradicate them, itll at least keep them under control and your harvest will be just fine. The groom will smell nice
And if it only keeps the bugs under control with a few bugs here and there, those bugs MAY cause just enough stress to for the plants to produce more resin
Happy growin brother!

Check out my new Organic Fruit Garden:
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/930415/
and my previous QuadStrain grow ;-) :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/916619/
and my previous TriStrain grow ;-) :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/883569/
 
T

TheLeons

Member
I checked my female clone tonight and seen clearish small looking spiders in my soil I think a spider laid her egg in my grow area any suggestions on what I should do or what these could possibly be? I noticed one or two yesterday and I checked all my leaves and all the hairs that have started coming in and it doesn't seem like they are eating on them but I'm not sure if they are eating my roots
 
I

ILoveRice

Member
I use hotshot pest strip for my spidermites ONLY during lights on and it seem to have killed a lot of spidermites. BUT BECAREFUL I have an allergic reaction the the hotshot pest strip so I just handle it carefully. Thankfully my carbon filter SEEMS to be filtering out the active chemical in the hotshot pest strip for the most part.
 
cire408

cire408

Member
TheLeons said:
I checked my female clone tonight and seen clearish small looking spiders in my soil I think a spider laid her egg in my grow area any suggestions on what I should do or what these could possibly be? I noticed one or two yesterday and I checked all my leaves and all the hairs that have started coming in and it doesn't seem like they are eating on them but I'm not sure if they are eating my roots
Click to expand...
Do they look like this? Are you outdoors because I have some white spiders also not sure if they're baby spiders or mites IMG_1006.JPG
 
T

TheLeons

Member
ILoveRice said:
I use hotshot pest strip for my spidermites ONLY during lights on and it seem to have killed a lot of spidermites. BUT BECAREFUL I have an allergic reaction the the hotshot pest strip so I just handle it carefully. Thankfully my carbon filter SEEMS to be filtering out the active chemical in the hotshot pest strip for the most part.
Click to expand...
exactly like
cire408 said:
Do they look like this? Are you outdoors because I have some white spiders also not sure if they're baby spiders or mites View attachment 3976911
Click to expand...
exactly like that me and my son found a brown spider laying in my soil one night and figured it out they are baby spiders and so far they are not harming my sour d clone i watered her last night and noticed the spiders gone and no im indoors about 700 watt cfls on one sour d plant first grow so im testing myself then ill grow 15 of these bitches...lolol...heres a pic of her u let me know if im doin a good job.
 

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RustyShacklefurd

RustyShacklefurd

Well-Known Member
Is that 700 watt equivalebt or 700 true watts with cfls you go with the true wattage not the equivalent, other than that the plant looks healthy
 
Invisighost

Invisighost

Well-Known Member
Go the cheap route and just kill everything. Go to a feed store (tractor supply here) and get some Food Grade Diatamaceous Earth--10-15 bucks a bag and spinkle some on top of soil. You will never have a problem with bugs again and it adds a little sulfur(can even mix it into the soil before planting). I keep some everywhere around my house and on the bottom floor of my grow tent. Never have seen a bug and I cycle plants from indoors to outdoors and vice versa weekly. If you want to double it up, take a small jar/bottle anything you can pour liquid into--fill it with Apple Cider Vinegar (regular will prob work too) a tsp of Sugar and a drop or two of dish soap and place it near the plants..they are attracted to it like crazy..3rd cheap method, get some rubbing alcohol and mix it in spray bottle (1 part alcohol to 9 parts water and a couple drops soap) and just spray on the plants directly (leaves only)..Everyone of these are tried and tested and will work--I had to learn this b/c I grow tons upon tons of vegetables every year all year...#1 method though is Diatamaceous Earth..Happy Growing

ps..as a deterrent beforehand if you don't want to worry about bugs next time..Plant some Cilantro (yes the edible herb) in the same pots as your plants--aphids and mites HATE it and will steer clear
 
NugHeuser

NugHeuser

Well-Known Member
Invisighost said:
Go the cheap route and just kill everything. Go to a feed store (tractor supply here) and get some Food Grade Diatamaceous Earth--10-15 bucks a bag and spinkle some on top of soil. You will never have a problem with bugs again and it adds a little sulfur(can even mix it into the soil before planting). I keep some everywhere around my house and on the bottom floor of my grow tent. Never have seen a bug and I cycle plants from indoors to outdoors and vice versa weekly. If you want to double it up, take a small jar/bottle anything you can pour liquid into--fill it with Apple Cider Vinegar (regular will prob work too) a tsp of Sugar and a drop or two of dish soap and place it near the plants..they are attracted to it like crazy..3rd cheap method, get some rubbing alcohol and mix it in spray bottle (1 part alcohol to 9 parts water and a couple drops soap) and just spray on the plants directly (leaves only)..Everyone of these are tried and tested and will work--I had to learn this b/c I grow tons upon tons of vegetables every year all year...#1 method though is Diatamaceous Earth..Happy Growing

ps..as a deterrent beforehand if you don't want to worry about bugs next time..Plant some Cilantro (yes the edible herb) in the same pots as your plants--aphids and mites HATE it and will steer clear
Click to expand...
So even though the diatomacous earth stays on the soil it kills the bugs on the leaves?
 
Invisighost

Invisighost

Well-Known Member
NugHeuser said:
So even though the diatomacous earth stays on the soil it kills the bugs on the leaves?
Click to expand...
Yes, and it will kill any eggs that may be in the soil. They eventually go to the soil from falling, resting, roaming etc. If you have a serious outbreak use the spray on them for even faster results
 
whitebb2727

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
Invisighost said:
Yes, and it will kill any eggs that may be in the soil. They eventually go to the soil from falling, resting, roaming etc. If you have a serious outbreak use the spray on them for even faster results
Click to expand...
I use DE but it can be dangerous stuff. It can kill you from breathing the dust.
NugHeuser said:
Just found out lastnight that I have aphids and spider mites. My plants are at day 40 and I'm guessing have around 3 to 4 weeks left, and a couple random plants have have longer than that. I'm going to take a closer look in about a half hour to see if they're infested or just here and there.

So, ladybugs are an option but I've read good and bad things about them. Some people have problems getting the bugs to crawl around the plant or even stay alive.

Green lacewings is something I just saw trying to surf through threads, I don't know anything about them though.

Neem oil, I have some and I know people say it's safe basically till the end but I'm thinking it's not a good idea to be spraying buds, risking the taste and mold.

So that's about all I can think of. Anybody else have any recommendations or opinions on any of the above?
Click to expand...
Spinosad.
download.jpg
 
greg nr

greg nr

Well-Known Member
First, many here will scold you to NEVER use anything on your buds once they are in flower. The worst thing of the items mentioned is neem. It will be there in your bowl and you can taste it. So they say anyway.

Of all the possible sprays, Spinosad is probably the least innocuous. The bacteria in it only lives for 24 hours, but it is very effective. Essential oils probably fall in the middle. Method 1 claims you can use up until harvest because the oils are volatile and will evaporate.

Tough position to be in though. Next time, use a varied IPM through veg and hope for the best in flour.....
 
whitebb2727

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
greg nr said:
First, many here will scold you to NEVER use anything on your buds once they are in flower. The worst thing of the items mentioned is neem. It will be there in your bowl and you can taste it. So they say anyway.

Of all the possible sprays, Spinosad is probably the least innocuous. The bacteria in it only lives for 24 hours, but it is very effective. Essential oils probably fall in the middle. Method 1 claims you can use up until harvest because the oils are volatile and will evaporate.

Tough position to be in though. Next time, use a varied IPM through veg and hope for the best in flour.....
Click to expand...
I can say I used neem oil half way through flower once and it ruined smoking that plant. I turned it to butter.

I'm not a fan of spraying in flower.

Spinosad last longer than 24 hours. It is actually systemic.

I would still use it. I wouldn't recommend selling or gifting buds with mite poop in it.

Maybe wash the buds.
 
714steadyeddie

714steadyeddie

Well-Known Member
Invisighost said:
Go the cheap route and just kill everything. Go to a feed store (tractor supply here) and get some Food Grade Diatamaceous Earth--10-15 bucks a bag and spinkle some on top of soil. You will never have a problem with bugs again and it adds a little sulfur(can even mix it into the soil before planting). I keep some everywhere around my house and on the bottom floor of my grow tent. Never have seen a bug and I cycle plants from indoors to outdoors and vice versa weekly. If you want to double it up, take a small jar/bottle anything you can pour liquid into--fill it with Apple Cider Vinegar (regular will prob work too) a tsp of Sugar and a drop or two of dish soap and place it near the plants..they are attracted to it like crazy..3rd cheap method, get some rubbing alcohol and mix it in spray bottle (1 part alcohol to 9 parts water and a couple drops soap) and just spray on the plants directly (leaves only)..Everyone of these are tried and tested and will work--I had to learn this b/c I grow tons upon tons of vegetables every year all year...#1 method though is Diatamaceous Earth..Happy Growing

ps..as a deterrent beforehand if you don't want to worry about bugs next time..Plant some Cilantro (yes the edible herb) in the same pots as your plants--aphids and mites HATE it and will steer clear
Click to expand...
I can back up the first two methods. DM works great for all the larve in the soil and any bugs that come in contact with it. Apple cider vinegar works great for gnats too, they love that stuff.


Don't breathe in the DM earth , the food grade is not as harmful as the regular one.
 
Invisighost

Invisighost

Well-Known Member
714steadyeddie said:
I can back up the first two methods. DM works great for all the larve in the soil and any bugs that come in contact with it. Apple cider vinegar works great for gnats too, they love that stuff.


Don't breathe in the DM earth , the food grade is not as harmful as the regular one.
Click to expand...
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..
 
NugHeuser

NugHeuser

Well-Known Member
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?
 
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