Help identifying a pest

Fishmon

Well-Known Member
Just saw some of these yesterday during defoliation. Most leaves that were affected were getting cut off anyway but still a few random sightings today. I experimented spraying straight 3% hydrogen peroxide on the affected cut leaves yesterday and appeared to kill the buggers. I then mixed a 50/50 % h2o2 and water and sprayed the plant yesterday. After seeing a few more today I assume either I missed them or perhaps 50/50 isn't strong enough. Early week 3 of flower. Wasn't able to focus any closer. Hopefully the pic is good enough for more experienced gardeners. Any help with I'd and treatment appreciated.
 

Attachments

go go kid

Well-Known Member
no i dont think its a leaf miner, they tend to have serated bodies, that looks more like a thrip family member , buit i cant see the body clearly enough. i see no abdomen and thorax, need a better pic up close n personel .

this may help
There are many ways to remove thrips on your marijuana plants. The ones I recommend are the all natural kind.

Note: If you notice thrips when flowering it may be too late. Treat with natural soap solution mixed with water first.

Yellow sticky traps these are the best first defense for thrips or any other flying insects in the garden.

Just place these around the top of your pots or hydroponics tubs to catch all the adults so they cannot keep reproducing.

Neem oil which is common in some growers supply closets because of its multi-purpose use.

What the neem oil does is it affects leaf eating insects by making them forget to eat if interrupts their hormonal balance.

Spray on your leaves once a day for about three to five days depending on the outbreak.

Mix 1 tsp with one liter or a quart of water. You can add more or less water to the strength you desire.

Nematodes are a must in any garden, in my opinion because they are so beneficial to your garden in preventing any insects that lay eggs from causing an infestation from occurring.

Lady bugs can be another alternative if you can get these at your local grow shop or now even on Amazon with live delivery check it out. The Thrip Killer !

lady bug marijuana

Those Ladybugs love the thrips and just eat them right up. Perfect for when your growing cannabis plants outdoors.

Make sure you are using a closed system indoor to prevent them from spreading through your other rooms.

Predatory species bugs are great at killing thrips in your marijuana garden such as Amblyseius swirskii.


There are many different types of predatory species out there that do a great job especially for outdoor growers.

The predatory bugs are easier to release and go to work outdoors, rather than causing concern when growing indoors.

They may get into other areas of a house or grow facility.

Here are a few other ones that are great at attacking and eating thrips on your cannabis plants:

Amblyseius cucumeris. Neoseiulus cucumeris, Neoseiulus barkeri, Euseius hibisci Amblyseius barkeri, Iphiseius degenerans.

Orius, These bugs belong to the Anthocoridae family and feed on mites and thrips.

thrips marijuana
Sprays
Spinosad is an ingredient in some organic insecticides and can be sprayed on plants or even used when watering.

Spinosad is not safe for using outdoors because is toxic to bees. According to PubMED and the National Pesticide Information Center.



Insecticidal soap for thrips are used a lot by growers because of it all natural ingredients and is safe to plants and humans.

You can use regular dish soap by mixing a 1 percent solution to water and spray on the leaves of your plants.

What the soap does is is suffocate the thrips.

You can also purchase some name brand if you need more of a heavier dose of insecticide to kill the thrips.

Azamax for thrips on your cannabis plants is another means, but I usually leave this until the last resort as it does the same as the Spinosad.

That is it’s an anti-feeder meaning the insect cannot feed anymore on your leaves, so they eventually die off.

Check out the video on how to identify thrips,

 

Fishmon

Well-Known Member
Sorry I tried with a handheld scope but I couldn't hold it still enough. The best visual match I've found is russet mite or hemp russet mite. If so the jury is still out on treatment as research appears to be in its infancy due to hemp/cannibis so recently coming out of the shadows. Also no natural predators found as of yet. The plant is in its own tent and fairly well defoliated, so hopefully they can be spotted and slain on sight. Thanks for the reply.
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Sorry I tried with a handheld scope but I couldn't hold it still enough. The best visual match I've found is russet mite or hemp russet mite. If so the jury is still out on treatment as research appears to be in its infancy due to hemp/cannibis so recently coming out of the shadows. Also no natural predators found as of yet. The plant is in its own tent and fairly well defoliated, so hopefully they can be spotted and slain on sight. Thanks for the reply.
That yellowish thing is not a mite of any kind. Looks like a thrip like go go said.
 

TheWholeTruth

Well-Known Member
Sorry I tried with a handheld scope but I couldn't hold it still enough. The best visual match I've found is russet mite or hemp russet mite. If so the jury is still out on treatment as research appears to be in its infancy due to hemp/cannibis so recently coming out of the shadows. Also no natural predators found as of yet. The plant is in its own tent and fairly well defoliated, so hopefully they can be spotted and slain on sight. Thanks for the reply.
Yes, id go with what the guys are saying. The hemp and russet mites are tinny and not visible to the human eye, you normally have to use a 30x magnification to see them as they are very small. Thats probably a thrip, maybe in a bit younger life stages
 

Fishmon

Well-Known Member
Any suggestions on treatment? In week 3 of flower. Although I think I can ward off an infestation keeping a constant lookout. If I remove any more affected leaves I'll put the scope on it and re-post. Thanks.
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Any suggestions on treatment? In week 3 of flower. Although I think I can ward off an infestation keeping a constant lookout. If I remove any more affected leaves I'll put the scope on it and re-post. Thanks.
Citric acid and water, predators, or both. Citric acid won't contaminate the buds like a lot of other stuff will. But it can burn pistils. 1-3 tsp per quart. You can either spray the whole plant or try to just focus on leaves.
 

DrDukePHD

Well-Known Member
For future reference, hit your plants with Spinosad 2-3x before you flip next run. Always easier to deal with problems in veg.

Did you do any IPM at all before flipping?
 

Phytoplankton

Well-Known Member
Thrips like to hang out under the leaves, plus adults can fly, so getting them all is tough, it’ll take a few applications, and even then, more will hatch. Keep up the h2o2 and you’ll be fine.
 
Top