How long tell the spidermites starve?

So I had a slight infestation in my last grow a few weeks ago and I ended up removing all of the plants. My question is how long will it take for spider mites to just die off with no food source?

I looked today and there seems to be no life whatsoever.....just a pile of dead spider mites where the plants had been.

How long could they still survive in the carpet and such? I've heard they can go into hibernation for a while, is that only in the cold or in cases of starvation/dehydration as well?

I plan on germinating a bunch of seeds and journaling it on here if possible as soon as I can grow again but gotta take care of this first of course.

MOta

there are reports that spidermites can EASILY hibernate for 1 year... EASILY... in freezing temperatures..

i am not sure what this says about their ability to survive "lack of food" but it aint looking purtty..



IF you can, spray the place down with bleach.... then bomb it.. then wipe it clean... use gloves and a mask....

especially get the corners of the room..

cheers

......I lost a whole perpetual grow set-up to these bastards! I ended up moving my grow... I had bleached, bombed, bombed again, even got rid of the carpet.... I had them back before I could sex my new plants from seed.....one thing I didn't do was completely reseal and paint everything as good as I could have..... In my new room I have all new equipment, clean plants(had to use Avid on rooted clones) and I am 2 wks away from 1st harvest in there----------NO MITES!!!! I never realized how much they stress everything when you just 'control' them with the safe stuff......

growinman

There is no such thing as a "slight infestation". You need to treat that area like you have the worst spidermite problem known to man. Anything less will come back to haunt you. Waiting them out is like when the cops show up and you barricade yourself in a house and then you just wait for the SWAT team to get bored and go away.

Ain't gonna happen.

clean your grow area with hot water and sope first then use bleach and hot water to make srue you kill them off

Picasso345 said:

There is no such thing as a "slight infestation". You need to treat that area like you have the worst spidermite problem known to man. Anything less will come back to haunt you. Waiting them out is like when the cops show up and you barricade yourself in a house and then you just wait for the SWAT team to get bored and go away.

Ain't gonna happen.

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^^^

Now that's putting it in English!

Hey Guys,

You know more than me on this subject. I had mites once and it was on an outdoor grow. Im done with outside, now focused inside.
If inside,
Could you encircle the area around the base of the plant with some kind of stopper? Like toothpaste, or have it raised on something in a pan of water???

This is totally a geuss, I have no idea. Just wondering if its plausable.

They starve after they eat your whole plant or crop and then there is nothing for them to feed on

You can buy some kind of plant(s) that will help fend off bugs, try to get more info on the right kind of plants

Not to highjack this thread or anything...... but there are a few things you can do "preventively," BlessAmerica. I 've never heard the toothpaste one...but I know of people whom use DE(Diatomatious Earth) and sprinkle it in and on thier soil, leaves, floor, etc...... It's awesome stuff for many things(research it). Mites normally come iinto your grow via cuttings, or your clothes if you've been outside, or even from pets. A little breeze from a fan is all it takes, or brush up against them..... and it only takes one egg!<----they multiply like you cannot believe!!! I doubt that many, if any, ever actually have to climb up onto your plant----which might minimize the effects of some of your ideas(but it very well could stop that 'one' that was going to set-up camp).
Cleanliness is your best bet. Never just go straight into your grow if you've been in the yard. Dont bring in plants from outside unless you KNOW the area very well. Clones...... If you get them from another source you really have to inspect them close for eggs, mites<---learn what to look for. Clean them very well with insecticidal soap.... KNOW your soil!
There are some plants(like marigolds) that keep some critters away. If there's one for for the Two Spotted Spidermite, I haven't heard of it---I am sure there's stuff they dont like(like cold and humidity), but it doesn't 'rid' them, only "controls."
You just have to be clean and not get them inside in the first place......easier said than done......

Good Luck!

Yes spider mites are a bitch but I am shocked that no one said anything about natural predators. Yes spider mites can kill your plants and yes insecticidal soap will help but it can also burn your plants. If a room is thoroughly cleaned and every crack sealed I find it hard to believe that they can't be completely wiped out. I had an organic vegetable farm for 12 years and we had 2-100' greenhouses full of tomatoes and we got hit hard one year. We ordered green lacewings which are a very hungry natural predator that can eat a shit ton of pest. I cut an paste this from a site.--- During 2-3 weeks of life, one lone lacewing larva can consume 250 leafhopper nymphs in grapes (4th-5th instar), 300-400 aphids, 11,200 spider mites, 3,780 coccid scale crawlers or 6,500 scale eggs on pine trees. Interfering ants, waxy coatings or hard shells on pests and low temperatures deter lacewings from dining on and destroying pests. Another predator is predatory mites. They don't eat as much as green lacewings but they will definitely do their job. By using natural enemies it doesn't just take care of the problem but it also doesn't burn your plants like chemicals do. If these will work in a 100' greenhouse with 20' tomato plants I'm sure it will do a lot more in grow rooms. Look on youtube and there are some really cool videos of these bad asses at work. You should check out these two videos

and this one is for predator mites

. I think you would be quite surprised at the results. Good luck and try to never use sprays unless it's necessary. Let me know if you give my idea a try. Promise you wont be disappointed.

MoTA M4n said:

So I had a slight infestation in my last grow a few weeks ago and I ended up removing all of the plants. My question is how long will it take for spider mites to just die off with no food source?

I looked today and there seems to be no life whatsoever.....just a pile of dead spider mites where the plants had been.

How long could they still survive in the carpet and such? I've heard they can go into hibernation for a while, is that only in the cold or in cases of starvation/dehydration as well?

I plan on germinating a bunch of seeds and journaling it on here if possible as soon as I can grow again but gotta take care of this first of course.

Click to expand...

petrol and a match fixed my last spider mite issue worked like a charm never had them again

Picasso345 said:

There is no such thing as a "slight infestation". You need to treat that area like you have the worst spidermite problem known to man. Anything less will come back to haunt you. Waiting them out is like when the cops show up and you barricade yourself in a house and then you just wait for the SWAT team to get bored and go away.

Ain't gonna happen.

Click to expand...

They need a host to survive.

Zekedogg said:

They starve after they eat your whole plant or crop and then there is nothing for them to feed on

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So if u throw away of ur plant they will starve and you can start again. They question is how long can they live without a host??

Ghost of Davy Jones said:

So if u throw away of ur plant they will starve and you can start again. They question is how long can they live without a host??

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Till they dry up probably, thing is they will drop all the eggs they can before this happens, these are gonna hatch as soon as you add water, heat ,and a food source eg your beloved maryjanes.
you,ve got to bleach your room down CLINICLY wash and dry all utencills also with a bleach solution if possible ozoneate your room
when done ,fresh new soil with a layer of diamataceus earth on top,keep a spay bottle handy with a solution of neem oil maybe 5% neem with water and a drop of soap for stragglers, neem oil will burn your plants it is generaly used on this occasion on the undersides of the leave and the stems just before lights out.
http://amkiosk37.wixsite.com/spidermitesarego

Clean/Bleach everything.

Use Floramite, then in 3 weeks use Avid. Rotate, don't use on flowering plants. These chemical stay around 4 weeks. Breeding stage for mites is around 3 weeks. Alternating stops them from becoming pesticide resistant.

Youll probably only need 1 cycle to completely wipe them out. This stuff works, and can be bought by the Oz.

Avalon_333 said:

Yes spider mites are a bitch but I am shocked that no one said anything about natural predators. Yes spider mites can kill your plants and yes insecticidal soap will help but it can also burn your plants. If a room is thoroughly cleaned and every crack sealed I find it hard to believe that they can't be completely wiped out. I had an organic vegetable farm for 12 years and we had 2-100' greenhouses full of tomatoes and we got hit hard one year. We ordered green lacewings which are a very hungry natural predator that can eat a shit ton of pest. I cut an paste this from a site.--- During 2-3 weeks of life, one lone lacewing larva can consume 250 leafhopper nymphs in grapes (4th-5th instar), 300-400 aphids, 11,200 spider mites, 3,780 coccid scale crawlers or 6,500 scale eggs on pine trees. Interfering ants, waxy coatings or hard shells on pests and low temperatures deter lacewings from dining on and destroying pests. Another predator is predatory mites. They don't eat as much as green lacewings but they will definitely do their job. By using natural enemies it doesn't just take care of the problem but it also doesn't burn your plants like chemicals do. If these will work in a 100' greenhouse with 20' tomato plants I'm sure it will do a lot more in grow rooms. Look on youtube and there are some really cool videos of these bad asses at work. You should check out these two videos

and this one is for predator mites

. I think you would be quite surprised at the results. Good luck and try to never use sprays unless it's necessary. Let me know if you give my idea a try. Promise you wont be disappointed.

Click to expand...

Awesome post. Glad to hear someone with really good info on Green Lace Wings. I was pretty sure they were really good. Lace Wings supposedly eat everything. Here is one of the least expensive sources of Green Lace Wings. They are nice people..

https://hydro-gardens.com/product/lacewing-eggs-1000-5p335a/