Thanks for the thread, it's helped a lot. +rep
I do have a problem that wasn't covered here though, white mites. I've done a bunch of research and have come up with 2 mites that are white, Broad Mites & Cyclamen Mites.
This is my first grow and before I added a screen to my intake (which comes from the outside) I caught Spider Mites, Fungus Gnats, and White Mites all at the same time. Before the infestations got bad I sprayed with a horticulture oil (Mite X from Bonide) and released 3,000 Lady Bugs immediately after. That took care of the Spider Mites & Fungus Gnats, but the Lady Bugs wont finish off their food supply so that left the White Mites.
I've been keeping Lady Bugs in the room and spraying with different oils for over a month now, and they're still not gone. The Lady Bugs have been keeping them off the plants for the most part so they are serving a purpose, but the oils simply wont finish them off, not even the petroleum oil (All Seasons by Bonide) which has an ovicidal effect (kills eggs). The only reason I can come up with is the mites have to be laying their eggs either in the soil or carpet which absorbs the oil before it can do it's job. Or they may be laying their eggs inside the portable A/C, behind the permanent shelving, or somewhere else I can't spray.
So the only two options I can think of that I still have to get rid of them are predatory bugs and/or a bug bomb. Only problem is none of the predatory bugs or insecticides have been proven to kill white mites. (not enough research has been done yet according to the college horticulture depts that I've read sites of & contacted). And I haven't been able to find any information anywhere else.
If it's broad mites, one site suggested dipping the plants in 110 to 120 degree water for 15 to 30 minutes. The site that recommended it was run by the FL Dept of Agriculture, so I'm guessing it's safe. The water must protect the plant from the heat. But my plants are in 10 gal containers and the last time I measured them about 2 weeks ago (before I lost my tape measure) they were between 25" & 32" tall. Which means I'd need a large container to do the dip, like a barrel or something. And I simply don't know how to keep the water at that temp for a half hour.
When I wrote and asked the CO State Univ. they suggested the following predatory mites because they've been reported to feed on a wide range of pest mites, but it also went on to say that they have not been proven to feed on white mites as of yet: Metaseiulus occidentalis, Mesoseiulus longpipes, Neoseiulus barkeri, Neoseiulus Californicus, Neoseiulus fallacis, and Phytoseiulus persimilis. I'm not sure if I can find any of them yet, I'll be making some calls later. But they said Minute Pirate Bugs probably wont do the job (plus they bite humans) and Mite Destroyers (according to them) are specifically designed for Spider Mites.
You wouldn't have any information to help me, would you? (I'd really like to flower them but I'm trying to wait till I get rid of the Mites first)
Any help would be much appreciated.
Here are a couple of sites on the two types of white mites just in case it might help...
http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/broad_mite.htm http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/cyclamen_mite.htm