Spider Mites! (using Fungicide3 (neem oil), and Hot Shot No Pest Strips)

Hello everybody,

Here is the story of my first battle with Spider Mites, and how I won.

Infestation Realization:

I realized I had spider mites 2014 01 19. I should have realized it earlier, because I started noticing some deficiencies in the leafs, but i was crediting it to the leafs being bent as they grew up through the mesh. I even realized I spotted a few days earlier, because I saw some dots on the bottom of the leaf, i touched it, and green/yellow stuff smeared on my hands. I was thinking it was leaf waste...

Yes i'm kind of nooby, my first grow was over 4 years ago, and I haven't grown since. This time I upgraded to Hydro as well.


1st Reaction:

So I did lots of googling, and read through threads (many from this site), and articles, and my original options unfolded.

Soap Water
Neem Oil
Pyrethrum.

I saw many contradicting threads about soap water. Many good things about neem oil, and even better things about pyrethrum.

1st Application: Neem Oil

I ended up being able to get my hands on Fungicide3 the quickest, and its main ingredient is Neem Oil.
Well I applied it (with the lights on! DON'T DO THIS, apply neem when lights have gone off), and I applied it again 1 day later for fear of missing spots. Its hard to spray under every leaf, I have a 4v4 Scrog 6+ weeks into veg.

I then took a look on Morning 3 and I still see those guys running around as if they were fine.

2nd Reaction:
I start googling more, and I learn that Neem Oil does not kill them, but rather, messes with their reproductive abilities, causing population decrease.

I also started reading all kinds of post that Neem Oil is a better Preventative use, and that It never seems to get rid of them all once u have them. Probably due to the fact that its impossible to spray under every leaf...

I started looking into pyrethrum, and started finding all kinds of contradicting posts to its effectiveness.

Hot Shot No Pest Strips:
Finally somebody mentioned "Hot Shot No Pest Strips", and for that brief millisecond, I thought I was reading another retarded post, spider mites not gonna walk onto a pest strip.... i mean some might... but these guys are everywhere, But no u Hang it up high, and it emits Dichlorovos, a somewhat hazardous chemical, but lethal to most bugs (flying and crawling). The Hot Shot No Pest Strip says it lasts for 4 months, and should not be used in areas occupied by people for more than 4 hours a day. After 2 nights of hanging this thing in my tent, and a couple water sprays,My spider mite problem has cleared up by about 90% or more. I can't inspect a lot of the leafs due to the 4x4 scrog jungle i got going, but around the edges I'd say i could find 3-10 mites on every leaf before the No Pest Strip, and now I see mostly clear leaves occasionally finding a couple spider mites. I've Read that the product can be put into a zip lock bag and stored again for future use, and also to not use late into flowering. I bought one at Ace Hardware for $8.99 maybe? and online at amazon for like <6$.


Spider Mite Summary:
To exactly duplicate my results (aside from the neem oil burn)
Apply neem oil once a week (at night)
Add Hot Shot No Pest Strip to the Room (mine hangs right under the light during lights out so it can be in the center, during the day, i scoot it to the side more, and my oscillating fan pushes the air/Dichlorovos to the other side)
R/O Water Spray once every day
Turn off ventilation at night (creates high humidity, but that's more of a plus than a con at this point)
My day time ventilation set up changed to 1 fan pulling through the cool tube all the time, pulling in from outside the tent, and exhausting outside. A 2nd fan which comes on for 15 minutes, and off for 30 clears out some of the heat and humidity build up, by pulling from in the tent, and exhausting out.

Also very interesting side Note, Lower Temps, Higher Humidity Slows down their aging process. Dry, high temps (90) can allow eggs to become adults in 5ish days, while lower temps (60) can make the process from egg to adult take 14ish days.

(I never tried soap water, nor pyrethrum, nor did i try the Pepper Soaked Water that i read about a few times)

I just wanted to say that it appears Hot Shot No Pest Strip works for Spider Mites (at least appears to be working, I will update again soon, only have had the strip in for about 40 hours)

They will be back. Eggs. Keep treating to kill as they hatch.

in veg and early flower pyrethrins work well. late in flower use something nice and safe like Mighty Wash.
With most sprays( short of toxic systemic one you don't want to use in flower ) contact has to be made.
Mighty Wash is the shit in my book....that and a airless paint sprayer.

this little diy fogger works great for hitting the entire plant with substance(s) (nutrients, pyrethym, etc,) of choice. 4" flexible ducting directs fog to place of choice on plant.

spraying neem when mites are still nymphs does work. spraying adults with neem does not work. using preditory mites in the soil will eliminate larvae. using pest strips while the mites are feeding on your plants won't do any good either. they won't leave the plants to go get stuck on the strips. there are contact sprays out there. i used to use floromite and forbid and recommend those products indoors as well as outside. but not in flower. try to eliminate all mites before you flip your plants. almost anything will help when mites are still nymphs. try going as organic as possible. i like the pepper based products too.

The No Pest Strips are just going to poison your crop along with killing mites. A wise man would not use them.
After using Mighty Wash last year I will never use anything else.

I think careful and judicious use of NPS is ok.

My mites came back with Mighty Wash.......I've tried most everything while battling the buggers for 2 years (and 8 crops). Then I found "Nuke Em" and for the mite kill and overall health of the plants after application, this wins hands down: http://flyingskull.net/Dnld/NukeEmFlyer.pdfs


I'll also mention they have adjusted their application rates after customer feedback on the subject. You can actually make 3 applications, all done in 1 day, and if done correctly, the mite issues will be gone for good. It will always have a place on my garden shelf......

keep the hot shot strips out until you harvest. once the plants are gone then you can put them away . they will be back. I stop buying neem oil. because I seen olive oil in a jar as a bug preventer at 20 dollars a very small bottle , I said shit fuck this, put the neem back I spray olive oil on my plants from time to time mixed 1 teaspoon per gallon of water , and it did not burn the plants well some brown leafs like them neem and non of that nasty neem oil smell .

Mighty wash is okay but azamax is the best imo. Little pricey but it goes a long way.

NPS work well for killing mites for about 2 weeks IMO not 4 months. The strips work similarly to a car air freshener, they slowly lose their chemicals over a long period and are much stronger out of the package. I store mine in a zip lock and mark the # of days used on it. After 1-2 weeks worth of use I will add a fresh second strip. I think they should be used as one of at least 3 approaches in rotation so they don't build resistance. I would suggest neem root drenches, azamax, pepper spray, forbid etc. but research the dangers of each yourself.
The dichlorovos has a half life of only 6 hours but is very dangerous to have in any living area. I used mine in a basement/garage that is well ventilated. It is also heavier than air so will tend to sink. Definitely do not have it in an attic or area elevated from a living area. Use it in veg and maybe one week into flower. I used it for 48 hours at a time and down to 12 hours at a time, it is very effective. You need to seal the room and cut the extraction and any carbon scrubbers.
I use it and will use it again. Do your own research though.

Keep treating them as if they are still there. Cycling different products really helps to disrupt their life cycle.
I remember thinking that I could claim victory after 1 week, they came back strong a week later.

Good luck eradicating the Borg...

mixing azmax , neem oil, and a watering agent(optional), will get rid of your spidermites no problem, thats my all mighty mix and never has let me down . Even when i grew my blue dream outdoor i didnt have problems with mites except a week before flower treated the problem and that was it . Spray then spray the next day let 1 day go by and repeat. they can lay about 20 eggs a day! So get on it bro FYI when diluting neem do it in warm water(close to hot), then add the rest of your water and azmax! azmax will save you lots of headaches , just having it in my nute box makes me feel safe lol

Id reccomend buying a 10 dollar sprayer at home depot aswell if not a regular sprayer will do, i give a light mist on soil first(LIGHT) then really start spraying starting at the bottom of stem and work your way up make sure to hit Under the leaves then hit the top. if you do anything diffrent theyll hid in your soil wait for plant to dry and infest 2x as hard