There be bugs in thar!

Godkas

Well-Known Member
Hmm it appears some little white mites are trying to move into my grow room. I see them on the soil at the base of the plant. I was planning on soaping them out does anyone have a good recommendation? Something easy on the plants?
 

battosai

Well-Known Member
Hmm it appears some little white mites are trying to move into my grow room. I see them on the soil at the base of the plant. I was planning on soaping them out does anyone have a good recommendation? Something easy on the plants?

once u get a heavy spider mite infestation, u would think acid would be easier on the plants. red pepper + garlic + water, and if u have some peppermint or tea tree oil soap, add a little to the mix. it works great. ive heard people say safer soap (its a spray for plants) is good stuff. i found some at lowes, but i dont need any so i didnt get it. u can probably mix a little vitamin e oil with the water if u dont have soap. i know my uncle just pours his used dish water on his tomatos to keep bugs off.
 

battosai

Well-Known Member
oh yea. i also came up with an idea that my friend used and he said it worked great. take apart a bic pen, use some duct tape and seal it on a vacuum hose. use the pin point hose to suck all undesirables from the plant. i would do that before spraying, if there are a lot of them
 

Godkas

Well-Known Member
Er I'm not sure they are spider mites. I mean I think they are but the leaves are clean these are visible white mites at the base of the plant and the soil surrounding it.
 

mogie

Well-Known Member
ID the type of bug.


Aphids:

Signs of an infestation:
Stunted, curled leaves. Aphids use piercing mouthparts to suck sap from the Phloem. Ants often accompany aphids (Ants help transport aphids around), and will also need to be controlled. Aphids secrete a sugar-like ?honeydew?, which make the undersides of the leaves sticky.

How to get rid of aphids:
Use sticky traps (i.e. No Pest Strip) for prevention and detection. Beneficial insects like ladybugs can be used to naturally control an infestation. A soapy spray (i.e. Safer?s Soap or detergent in warm water) can also be used to suffocate them.

Summary:
? Suck plant sap
? Cause stunting, leaf curling
? Leave honeydew deposits on leaves
? Ants in the grow room

Contributed by: Sniperman
Submitted: July 24th, 2004

Aphids: symptoms include curled or yellow leaves. Sticky honeydew residue on leaves, general weakness in plants.

Control: spray with a strong stream of water (during veg only). Sticky yellow traps. Alum foil mulch. Predatory bugs. Horticulture sprays. Most general-purpose garden spray r dusts, including pyrethrins, rotenone, and Malathion.

Spider Mites:

Signs of an Infestation:
Mites will first be noticed by the presence of small, discolored spots located near veins in the leaves. To see them, you will need the help of a 10X loupe, or a 30X Microscope. Mites use piercing mouthparts to suck sap. Mites will slow growth and attack the buds in advanced stages. The life cycle of the spider mite is closely tied to the temperature of the grow room; slow an infestation by keeping temp in the low 70?s.

Eliminating spider mites:
A ?No Pest strip? is very effective in eliminating them. Avid is a very effective systemic chemical control. A soapy spray will also keep their numbers in check (thoroughly coat underside of the leaves). Space plants out to minimize transfer movement between plants.

Summary:
? Suck plant sap
? 'Speckling' may indicate mites underneath
? Mites may appear transparent, black or red
? 'Bronzing' of the leaf is characteristic
? Webbing is present in advanced stages


Thrips:
Image by Sog: Thrip size reference
Signs of an infestation:
Thrips feed on new leaves of plants (and flowers); fresh leaf growth will deformed. A metallic sheen on leaves is one sure indicator of Thrips.

Sog "Thrip feces are easy to see with the naked eye; they show up as black spots on the leaves and stems of infected areas. Thrips themselves are a pale pinkish color."

Controlling Thrips:
Interestingly, Garlic repels Thrips. Cooler temps will slow down the life cycle, and blue sticky traps will trap adults. You can siphon them off by rustling the plant, and sucking them up with a shop-vac!
< tr>
Image by Sog: Silvered leaves
indicate heavy attack
Predator mites are also beneficial in the control of Thrips. Fine powdered Sulphur applied to the leaves will control them as well. A biological spray containing Beauvaria bassiana, (A fungus that grows and consumes Thrips) is also effective. Spraying the leaves with Chrysanthemum also kills Thrips.

Summary:
? Feed on plant tissue
? Rasp leaf surfaces and suck juices
? Heavily damaged plants appear silvery or gray
? Plants may be distorted, especially seedlings


Whiteflies:

Signs of an infestation:
Whiteflies are also sap-suckers. The top surface of leaves on infested plants become pale or spotted due to these insects feeding on the undersides of the leaves. Heavily infested plants will produce a buzzing cloud of flies if shaken.

The Whitefly life cycle is interesting in that the larval stage does all the damage. The larva will hatch and remain until it has quickly molted 3 times. Then it pupates and an adult emerges.

Controlling the Whitefly:
Insecticidal soap will take care of an infestation, as will the more toxic Diazanaon. Apply the soap (plus a wetting agent) to all parts on the plants, and both sides of the leaves. This will act to block the breathing pores and suffocate the pests.

Summary:
? feed by sucking plant juices
? mottled leaves indicate heavy attack
? may cause yellowing or death
? excreted honeydew may cover lower leaves, and black mold may grow on honeydew


Fungus Gnats:
Image by Ot1: Fungus Gnat
Signs of an infestation:
Fungus Gnats are attracted to soils that are rich in compost and nutrients. They lay eggs on the surface, hatching into larvae. Those larvae feed on the root tissue, including root hairs, and the outer cell covering of the root; often leaving only the central tube of the root. External signs include discolored leaves, and systemic plant failure. Fungus gnat adults will often run across the medium and may fly if the plant is shaken.

Controlling Fungus Gnats:
Pyrethrum aerosols, as well as placing yellow sticky traps all around the plant will help control the emerging adults. Gnatrol (containing natural Bt) is highly recommended.
 

toney

Active Member
I think i have all of them.LOL
I do have some symptoms of Aphids.
what is the soap strength u should use?
 

beenthere donethat

Well-Known Member
Sounds like fungus gnat larvae, Godkas. You seeing anything flyin around in yer room...or do they fly when you smack the side of the pots?

they look white..little fuckin round things crawlin....then they'll grow into small worms/larvae...1/4 to 3/8 inch long....then they go into the fly stage...flying around your room and laying MORE eggs in the soils of your plants...and then the cycle repeats. The **entire** time they are MUNCHING the fine hairs on your roots....killing alot of the nutrient uptake of the plant...

If this is what you think it is...go to Home De Pot and find those mosquito dunk things...they look like small doughnuts... float this in 5 gals of water for 24 hours...take off 1/2 of the water and mix it with your nute water...fill the bucket with the dunk back up for the next watering.

Now water your plants...cover the ENTIRE surface of the pot with water. Soak em fairly good. This intorduces baccillus isrealisis..a microorganism that the larvae THINKS is food..but in reality...gets inside em and kills em.

You need to water with this bacillus solution everytime you water your plants for 3 weeks to kill ALL of the cycles/stages...egg..larvae..adult.

I'm now keeping a dunk in my water bucket all the time. Better safe than sorry...

If you think you have mites and you don't see them on the UNDERSIDE of the leaver or see the the brown stippling on the topside they leave after feasting......get a sprayer bottle and mist a FINE spray of water onto your plants.

The mist will collect on the webs that form near the main stem and you will be able to see them easily...

good luck

bt dt
 

Godkas

Well-Known Member
Yup they are indeed fungus gnats I know because my mushroom culture caught a case of them before I tossed it. Lets just say im adding whatever I can to make the ground inhospitable to non-plants. I dont care to take the natural route on this one gnats are the scourge of the earth. I hate those SOB's and its time for chemical warfare.
 

NoWorries420

Active Member
i just transfered mine to new soil and they seem to be doin fine but they were young, only 3 days growing and gnats are gone
 

worble7

New Member
how do you make the red pepper + garlic + water mix? 1 part each and let sit for a day or 2? thanks jeff
 

Pookiedough

Well-Known Member
Again,layer of sand on top of the soil very thin and the gnats will not exist no need for dunks or sprays or machine guns.bongsmilie
 

icemassa

Well-Known Member
ive been in battle with fungus gnats for a while now. ive been using 4 ounces of minced garlic, 4 grams of tobacco and 3 tsp mineral oil mixed altogether in a gallon of water. i let it set for about 3 days then strain it before use. this stuff stinks so bad. i spray about every week and i still see one or two every week. maybe ill throw some red pepper into the mix to see what happens. im so tired of them. the spray has been keeping them down but, soon ill be trying to use some kind of sand to finish them off. i think their starting to affect my plants im not sure though. i hate those SOB's. peace and good luck to all
 

CustomHydro

Well-Known Member
Don't waste time with Organic sprays, plant safe soaps, or Fatty Potassium Acids, DUNKS + Pyrethrum is the shit! Thrips + 1 Dunk + 1 leaf treatment w/ Pyrethrum = No thrips...
The Pyrethrum kills anything that is on the leaves and when they can't go on the leaves to eat they setle for the bacteria from the Dunks nd that means BYE BYE wither way they go. Just be sure to go easy on the Pyretherum, the smaller the plant the less it can handle! When used properly this combo will treat any amount of thrips as long as you are treating the local source, otherwise they will show back up in a week or two... The Py will stunt the plants for a couple days, but not near what the thrips will do if they stick around...
 

OregonMeds

Well-Known Member
An inch or two of sand on top of your dirt and new watering schedules that make sure and let the pots dry out before watering again.

That and some yellow sticky traps and you'll never have a problem with them again, even if they keep coming in from outside.

No need to stress your plant with sprays or nasty mixes. Some of that stuff will make your buds poisonous and nobody really knows what happens when that poison is smoked.
 

CustomHydro

Well-Known Member
True, sprays are going to stunt them just do the sand, I don't know why but on my prev post I thought u were treating thrips. For gnats u just need sand.
 

stiffer

Well-Known Member
when i water with the sand on top the sand just moves again because of the water hitting the sand, gnats still exist
 
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