Urgent Spider Mite Problem - Death by Habenero
- Thread starter SnotNazi
- Start date
Superfen
Well-Known Member
Hi I had spider mites I ordered most things off Amazon lol pepper s I ordered wasn't in stock so ordered spray for spider mite they sent me bed bug spray hmm getting frustrated with this I went up to garden centre and brought spray for mites for plants in flower / bloom I had 12 plants binned 8 kept 4 had killed lots of them will inspect later today I also left them out in cold and rain for few hours to rinse off then put bk in tent mine are not fa off done now so fingers crossed it worked will spray with water later an more spray if needed good luck with urs and if u do the pepper let me know how it went ta I have thread on here ( house spiders
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
Sorry to say but you're pretty much screwed. Anything you spray at this stage of flowering is going to wreck your buds.
It would be impossible to spray enough to be effective against the mites without soaking the buds and ruining them.
As the bulk of the mites live and lay their eggs under the leaves leaving them out in the rain and cold will hurt the plants more than the bugs.
To spray properly you have to lift the leaves while you spray to make sure the undersides are well soaked. I had to do a large plant last fall that was grown outside all summer in a 4gal pot. I used about 1500ml each spray for 4 treatments to make sure I got them all then moved the plant into my grow room for flowering and never saw a bug to the end.
I used neem oil with some Later's Insecticidal Soap and warm water for all 4 treatments 3 days apart to nail any new mites and thrips that hatched between sprays.
It would be impossible to spray enough to be effective against the mites without soaking the buds and ruining them.
As the bulk of the mites live and lay their eggs under the leaves leaving them out in the rain and cold will hurt the plants more than the bugs.
To spray properly you have to lift the leaves while you spray to make sure the undersides are well soaked. I had to do a large plant last fall that was grown outside all summer in a 4gal pot. I used about 1500ml each spray for 4 treatments to make sure I got them all then moved the plant into my grow room for flowering and never saw a bug to the end.
I used neem oil with some Later's Insecticidal Soap and warm water for all 4 treatments 3 days apart to nail any new mites and thrips that hatched between sprays.
Freddie Millergogo
Well-Known Member
Using a one gallon sprayer with water
Dr. Bronners Peppermint soap 3 table spoons, maybe some $1.99 Fels Naptha soap (you need a grater from the dollar store) about 2 table spoons full and a tablespoon of silica liquid that most growers use. Mix and shake while spraying. Let sit in dark for 5 hours and rinse with water. Have fans going about 30 minutes after spraying. The silica is not mandatory but it seems to help. Bronners is lots of oils like hemp oil and peppermint which are good to use against spider mites.
Another one is Spinosad, Silica and some liquid aloe.
A guy on another MMJ thread or web site swore by
Veg: Neem oil, silica and liquid aloe
Flower: Spinosad, Silica and liquid aloe.
Probably see directions for spino and neem, silica a tablespoon or two and probably 4 tablespoons of aloe. Spinosad makers include Monterey and Capt Jack;s by Bonide.
When harvesting your can rinse the buds and dry with fan:
More on Fels Naptha
http://www.hansenfamilyfarm.com/blog/make-your-own-non-toxic-insecticidal-spray-soap
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/kill-bugs-household-plants-felsnaptha-90058.html
https://bloomtender.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/fels-naptha-insecticidal-soap/
Dr. Bronners Peppermint soap 3 table spoons, maybe some $1.99 Fels Naptha soap (you need a grater from the dollar store) about 2 table spoons full and a tablespoon of silica liquid that most growers use. Mix and shake while spraying. Let sit in dark for 5 hours and rinse with water. Have fans going about 30 minutes after spraying. The silica is not mandatory but it seems to help. Bronners is lots of oils like hemp oil and peppermint which are good to use against spider mites.
Another one is Spinosad, Silica and some liquid aloe.
A guy on another MMJ thread or web site swore by
Veg: Neem oil, silica and liquid aloe
Flower: Spinosad, Silica and liquid aloe.
Probably see directions for spino and neem, silica a tablespoon or two and probably 4 tablespoons of aloe. Spinosad makers include Monterey and Capt Jack;s by Bonide.
When harvesting your can rinse the buds and dry with fan:
More on Fels Naptha
http://www.hansenfamilyfarm.com/blog/make-your-own-non-toxic-insecticidal-spray-soap
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/kill-bugs-household-plants-felsnaptha-90058.html
https://bloomtender.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/fels-naptha-insecticidal-soap/
Last edited:
SnotNazi
Well-Known Member
Well I'm happy to say I've ended the infestation for the most part been inspecting on a daily basis and haven't seen any movement. The dead leaves are due to the mites as it was a mess and an over fert last feed but the buds are growing and staying green. I used a mixture of habenero hot sauce, garlic, olive oil and water. Plant didn't mind the bath and the little critters hated it. When freshly sprayed if you walked into the room your eyes and nose would water and my wife said her tongue felt spicy lmao Anyway, the mixture worked well and the residue stays for a few days so that anyone left gets a nasty mouth full of nastiness effectively starving rhem out. I sprayed 3 times two days apart.
Cyco Nigel
Member
Mites they are always a nightmare. When i've had problems with mites in the past, ive got this white powder which is called omite. I would spray that onto it when lights are off and i would also bomb my room with fido flea bomb. I always try to keep everything clean in my room as well as before entering my room. Like i will always change my clothes before entering and if any tools i required i would wash down also before entering.
Beng01
Well-Known Member
Nuke em by flying skull
Will handle simple spider mites and powdery mildew
Can be sprayed before, during and
after harvest for mold control
Leaves no residue and is approved by the state of Oregon for use on cannabis per the instructions from the manufacturer
I just used it for the first time with 3 weeks left in flower for spider mites and PM
Verified all of that with the state, manufacturer and shop I bought it at
It works well on both, kills the mites on contact and handles the PM as well -- its a win, win and is guaranteed not to harm your buds even after harvest
Will handle simple spider mites and powdery mildew
Can be sprayed before, during and
after harvest for mold control
Leaves no residue and is approved by the state of Oregon for use on cannabis per the instructions from the manufacturer
I just used it for the first time with 3 weeks left in flower for spider mites and PM
Verified all of that with the state, manufacturer and shop I bought it at
It works well on both, kills the mites on contact and handles the PM as well -- its a win, win and is guaranteed not to harm your buds even after harvest
revengefor2008
Active Member
Hello GroErr. I'm new to rollitup, but have a few years of growing for personal use under my belt. I recently moved to a part of the country known to have problems with spider mites so I'm dealing with them for the first time on this grow. I have a small handheld lighted microscope I use to check trichome development and leaf health. Imagine my surprise when I came face to face with the "borg" as they call spider mites here. There are lots of commercial growers in this area, and I'm certain I unwittingly picked up the nasty little bastards from some clones I bought from one of them. Lesson learned! After asking several growers in the area as well as searching another forum I'm active on I decided to give Azamax a try. Azamax is one of the only, if not the only, miticide permitted under my state's medical growers' guidelines. Azamax is derived from neem, and rather than poisoning the mites, it covers their bodies and basically suffocates them. I hope they suffered horribly as a consequence and subsequently rot in hell!
I diluted it down per the instructions, put it in a bottle that has a directional tip (insert joke here), waited for lights out, and gave good coverage first on the bottoms of the leaves by pointing the spray tip up, then came at them from the top down. It took about 24 hours to see no signs of living mites. I repeated the process again after 5 days, then again after another 5 days. My scan this morning was all clear, no signs of mites. As you noted, you MUST spray a few times at 3 to 5 day intervals to beat them at their life-cycle.
In addition to the spray, I have a small, low-power shop vac that I used to vacuum the leaves and buds the day after spraying. Mind you I have been very gentle with the vacuum, being careful not to let the buds get sucked into the hose in the process. I learned this trick in another forum and like the idea of combining the neem with the mechanical removal of some of the mites. It's a multi-pronged approach which is sometimes necessary to deal with particularly aggressive predators.
I was VERY reluctant to spray anything at all on flowering plants, but after much research decided to give it a try. After reading what some other growers use (pyrethrin, kill strips, sevin, etc) I figured I'd probably unknowingly smoked and eaten pot in the past with far worse than Azamax on them.
At harvest time, I'm going to give them a good rinse in the shower before hanging them to dry. The rinse may not do much, but I'm hoping to remove as many of the dead mites, their poop, and their shed exoskeletons as possible before smoking or cooking my buds.
If not for your infestation your plant looks like it would be really nice. If you can't save it at this point maybe you could take a clone or 2, and turn the rest into bubble hash. At least you'd get something out of it?
On a separate note, are you growing your plant in a toilet? I have to admit I've seen some creative things over the years, but that's a first!!
I diluted it down per the instructions, put it in a bottle that has a directional tip (insert joke here), waited for lights out, and gave good coverage first on the bottoms of the leaves by pointing the spray tip up, then came at them from the top down. It took about 24 hours to see no signs of living mites. I repeated the process again after 5 days, then again after another 5 days. My scan this morning was all clear, no signs of mites. As you noted, you MUST spray a few times at 3 to 5 day intervals to beat them at their life-cycle.
In addition to the spray, I have a small, low-power shop vac that I used to vacuum the leaves and buds the day after spraying. Mind you I have been very gentle with the vacuum, being careful not to let the buds get sucked into the hose in the process. I learned this trick in another forum and like the idea of combining the neem with the mechanical removal of some of the mites. It's a multi-pronged approach which is sometimes necessary to deal with particularly aggressive predators.
I was VERY reluctant to spray anything at all on flowering plants, but after much research decided to give it a try. After reading what some other growers use (pyrethrin, kill strips, sevin, etc) I figured I'd probably unknowingly smoked and eaten pot in the past with far worse than Azamax on them.
At harvest time, I'm going to give them a good rinse in the shower before hanging them to dry. The rinse may not do much, but I'm hoping to remove as many of the dead mites, their poop, and their shed exoskeletons as possible before smoking or cooking my buds.
If not for your infestation your plant looks like it would be really nice. If you can't save it at this point maybe you could take a clone or 2, and turn the rest into bubble hash. At least you'd get something out of it?
On a separate note, are you growing your plant in a toilet? I have to admit I've seen some creative things over the years, but that's a first!!
SnotNazi
Well-Known Member
LMAO no just put it there for photo op. I've since cut her down and she is currently being burped at 70% RH. Nearly at the jump to once a week burp. Ended up with just over an oz. dry @ 32grams. Still smells like hay though but getting hints of other smells as of this morning.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
try predator mites next time man
simple, effective, but expensive
but NO plant damage, and they stick around to kill every fuckin one of them, and violently too.
Picturing a 2-spot mite being eaten and torn alive by a larger predator mite makes me a lil warm and fuzzy inside
those fuckers
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
heh, at the risk of making a badjoke, did the habanero spray reduce you to a dripping snotnazi?
