webless black spider mites? Urgent!

Hi
Recently something got over me plants.
About a week or so ago, I would have said these are spider mites, but there are a number of differences.
1. They are visible to the naked eye
2. They are pitch black.
3. There are no webs whatsoever.
4. There is but minuscule amounts of damage(I would say about 2-5 percent discoloration on leaves)

There are these light spots on the leaves, but if I know it right, mites destroy entire crops in days, and nothing like that is happening here. Virtually the battleground looks exactly the same for about 2-3 weeks.

First of all, I would like to identify the threat, and then I am open to suggestions about the methods I can use to deal with them.
(pesticides are out of the question)

here are some pictures, just in case it helps. I could not get one of the bastards. I havent enough resolution fir that.

P.S.: My soil is Cocoa bricks laced with neem seeds, so if black, visible mites are a thing, then it is possible that they are this ineffective(thank gods) because of it.

Thanks in advance.

thrips probably. neem oil with a little dish soap worked fine for me last time i got them.

also, if you keep sticky cards out all the time (blue and yellow). it makes it alot easier to figure out whats eating your plants.

i dont think so. thrips have elongated body shape
these are just very small black balls just walkin about.

could be aphids maybe but it makes me think there is a problem with the irrigation or the lights because the leaves look unhealthy.

It is the kind of damage done by the mites but it doesn't sound like them. Do you have a pic?

Do you think I am giving them too much water?
It could be, I may have gone a little overboard.
my last few rounds were ruined by a multitude of negative events, and it is critical that this one goes down at least fine.

looks like mites or black aphids. the webs show more when they get high density. Azamax spray as directed if not in flower with a drop of Dawn soap.or let loose the red army (lady bugs). Aphids have 2 snorkles on their butts. Mites are just round and legs. they are tinier too.

pic of the bottom of an effected leaf magged up and in focus

Just chopped early because of this - I feel your pain. Good luck.

ladybugs dont work where there is a concentrated source of light(they pretty much kamikaze into it by the hundreds)
also I am in flower.
there arent any webs. I have gone thru all the damn plant. inches by inches and no webbing at all

i can get a mag tomorrow, so if you could come back then, that would be mighty nice of you.

i, too, am in a dilemma here. I figured Id hold back the calvalry(pesticides) till this one flowers down in peace, until then, close inspection and a ton of prayers to every possible deities, and if possible, our good old friend, star of the original Star trek series, Leonard Neem-oil.
love your inverted union flag BTW. we need more people who see through their damned imperialistic ways, but I will let off the politics here.
anyway. thanks man.
how early was it if you dont mind me asking?

you can hang a no pest sprip for a few days. its ingredient breaks down rapidly. it used in food storage areas.

Narcissous said:

i, too, am in a dilemma here. I figured Id hold back the calvalry(pesticides) till this one flowers down in peace, until then, close inspection and a ton of prayers to every possible deities, and if possible, our good old friend, star of the original Star trek series, Leonard Neem-oil.
love your inverted union flag BTW. we need more people who see through their damned imperialistic ways, but I will let off the politics here.
anyway. thanks man.
how early was it if you dont mind me asking?

Click to expand...

I was lucky, only a week off. It's too bad that it wouldn't live up to it's full potential but something is better than nothing. The little bastards can be bad one moment then a full blown infestation the next! I decided I was too close to let that happen :/

Thanks for the compliment on the design. I'm actually having patches made to try to raise awareness that the bastard politicians have tricked the public for too long! But I should leave the politics in the politic forum as well

well, dont worry, a week does not really matter that much. I mean if you chop a weak earlier than you were supposed to, then you are still in the clear(i was taught there is about a week long window of optimal harvesting) so I think you will not notice the difference. maybe only that it will be much more head than it normally would be.
of course i prefer to harvest about half a week later(i have a hundred percent sativa, and this is a way for me to throw in a little more body)

So I guess you are one of the few(of us) who are actually happy that capitalist whore of a Thatcher is six feet under
hey, if you want to talk some politics with a fellow minded someone, you can always throw me a private message or two. it has been a time since someone agreed with me.