URGENT HELP: SPIDER MITES 6 WEEKS INTO FLOWER

[piffbert]

What should I do???
I was planning on harvesting in two weeks or less....

whats the best way to go about this?

[texas grass]

havest before they get too infested.
too late in flower to do anything effective that will not hurt the buds imo
completely disinfect after harvest, use a neem spray or other you perfer and treat your vegging plants to help keep rid of the mites. spray bug killer around the rooms you grow in to help

[stinkyattic]

The only thing that is safe to use right now apart from organics is pure pyrethrin, NO ACTIVATORS!!! Hot Shot 'Kitchen Fogger' is one, and check the labelling but Doktor Doom also makes a PBO-free Pyr spray. Do it NOW if you are going to do it at all, and don't do it if you are under weak (read=flourescent) lighting because Pyr breaks down into nontoxic compounds in the presence of VERY INTENSE light.

You can also mist with SMC coriander oil or Dr. Dooright orange oil. But avoid spraying anything on the buds.

This is my strong recommendation:
Add fans and drop your temps into the low 70s max. COLD and WIND keep mite populations down.
After harvest, clean up like Tex says. Set off a pair of bug bombs as well, 2-3 days apart. In the future, keep your temps from climbing above 82'F and keep constant air movement.

[SAP420]

Yes... go with a pyrethrin because they are completely safe to spray on plants and will provide a good contact kill and leave behind no residual on your plants. Use caution though as to not spray around hot lamps... very flammable spray if in aerosol form.

[stinkyattic]

SAP man you should enable your rep- it's under your usercp I think under options.
It didn't even occur to me about the flammability of that shit but you're darn straight on that one!

No matter what you spray, keep it away from the hot bulb. Whether it's the spray catching fire, or cold water cracking the glass of a hot bulb and resulting in an explosion, it ain't pretty.

[psychocat]

I have had problems in the past and have found Neem oil to be a good solution to spidermite infestation.

[sinky]

I just spent $30 getting 3 day shipping on a dr.doom fogger for my plants 5 weeks into flowering to take care of my spidermite problem... I just realized Stinky says not to use anything PBO's... is that the Piperonyl Butoxide in this stuff? I really need to take care of this problem and I don't think I can afford to wait any longer... How unsafe would it be to use this thing now? What if I only allowed the fogger to a little access to my flower room just to tip the scales in my favor? STINKY I NEED YOUR HELP!!!

[stinkyattic]

If you have an 8 week or more strain, then go for it- Do it NOW, fog according to instructions today and then again tomorrow and the day after, then that's it- you need to mark this date on your calendar, and regardless of ripeness, give your plants a solid 3 weeks before harvest so all the crap can break down.

[sinky]

Whew! It is an 8 week strain - Papaya - and I did indeed fog yesterday. I only had the one fogger, but I was reading up on the government fact sheets on Piperonyl Butoxide, and they make it sound relatively harmless. They say it breaks down quickly in the presence of air... it gave me a little more comfort. When I went back into the room 12 hours later, there were a couple of termites and one cockroach writhing around on the floor! I look at my plants and was shocked to see a few spider mites, but when I went to grab the leaf for further inspection under my scope, they fell right off! :)

So wish me luck; I'm toughin' it out now for the next 3 weeks if they come back. This is my last grow here. It is far too stressful at a rental property, I do say. My results were less than spectacular, but not bad for a first shot. Three harvests over 1 year; 4 ounces, then 2.5 ounces, and this one is looking like 4 or 5.

I'd like to post my results somewhere, if for no reason other than the fact that I wondered going into this how much I could expect from a 2' x 2' flower space with a 150W HPS and 3 23W CFL's, using soil and organic fertilizers. Where would be the best spot channel for that thread, Stinky?

[sinky]

Arg! Looks like I will indeed be "toughing it out." Having viewed the plants again, and after having found yet another dead cockroach, I discover that there are indeed living spidermites that remain. I tried, but apparently cockroaches are wimps in comparison with spider mites. I would say on average there are a couple of spider mites for every dozen leaf sets (usually on the same leaf). I'm just keeping the humidity at about 75, temperature at 68-70, and eyes open. I have spent about 10 minutes every morning and night smashing them with my fingers, and I guess that is what I'll keep doing. I suppose I'll have to start keeping sanitation in mind with my arms crossing over those big buds from now on. Don't want mold on top of this.

[ALFREDO24]

have you tried drowning the last of them with water containing a few drops of dish soap, I think this is safe to use when budding and doubt it will leave any taste as it's so diluted

[sinky]

Hmm, I should do that too... So far I have been smashing them and rubbing any leaf with a mite on it with rubbing alcohol. How diluted would you recommend for the soap?

[skitz0]

who needs a fogger when you've got ladybugs or praying mantis! rawr!

[crowlee]

someone help me please i was lookin at my plant and i seen loads of tiny flies living in the soil and some on the plant what are they?????????

[painretreat]

crow: you need to start a thread in the grow section under problems and help please or whatever it is and I guess this column, as well!

That way people who have visited this site will visit yours with proper answers for your questions. That will most likely get you faster help than leaving this post under someone else's! Good luck to you. There are many threads on this topic. Until you stumble across the one that fits your needs, maybe someone will give you an answer asap!! Good luck to you! Pr:)

[Weezard]

someone help me please i was lookin at my plant and i seen loads of tiny flies living in the soil and some on the plant what are they?????????

Do a search for "Fungus Gnats"
Act accordingly:)

Weeze

[ALFREDO24]

you only need a few drops of dish soap as it's only to break the surface tension of the water to stop the little buggers walking on the top of it.
I think they call it a wetting agent, I have a mate who always submerges his clones in this solution for about 20 minutes before transplanting and just gives the plants a spraying with it weekly to catch any eggs that hatch that may have been left. I hope you kill 'em all:thumbsup:

[jobe]

I had the mites bad I bout a 8 oz bottle of avid and it killed them.I wouldnt use it so late in flowering tho