Battling Mites With Imidacloprid

After mites absolutely devastated my last harvest (about 30g from 6 gals...) and trying liquid soap, different piperonylbutoxid compounds, digging up the gals and drowning them for 20 mins in 40C water, and hardly effecting them at all (mites are just the worst), I'm trying Imidacloprid (and MERCAPTODIMETHUR ) now, more specifically Provada from Bayer.

This isn't for consumtion but I'm using it on some very small clones and I'm banking on not much left in the rest of the plants once they get bigger.

Anyone know anything about these substances please?

I don't think that the imidacloprid is going to do much at all. It's an insecticide, not a miticide- very differant beasties.

The methiocarb is active against mites, but it's contact only with a long and scary residual- application will have to be very thourough. Please be careful with this stuff- it's sorta nasty.

I've had fairly good results against mites using spinosyn a/d compounds- and excellant results using abamectin. Abamectin would be my chemistry of choice.

The miticide specific product is called Avid- it's a mainstay of the commercial floriculture industry. It's relatively safe- same coumpound used in flea and tick collars for pets. You've probabley already handled some.

Check and see if the products that you're using are registered as miticides- mites aren't insects, and only a few insecticides will control them, and then only incidentally.

Yeah, i know they're arachnids, but this bottle says it is specifically for mites. I suppose its the Mercaptodimethur then.

Apparently it was only allowed for professional farmers previously, but is now available on the market (in my country).

I just hang up a "No-Pest Strip" in the same room (not directly in the grow cabinet, and I toss it away, in the last 2-3 weeks) - I have never had a bug problem, while my next-door neighbor was totally overrun by the spider mite bastards - but, IF I got spider mites, I would have my attack poodle hold it to the floor, while I castrated it with a small pocketknife, thus preventing all future generations from springing forth :wtf:

Day 1 - Spray Neem Oil
Day 3 or 4 - Neem, let dry then Fog (fumigate)
Day 7 or 8 - Neem, let dry then Fog

You should be good. ;) Depends how deep in you are, though. Good luck, Faith. :)

That's just another option, btw. Be cool.


The Fog :rastasmoke:

I didnt have a problem in the world either, until I unwittingly brought 3 smitten clones into my room...now they've taken over my apartment. :mad:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by faithlessxxx

now they've taken over my apartment. :mad:

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Charge the little fuckers rent, turn your a/c down to its lowest setting, get fans on the plants (they HATE wind and cold, can't reproduce as fast) and follow rhizome's advice.

What kind of fogger chemicals are people using to fumigate grow rooms? I inherited a nasty bugger infestation (not sure which bugs they are, the little white ones that poop on the underside of the leaves and eat the chlorophyll) from some clones from a coop.

I need to fog. I have sprayed a TON of soap on the plants (top and bottom) and used a pyrethum (sinc) spray which really f-d up my foliage, but seems to have killed the buggers, but I want to fog 2x like the instructions listed above...

I feel so bad for my flowering plants right now, as the old growth looks SO bad from the chemical getting on the foilage...but they don't seem to mind.

Firs thing you need to understand about Spider Mites is their cycle of life. They lay eggs 5 day's after they hatch. That means that you need to treat then every 3-5 days depending on how bad they are. That way you will break the cycle of life and kill them off before they can hatch more eggs.

Some of the products that do work are:

Safer brand BioNEEM works OK, not the best but is easy to find...even HD has this product.

Bang is another product that works well but harder to find.

SM-90 and SMC both work very quick but are only found on Hydroponic stores or up scale grow shops.

As for foggers you can use products like
X-clue spray
Doktor Doom Total Release Pyrethrum Fogger
PCO Total Release Pyrethrum Fogger

A good product to use to keep then away after you treat the room and plants is called Hot Pepper Wax spray. It will not kill them off unless you use it every day for 2 week straight and use like 2 bottles but it's good for maintains. It will not harm the plant or alter the taste either.

Good luck and happy growing

Hey, Zandor....that SM-90....isn't that a wetting agent? Doesn't that help nutrients to be used properly when added to your res? I didn't know it had pesticide applications....or maybe I'm just way off completely.


The Fog :rastasmoke:

I was under the impression that Bang was meant to seal mite damage and prevent moisture loss and leaf death, but wasn't a miticide.
Pyrethrin foggers are good stuff. Don't forget to fog at least twice, a few days apart, to catch mites that hatch after the first application.

Thanks for the discussion. I think I finally killed them off with the Provado Plus. Thank God.

Wow, Mites are a pretty tough struggle and they will destroy your crop in just days once a good batch of eggs hatch.

After studying up as one does when one encounters new problems, and using pyretherins, I do not approve of them, unless you're satisfied with a daily struggle to only reduce them. They become immune to them very quickly.

Heavy chemicals or predators is the only way to go.

This is from the companys web site for FYI.

Bang - Bang is a 100% organic plant barrier, which protects all of your plants against spider mite damage and most other plant damaging insects. Can be used indoors or out. Safe for hydroponically grown plants. Can be used up to 3 days before harvest - If you have had a problem you need to protect your plant from the after effects thus Bang.


Safer BioNEEM - A natural insecticide made from the seeds of the Indian neem tree, Safer BioNEEM is an effective insecticide that works on contact, yet is safe to use on produce until the day of harvest. It works to kill aphids, cabbage loopers, Japanese beetles, spider mites and many more. Solution is water-based, non-flammable, alcohol-free and is a great choice for gardeners looking for natural types of insect control. Mix 1 tsp. Neem Oil and 1/2 tsp liquid dish soap to 1 quart of water. Spray the solution on all leaf surfaces.

SM-90 - SM-90 is an organic based pest inhibitor, which discourages pest infection, fungus and root rot. SM-90 is prepared from natural plant oils. The organic composition of SM-90 results in it's ability to be bio degradable and is also non toxic to humans, animals and plants. It can be applied as a foliar spray or directly into reservoirs.

SMC - Controlling Spider Mites is an essential part of successful plant cultivation. It is especially important indoors or in greenhouses where conditions for spider mites are very favorable. SMC is blended from pure plant extracts. No toxic chemicals. Can be used up to the day of harvest. Mix 5 tsp with 1 quart of water. Makes 1 gallon of spray.

Does that hely anyone understand better what I said?

Boy this copy paste is easy....lol

I fogged with Pyrethrin on the 21st and am planning a reapplication on the 26th. I have enough to keep this up for a while, but is there a point at which I should stop using the Pyrethrin in the flowering room? I think this bunch has about a month left, maybe a month and a week.

I have gone apeshit with the chemicals as I don't want this to be a permanent problem and it seems like things are in check. I bombed the veg cabinet at the same time too, even though it looks like I was able to treat the smaller veggin plants more effectively over the last month due to their small size.

What a bummer...