Looking for input on Predator Mites

[AllenScott]

I have been at war with two-spotted spider mites for quite some time.

My former location was quite hot and humid and management wasn't too tough: mildy soapy water spray kept them in check.

My newer location in the Eastern Foothills runs quite hot and dry outside. I work pretty hard to keep the humidity up around 50% in 80 degree air inside the rooms. I have pretty large spaces I'm working in and don't have the ability to empty the rooms and sterilize. The veg and flower rooms are separated but impossible to isolate from the outside environment. I do recycle dirt after a massive flushing and respiking regime.

I have tried soapy water, ladybugs, pyrethrum, neem, Azamax, garlic, pepper spray, misting, etc. These attempts were made at proper intervals to get the various stages of mite life.

Lately I've been spraying Azamax at 5 day intervals while vegging and just prior to entering flower. This seems to keep the bastards in check but I don't want to spray the flowering plants so about a month into flower I'm hand plucking infested leaves into water buckets and washing them down the drain. This is not only tedious due to the number of plants but it can't be good for yield to remove so much leaf at that time.

I think the mites are entering from outside or interior hiding places and finding the older flowering plants to be free enough from Azamax to set up shop.

So I come to the Predator Mite attempt next I think. Has anyone used these? What variety? Effective?

Thanks in advance for input and tips.

Allen

AllenScott Reviewed by AllenScott on 06-11-2011. Looking for input on Predator Mites I have been at war with two-spotted spider mites for quite some time. My former location was quite hot and humid and management wasn't too tough: mildy soapy water spray kept them in check. My newer location in the Eastern Foothills runs quite hot and dry outside. I work pretty hard to keep the humidity up around 50% in 80 degree air inside the rooms. I have pretty large spaces I'm working in and don't have the ability to empty the rooms and sterilize. The veg and flower rooms are Rating: 5

[Zedleppelin]

Predators will work just like everything else you've tried, they may keep them at bay but they won't get rid of them. Only thing that will work is Avid and/or Floramite but not to be used in flower.

[CanGroIt]

Just curios.....did you use store bought ladybugs or did you go out and catch wild ones?

I've also heard that dryer sheets work pretty well. Something about the fragrance that bugs dislike.... I haven't seen any bugs in my grow space since placing the dryer sheets so I really don't know if they work but I haven't seen a bug since....

CGI::::::

[AllenScott]

Predators will work just like everything else you've tried, they may keep them at bay but they won't get rid of them. Only thing that will work is Avid and/or Floramite but not to be used in flower.

Thanks Zed. I've been looking into those products and though they say they are not to be used on food crops I think they will break down in time to be harmless if not used in flower. It seems there is an issue of tollerance to these developing in mites. Bummer.

I think I'll give the growers Azamax as I am (apparently mites can't develop imunity to this) and place predators in the flower room. We shall see.

[AllenScott]

Just curios.....did you use store bought ladybugs or did you go out and catch wild ones?

I've also heard that dryer sheets work pretty well. Something about the fragrance that bugs dislike.... I haven't seen any bugs in my grow space since placing the dryer sheets so I really don't know if they work but I haven't seen a bug since....

CGI::::::

I have heard that as well CGI. I know they keep the mice out of the boat and cabin in the winter. I have heard the smell from the sheets can get into the buds. A buddy wrapped a bag in them for travel and they sure did transfer smell. How long have you been using them?

As to the lady bugs, I bought them. Thousands and thousands of them. They seemed much more interested in suicide by HID light than eating mites and I could not bear walking on them and killing them as they are my favorite bug.

[BuddyBea]

Good Morning Allen,

While I've never grown anything my self, literally... I've cared for a house plant or two, but I don't even have so much as a cut daisy in a vase currently. I can offer a bit of insight on predatory mites. I'm not sure of the experience ZedL has, simply looking at his post count and reading his advice on (I assume) chemical control, it seems he's been around the block once or twice - however I'd have to disagree with his overall statement.

I have a long background working with invertebrates, particulalry those from tropic and sub-tropic regions. Naturally, and even more in captivity, mites are an issue for any animal (and plant as you've discovered) that require warm, humid enviroments. Trying to physically erridicate them is impossible as they piggy back everything. I've boiled and baked substrate/bleached containers, only to see mites appears at the first given oppurtunity.

What you can do however is two things. One, as I mentioned above... keep everything as clean as possible. The second, as your on to, is treatment with predatory mites.

My first line of defense if I were you is as soon as possible, try to plan a way to change out as much of the substrate from your room as you can. Obviously its hard becuase there is plants growing in them. But if you replace a couple pots, the ones you don't replace will just infect the ones you are, quickly. This assumes your using soil and it's all open. If not, which ever way you could go about cleaning your media would the next best - I have no experience in that area. The object is to remove as many of the current mites, and (most important) as much of the current dead/decaying matter from your room. Thats what the mites are truley after.

Next, as I mentioned - heat and humidity are a mites best friend. While you need them in your 'room', controlling both (especially humidity) to a T will significantly reduce your mite infestation. Depending on how much your plants can take it, drying out your room for even a couple days does a lot to a mite population.

Last, as I mentioned - predatory mites are used quite extensively in the world on invertebrate study. Why? Because mites on an animal and mites on a plant are much different pests. Physically, mites which use animals as hosts, adhere to the animal. It's physically impossible to remove them and those which are on the animal iteself will not die as they benefit from moisture exchange. Now predatory mites do their job and do them quite well. I've seen cases where invertebrates, close to death from mite infestations, have become mite free and made full recoverys simply from the use of predatory mites. Personally, our favorite was the mite 'H. miles' as it was quite large and could eat nearly any other mite it crossed. However, I did cross reference an old site of mine and saw the mite 'P. persimilis' which is said to be an excellent mite for controlling spider mites.

I have a bit more info if your interested but thats the bulk of my personal experiences summed up.

Take care,
Buddy

[CanGroIt]

How long have you been using them? Been using them for about six months now. Have 4 sheets in my veg cab and 8 in the flower cab. Change them out each month and haven't had any bug probs since....

As to the lady bugs, I bought them. Thousands and thousands of them.....

I bought them once too and found out just like you that they really don't work and make more of a mess than anything.... Soon after the store bought ones failed, I went out to a grassy area and was able to catch some wild ones. The wild ones took care of a past spider mite prob. The store bought ones have food avaialbe to them from day 1 where wild lady bugs have to walk around on plants and hunt for food....

CGI::::::

[AllenScott]

I bought them once too and found out just like you that they really don't work and make more of a mess than anything.... Soon after the store bought ones failed, I went out to a grassy area and was able to catch some wild ones. The wild ones took care of a past spider mite prob. The store bought ones have food avaialbe to them from day 1 where wild lady bugs have to walk around on plants and hunt for food....

CGI::::::

The hunting from the start makes a lot of sense on wild lady bugs. I believe there are some seasonal factors as well that influence their hunger. I may try the dryer sheet trick and see what happens. I'll watch, and smell, closely as I do worry a bit about smell moving to the plants. I'm hyper dedicated to clean medicine and don't want to contaminate any of it. Peace.

[AllenScott]

That is a lot of info BuddyBea. I wonder if we are talking about the same type of spider mites? All I have read seems to say the one's we have the most issues with in our medical gardens in Eastern Co, the two-spotted spider mite, prefers hot and dry conditions and live vegitation.

[Zedleppelin]

Every person I've known that has gotten mites all went the same route. First they tried non-harsh or organic methods like Pyrethrum, Neem Oil, spraying off the plants daily, predators, etc etc etc. And every one ended up using Floramite or Avid because all that other shit doesnt work, unfortunately it takes them many months and lost product to figure it out. Yes all that stuff will kill mites, but they do not kill the eggs, and since they reproduce at such a fast rate there lies the problem. You can kill off every mite you have but most of those mites have left eggs behind and they will all hatch at different rates. Miss one mite and the whole problem starts again and you're back at square one. I don't think anyone likes using Avid but everyone I know that has used it did it because they ran out of options. One or two applications and they are gone for good.