Goddamn, now I've got spider mites on one plant

[Old_Zircon]

Fortunately, I've been keeping it in a room separate from the rest of the house plants and my other SD plant, so it probably hasn't infected them.  I've been noticing the spots for about a week and noticed two small bits of web on the undersides of leaves today.  

I assume that the neem oil I have will be useless against these things; I'll start out with spraying and wiping down the leaves; are predatory mites a good option?  It sounds like pesticides are not very effective, and I'd rather not use them if I can avoid it.

[TroutMask]

Spray and wipe, spray and wipe. I finally had to get rid of my salvia due to those and/or thrips.

-TM

[Old_Zircon]

Yeah, that's what everything seems to say.  I actually have seen Neem listed as effective against mites, so I'll try that once a week, too (did a spot check on a couple of leaves today to make sure it doesn't damage them).  Hopefully my other plant (the "unhealthy" one from my first post, which has now had all of its large leaves clipped but seems stable and is actually showing a little bit of new growth) will turn out OK, so I can at least keep two plants in different rooms to reduce the chances of losing them all to something like this.

[lollipop guild]

Avid is the only chem I know that gets rid of spider mites completely. Its sold as a spray, but 15-25 drops per gallon when watering will eradicate the spider mites if applied for a few consecutive waterings. However, you do  have to wait at least 35 days from the last application until consuming the leaves, as it takes that period of time for all traces of this chem to vanish from the plant.

guild rep #13

[Old_Zircon]

So they actually die by ingesting it from the plant rather than being killed through contact, then?  That sounds promising, and the long period of time it stays in the plant would actually be a positive thing in that case, since it would help with emerging generations of mites as well as the ones that were already hatched at the time of treatment.  I'll look into it.

[Old_Zircon]

Well, a quick google search turned up one big problem - an 8oz botle is almost $100!  I do know someone who works on a vegetable farm, maybe he could find a way to get me a small quantity of it.


This was interesting:

Mode of Action
Stimulates the release of Gamma amino butyric acid (GABA), which causes insect paralysis soon after ingestion. Within hours of exposure, feeding and damage to the plant stops, but death may take up to 2-4 days. Different from conventional insecticide/miticides; effectively controls susceptible and resistant mites and leafminers

[Old_Zircon]

Point being, I wonder if there would be some way to treat them directly with GABA and save $70 or so.  Probably not.

[lollipop guild]

I buy avid from yee local hydro shoppe in 1 oz bottles for $15 or so. It shouldn't be any problem to get an oz shipped to you. Feel free to pm me if'n you want details.

guild rep #13

[Old_Zircon]

I can probably find it then - I only had time to scan the first few suppliers that came up on google.

[Old_Zircon]

But thanks, I'll PM if I need to.

[plantshaman]

Spider mites have been eating my plants for 5 years and i still hvan't got rid of them . The best thing i have found is blasting the leaves with the hose once a day or more . i'll have to check out avid .

[Jupe]

The Paraffinic oils (brand name Ultra fine)can help as well, smothering new eggs, and adults as well. plus they are water soluable, so plant can be washed off.

[laughingwillow]

Two consecutive waterings as a systemic with twenty drops of avid per gallon will kill the spidermites dead. And their offspring, too. 35 days later there is absolutely no trace of the chem left in the plant. (Varj's father-in-law is a Canuk scientist who was in charge of testing this product for his gubmit. He has verifyed the safety.)

lw

[VajraPirate]

Tis true, I asked the gov't Tox Doc himself, and he says after the 35 day period there is no potential health risks asociated with the use of abermectin (the active in Avid).

But just to clarify, the work he did on Avid was for the US government, not the Canucks, although that is where her family is from.

He specializes in pesticides. This info could not come from a more reliable resource.

[plantshaman]

wow, maybe it would be possible to move the cappi back outside if i applied avid to it . it has to stay indoors cuz of the mites but just when it grows best i turn on the a/c.