Are these mites or something else?

I wish it were funny. I’m stressing out over here. :frowning:

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Do not worry. I will keep using the MG. Or any other cheap water soluble fertilizer and other cheap organic fertilizers that are available. Plants are pigs. They do not care where the fertilizer comes from.

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Bugs can be managed. If you see mites or PM on your plants, do not pass GO, go straight to SPRAYER and mix up a batch of spray. Spray, spray and spray again. Then spray again! And then again! The sugar/H2O2/refined neem spray works great, and your plants will love it. Refined neem is harmless to most beneficial insects and bees as well, and pretty harmless to humans. Though they warn you about contact with neem here in the US, in India it is used for all kinds of skin problems and bugs, and in soaps and lotions.

For really bad mites on ealry non-flowering plants, I use Avid. Avid is abamectin, a naturally occurring miticide that was originally discovered in soil bacteria. Why Avid is not organic and Neem with aza is, I do not know. Abamectin can be gotten pretty cheap on Ebay and it only takes 1/4 tsp per gallon to mix. I use a sticker/spreader with it for better wetting action. Anyway, as long as you are 45 days or more from harvest, Avid is “safe.” I know several growers on NorCal and on other forums that have used Avid and after 45 days harvested and sent their buds into a lab that test for it, and they came back clean with 0% abamectin. According to Cornell University. Abamectin has a half life of about 2 days on leaves under any kind of light, and less in UV light. The advantage of abamectin is that it is translaminar, and so it moves through the leaf that it is sprayed on, so you do not have to get every inch of leaf with it. However, it does not kill eggs. The spreader/sticker will kill the eggs though, as well as about 80% of the mites that it comes into contact with. Oil and soap sprays are about 80-90% effective against mites, so you need to spray them multiple times. Mites will build up resistance to abamectin, so you need to rotate their diet after spraying one to two times in succession to knock down a bad infestation. Depending on the mite species and the time of year (heat factor) you want to spray in intervals of the particular mite life cycle. For example, the two spotted spider mite (probably the most common) has a 5 to 20 day life cycle at an optimal or peak at 80 deg. F, and the eggs hatch in about 3 days after being laid. So you want to spray 2 to 3 times at about 5 to 7 day intervals to catch the adults, larvae and various stages before they lay more eggs and cycle again. Early spraying is critical, as mites can and do multiply lighting fast and do a lot of damage.

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More on mites…

You can also use raw unrefined neem oil for bad infestations with mites, but that is tricky to mix. Raw neem oil is very viscous and it does not mix well with water. Raw neem has azadirachtin in it, a rather slow but effective miticide. Azadirachtin breaks down in about 4 months at room temp in raw neem, so you want to only buy fresh neem and only what you can use in that amount of time. Or keep it in the refrigerator at 40 degrees and it will last longer. Raw neem also has several other compounds that are effective for mites and insects, as well as oils. To mix raw neem oil, add it to a sticker/spreader first and mix them well, and then add them to a pint of hot water and mix well. It will have the consistency of chocolate milk. Then you can add that mix to cold water in a sprayer tank and shake it as you go, as some oil will tend to float on top of the mix. Like abamectin, aza is photosensitive and the half life of aza is pretty short under any kind of light (a few days at most, less under UV outdoors), so you want to spray at night or just before lights out indoors. Raw neem has a strong smell, but I do not find it offensive. Some people on some other MJ sites are on an anti-azadirachtin campaign, claiming it is the root of all evil. However, can find no support for their claims, and there has only been one reported hospital case of Neem oil exposure after someone drank a cup of it thinking it was an exotic salad oil. He lived.

Personally? I use refined Neem oil as a preventative for mites and PM. I start when they are clones or seedlings under lights, and continue on a regular spraying cycle after they are moved out to the greenhouses. I have other plants that are hosts for mites on my property and gardens, so I assume that they will be exposed to mites. If I see the tell tale signs of mites (usually fine spray-paint like speckles on the leaves, the sign of spider mites), or die-back at the tops of stems (the sign of broad mites) I upgrade the spray regime depending on when I see them. Early on I will use Avid and/or Aza, and follow up with the sugar/H2O2, and later with just the sugar/H2O2. Next year I will likely cycle in sugar and H2O2 into the preventative refined neem spraying once a month to try to prevent any mites altogether. I also spray my greenhouse walls with bleach and Talstar. Talstar is a very effective mite spray with 100% knock-down on contact. No, it is not organic, but it is 100% effective. And I do NOT spray my plants with it. It is a safe all around home spray for fleas, bedbugs, mites, and other insects.

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I have some neem oil and a wetting agent mixed that ill spray everything with tonight. Tomorrow I’ll use the H202 and sugar. I’m spraying everything as a preventative. I hit it all with spinosad yesterday.

I hope I can save my workshop from these. Thanks @BigSur, from what I understand I want to spray as often as possible. The odd thing is these guys don’t look like spider mites. From images on Google, they look more like dust mites to me. But that does t make sense, why would those be on my plants.

Hmm grain mites! Looks exactly like that and I did add malted barley several times to my plants. Maybe that’s the source!

You do not really need to spray as often as possible. You need to spray as soon as possible, and then every 3-5-7 days, depending on the heat factor, the type of mites, and the spray being used. Dust mites would not be on MJ plants. Dust mites live on skin cells of humans and animals. And dust mites look VERY similar to spider mites and they are about the same size. Barely visible specks to the unaided eye. I use a 30x scope to hunt for mites. There are many species of spider mites (and dust mites) as well. You may also be seeing young adults, or you may be seeing mite larvae. Spider mites also have two stages of nymphs before becoming adults that may be throwing you off thinking they are something else. Look for the large round clear eggs. They are usually scattered between the mites on the undersides of the leaves.

Grain mites? Never looked at them, but they eat grain and flour, and not leaves. They will also bite humans. Little nasty f’ers. Grain mites are about half the size of spider mites. Bay leaves are supposed to be good for getting rid of grain mites. I have a Turkish bay tree here and it had spider mites this summer… I think that is where one of my early blooming MJ plants got spider mites from. I nuked it with the sugar/H2O2 spray and ag oil a few times and they are gone now. Ag oil can also be used for mites, come to think of it. Ag oil is a thin mineral oil, also considered organic and some is even food grade.

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Thanks again for the tips. I did a neem oil spray tonight before lights out. Tomorrow ill do the H202 and sugar spray. I may also do a ginger/garlic/habeñero root drench next watering, have to be careful with that, I have committed microbe genocide using too much of that. :skull_crossbones:

I haven’t seen any eggs, unless I am mistaking them for bulbous trichomes.

I think I’m over reacting a bit, thank you though, your replies are reassuring. :pray: I may be able to rest well tonight knowing I have a plan of attack and I cought it early.

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Salutations ReikoX,

Sorry about The Borg… Obviously this was durable trauma which actually proves to be textually transmissible even 5 years after the crisis!!

:wink:

The thing is my initial plan only aimed at finding myself some nice serenity-promoting hobby, hence i was less than resilient when rescue scenarios became necessary: the mites were anxiogenic enough!

Which just killed my whole cultivation hobby for some while:

:expressionless:

…until the next spring, as i recall… :herb:

But even after a relatively long period of reflexion fueled by readings on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR) my renewed hopes didn’t resist for long… This “hobby” had become one overwhelming challenge which felt like too much aggravation to a weakened man anyway.

These experiences seduced me after flooding me with a sense of beatitude at some point, i used to admire a couple plants on my windowsill for hours as the sunlight enhanced their natural beauty, which also boosted their rewarding fragrance while i sniffed them from my rocking chair!

That alone gave me memories i still cherish today when i revisit photo sessions of the past. So i realize in retrospective that i wasn’t helping by sharing my own panic. Please pardon me about that!

:pensive:

Old reminescences of related warfare resurfaced which i should have refrained. Keep in mind these were only experiences meant to be fun and peaceful, nothing like real-size cultivation sessions as those we expect to observe in here. Consequently here’s my mea culpa: don’t give up too soon when there’s support available; the rewards are too great ultimately, as this may transform you for a lifetime!!

The cannabis plant forces our eyes to open onto the infinitesimal then also the planetary. Its smell makes us feel alive, the noble molecules prove priceless when you know for a fact that this is cannabis the way it grows in nature (m’well, almost!), which can boost appreciation tenfold!!

:sunglasses:

Courage! It’s all worth it, especially if you’re in a position to handle it. And if i may add input again, i’ll suggest taking lots of photographs to assist your naked eye, because what’s hiding there can induce a most pleasant addiction of the mind. As a matter of fact i’ll have to say i never perceived vegetal life like this before - and yet i happen to have been raised on a farm!

It’s pure magic. Enjoy the ride! :+1:

Good day, have fun!! :peace:

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You are over reacting. We already figured out that these are beneficials over instagram. Any ipm wont do anything because we use an ipm that beneficials love and pests hate. What you showed on instagram is an uncommon decomposer/shredder.

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Wow, I totally missed the “it’s definitely a bene” part of your comment. If they are indeed mold/grain mites, they like the same conditions as fungus gnats, which I have been battling on and off. They eat mold and fungus and like warm humid climates. There is plenty of fungi under my cover crop and I keep the soil nice and moist.

I have noticed some fast moving mites in my worm bin and the fruit flies disappeared. I squished one on my finger and I’m pretty sure it’s H. Miles. Now how would I go about introducing those to my no-till bed? Just grab a handful of castings and top dress?

Still an eye opener as far as IPM goes. I decided to officially make it IPM Mondays in my workshop. Remember the P stands for “prevention” ReikoX!

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Actually it stands for pest😂

But yeah man they are h.miles. they changed their name but i can never remember that one. The spiky one idk the name of but me and biotatics spent a bit trying to find out if they are benes or not. I get benes on my leaves after ferment foliars.

Also never leave a ferment in the garden. I did it once and the next day there were millions of h.miles allllll over itXD

Oh i forgot. Yes just top dress with them. I have a thing full of h.miles and every new pot gets a handful. And when you get those h.miles they will mess up your gnats. Ive watched them take out gnats in my little h.miles bin i have. Super cool

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Well, now I feel bad that I sprayed the shit out of my plants with neem oil. Fuck them, get off my plants! :imp:

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Nahhhh i spray the shit outta my plants with neem once a week. They love it!!

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look how fucking scary they are😂

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Scared the fuck out of me. My dad said he had mites and I panicked (I haven’t been there or him here). Still on hyper alert, not fully convinced… yet

Pretty sure this is what they are.
https://www.environmentalscience.bayer.in/Professional-Pest-Management/WhatToControl/Grain-Mite{FFF277A3-67DF-4415-AF53-9768B335343C}

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I put a couple of handfuls of worm casting from my bin hoping to transfer some H. Miles into the bed. Seems like they would have plenty to eat in there. I also have the sugar water and H202 spray a shot last night. The plants didn’t seem to like it as much as the spinosad and neem. The sugar left a residue that I’ll try and rinse off tonight.

I can see why people call mites the Borg. These alegedly beneficial guys are still crawling on my leaves and I have sprayed spinosad, then neem, then sugar and H202 three days in a row now. Tenacious little fucks. Tonight I’ll start over with the spinosad, then neem, then we’ll see.

I scoped my mother’s that live below the bed and nothing at all found, but quit a few gnats in the sticky trap. I also scoped the plants in the flower side of my workbench and saw a thrip larve and some minor thrip damage. Not a lot I can do with flowering plants. I’ll scope the veg side tonight, but they got neem two nights ago as a preventative.

Still waiting on the Method-1 PPS to ship. Should be here next week.

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Ladybugs man they only go where there is something to eat and then move on, so very trustworthy.so very cute.

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None of what your doing will get rid of them. Neither will lady bugs. What you need to do is fix your soil. I have these guys in my soil but not once have they been on my leaves. What mulch do you have? How often you feeding? What are you feeding? Whats in your soil?

The borg is a type of spider mite that is resistant to everything.

Oh and if you have healthy plants and a good environment you can use water based sprays in flower. Glycerites work fine in flower. Just make sure you do plain water to wash anything just like foliar in veg:)

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My mulch is living clover mix and cannabis leaves. There is no exposed soil, but I have no straw or hay.

I’ve been watering daily, I thought I was supposed to keep it moist. They are getting about a gallon a day now. Mostly RO, but I have added barley and Soil Balance Pro (fertilizer it turns out :laughing:) a couple of times.

The soil is the basic Coots mix.
1/3 peat, 1/3 castings, 1/3 pumice/rice hulls
For each cubic foot (7.5 gallons) I added
1/2 cup kelp, neem seed meal, shrimp meal
1 cup gypsum, glacial rock dust, basalt, and oyster shell flower.

Any other questions?

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I feel like the fertilizer could be chasing them away. Everything else is perfect! Totaly gotta keep the spil moist but a gallon a day is a lot. I do like half gallon every second day with sprays in between only to keep my mulch wet.

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