Ladybugs will eat mite eggs, mite larvae, adult mites and other select insects in any stage of their life cycle, but they mostly eat aphids, it’s their favorite thing to eat.
This is where the Ladybug larvae comes into play, it will eat anything it comes across… insect eggs, insect larvae, some adult insects and even other Ladybug larvae, if they’re hungry and that’s what’s available.
Besides natural mite predator Phytoseiulus persimilis, there are a few other common insect options for natural red mite predators, including Minute Pirate Bugs, Green Lacewing larvae and Thrips… although I wouldn’t recommend using Thrips around your cannabis plants, that can cause a whole new issue and infestation.
Unless you’re using beneficial insects to help you with your mite issue, keep this in mind.
Pesticides that state, “may be used up to day of harvest” or “safe to use on flowering plants” means that the residue can be washed off, but this usually pertains to plants and vegetables that can actually be cleaned, unlike cannabis flowers.
A flower H2O/H2O2 dip is not sufficient enough to remove pesticide residues, but will remove many impurities like spores, dust, hair, ect., that can influence smell/flavor.
Only put substances on your cannabis plants that break down quickly and don’t leave a residue behind that needs to be washed off before it can be safely consumed.
There is a lot of literature on what can happen to you if you ingest any specific toxins that you sprayed on your plants, however, that same literature doesn’t cover what chemical changes may be created and/or how that may affect you or your health once the toxin is burned, smoked and/or inhaled.
Be careful, my friends and use caution when necessary.