A bit of info from funker @ OG
Link to his thread = hxxp://www.overgrow.com/edge/showthread.php?p=7039563#post7039563
Kicking Out Persistant Mites
I hate mites. But mites love me. And as well, probably you. Everyone has their own way of killing these, be it a bug bomb, lady bugs, predatory mites, neem, NPS or all combined...
I like doing it as naturally as possible - especially because Im growing in my bedroom in a grow cab, and I don't want any nasty chemicals getting in my lungs (i.e. bug bomb). And I don't want any bugs in my room either! (lady bugs, predatory mites).
And anyway, I don't believe that insecticides are effective against mites. Why? Mites aren't insects, they're arthropods. Like ticks, but infinitely more persistant.
-- Know your enemy --
- The time between birth and maturity-egg laying is very short (5 to 7 days). That means 5 to 7 days from a mite laying an egg (or rather many), that egg hatching, and that new mite creating new eggs.
- One mite can lay 300 to 500 eggs in their lifetime, so even one egg can mean millions
- Mites dehydrate very quickly (they hate ultraviolet light, this is why they mostly reside UNDER the leaf).
- Mites breathe through spherical holes in their back, like thousands of little throats, that provide air directly to their lungs.
- Mites can build a tolerance to neem and even pyrethium quickly
- Mites are soft shelled - they thrive in warm, dry areas with no wind. They hate damp, cold areas with lots of wind.
- Mites can't move around without a food source for 12 hours
- Mites are extremely fast for their size (about 4.5 inches an hour)
-- Spraying mites with neem/pyrethium - Blitzkrieg --
Take advantage of your light cycles. While your lights are on, they won't move... at all. They hate ultra violet light as it dehydrates them, they get a sort of heat stroke and die. So they will be out and about when your light is off. I like to wait until a few hours before my light goes on, as it's for sure that any mites that want to get around my plants. That's when I get them.
Nothing gets rid of mites like a good downpoor. They drown, get knocked off, and generally hold on for their dear lives. During my dark cycle, I'll spray all over the plants, and I mean really really spray. Dripping wet. Then I'll get underneith the leaves, where they live and hide, and spray the hell out of them. I do this with a progressive neem oil mix - two caps of oil and 2 squirts of soap in my spray bottle - the next spray cycle 3 caps, the next spray 4 caps, etc. The reason behind this is because mites build up a tolerance to neem quickly, and more will be needed each mixture to get those persistant mites. The reason why you want your plants dripping wet is because neem and pyrethium have a low residual action - it only kills what it comes in contact with.
The idea behind adding soap to your neem oil mixture is that the soap will create a film, such that it will choke off the tiny throats that the mites breathe through. As well, it allows neem oil to disperse through your water mixture (soap bonds with oil). The plant is not effected by the poison (be it neem or pyrethium), but rather by the soapy film. If you put too much on, it will kill plants. Why? This film does not allow the chloroplasts- the cells that do the work in the leaf - to exchange necessary gasses. So after about a half hour of application, wash that **** off your plants! Besides, any power the neem or pyrethium will have will do it in the first half hour - they have a low residual action, they will only kill what they come in contact with. So after you spray your solution on your plants, make sure to wash them off about a half hour later. Really really spray, once again, like a rain storm, possibly multiple times.
Spraying frequency is a big issue and needs exact timing. Over spraying your plants with neem oil will cause the mites to build up a tolerance, underspraying will allow the mites to re-lay their eggs, continuing their growth cycle. The idea is to time your spraying with the mites' hatching cycle - every 5 to 7 days. That first application will kill off those first round of mites, but the eggs will still be around to hatch 5-7 days later. So, be persistant in killing off the next generation, apply your neem/pyrethium every 5 to 7 days! Any more than that is a waste in my mind, and further builds the mite's tolerance.
The Water Cure Thread
Uncle Funker's Patented No Sound Cheap-o Grow Cab Solution!
Persistant mites? No problem. Tackle them the right way.
-- Creating an environment that mites can't stand --
Mites are soft-bodied creatures - they hate ultra-violet light (you've got that covered), cold temps, wet environments, and wind. One of your best defenses is a strong fan - not knocking over the plants, but strong enough to give those little fuckers something to think about. Regular foliar spraying is great too, as when that water hits the mites they can't move. Low temps work very well in debilitation mites, however your plants will also go into stasis at too low of temps, so for me at least this is not an option.
NPS (No Pest Strips), specifically the "Hot Shot" brand are GREAT at preventing mites, but they don't kill mites. So how do they work? They kill gnats and white flies. When mites lay their eggs, they do it in big bunches, such that when a white fly or something lands near them, their serrated legs pick up the eggs. When they fly to another plant, they clean themselves, and the eggs land on a new plant. When the newly transplanted mite hatches, it reproduces and eventually infests that plant. NPS is effective because it stops these other "helper" insects from spreading the mites.
Another good tip to stop mite infection from plant-to-plant is making sure your room isn't crowded. Mites use the touching leaves and branches of your plants as highways to get to other plants - they have to use leaves as they cannot go without their food source for a very long time. So make sure your leaves aren't touching in any capacity
Keeping your area clean is important as well. Some people go as far as washing their grow room walls with bleach, and Ive even seen people wear special "clean" shirts, shoes and pants for their growroom to ensure they don't bring in any new mites. I see this as going a bit over board, but cleanliness means godliness when it comes to mites.
-- Conclusion --
Killing mites is not a one time thing - they need to not only be kicked out, but consistantly told they cannot come back. Apply your neem spray every 5 to 7 days for new eggs, and keep a fan going on your plants at all times. Make sure you wash off your plants 30 minutes or so after application of soap mixture to ensure your plants aren't effected by the film. Keep your grow area clean and mite free, be safe and have fun, and hate mites with all your heart and soul.
The Water Cure Thread
Uncle Funker's Patented No Sound Cheap-o Grow Cab Solution!
Persistant mites? No problem. Tackle them the right way.
Just my 2 cents. I've had to study these things thoroughly, and just thought I'd share my ideas about how these little buggers work.
-funker
intresting read , i dont have that problem (yet) so thats good info, thanks ozzy
