What kind of bug is this?

[Caw]

So I got home from work and decided to check the water level in my dwc buckets. I saw a bunch of brown specks on the roots and had to take a closer look. They were bugs!

I had seen a few spots on the roots the other day. But, I assumed it was just some left over soil pushing out from when I pulled the clone out of dirt. They have obviously multiplied.

I need advice on what they might be and what to do, PLEASE!

Do I pull the plant? It appears this is the only one with the bugs currently.

 

[thegloman]

Caw
I don't know what kind of bugs those are, but you might try dipping them in a Dr.zymes solution. It works well as a root drench in dirt. Got rid of fungus gnats for me.

 

[thegloman]

I hope that plant is isolated from the others. If not you are sure to have them in all of them.

 

[Caw]

It is NOT isolated. I literally just found the issue and freaked out. I did check other buckets and it appears to only be the one.

I immediately ran to the friends house who I got it from. He grows in soil and had no idea what it was. We even went through some books he had. He's been doing this much longer than I have and asked me to send the pics to him so he could run it by others. He also suggested I run by the hydroponic store close by and see if they knew. No luck. However, they suggested I try this SNS203 product. I'm gonna give it a shot and see what it does.

As far as isolating the plant....I haven't figured that part out yet. This plant was just put into flower about a week ago. I guess I could put it in a box I made for cloning...? I did just get another light so I could use the old one I have boxed up.

Thank goodness I dont have it in a connected system! Its sitting on top of the system in an individual bucket.

Crazy this is happening! I actually have a photographer and reporter from a major newspaper coming by the house tomorrow afternoon to photograph my first harvest. The photographer is a long time friend. He showed his editor some pics I sent him and the editor asked him to shoot my setup and harvest. Apparently the editor is tired of using Gettysburg images for stories...

 

[umbra]

you could try hydrogen peroxide in the water

 

[Caw]

you could try hydrogen peroxide in the water

How much per gallon do you recommend?

 

[umbra]

4oz/gal for that kind of infestation. You'll know pretty quick if they are dying by looking at the roots 10 minutes after doing it

 

[Caw]

4oz/gal for that kind of infestation

Thanks. I'll definitely try it out.

 

[Caw]

Root aphids. I'd do dunks if you got spare buckets.

Thanks. That doesn't match the pics from one of the books we were looking at though. But doing a dunk is precisely what the plan was/is. The SNS203 is supposed to take care of root aphids. So, if you are right, then I'm on the right track to getting rid of them.

And yes, I have plenty of buckets! I use them to top up water and nute changes (it's easier to just fill and switch out a bucket at a time)

 

[Caw]

pyrethrum is always good to have around.

I just read what that was and it says it SHOULD NOT come in contact with hydrogen peroxide. So, maybe another time...

 

[burnin1]

Those certainly look like root aphids to me.

 

[umbra]

there are lots of things that kill bugs, I prefer something that has as little impact on the environment and the plant as possible. More deadly products can always be used later if needed

 

[Caw]

Well, the SNS203 may have worked...

I mixed up a batch in a bucket. Put the plant over an empty bucket and poured the solution through the net pot. It filled up to the top. I then soaked it for about 12 minutes. Then put it in a rinse bucket of clean water and went up and down. Lots of floaties in the solution and a TON of dead bugs in the rinse bucket. For now, it's been placed back into the flower tent. If any bug movement tomorrow morning, I'll flush all the plants with the solution and try the hydrogen peroxide as well.

They say you can reuse the stuff but I'm gonna pour it out...I still have half the bottle

 

[Caw]

there are lots of things that kill bugs, I prefer something that has as little impact on the environment and the plant as possible. More deadly products can always be used later if needed

This stuff is supposed to be organic and can be used up to the day before harvest.

 

[burnin1]

I looked on YouTube and found this interesting. This guy says he got root aphids from rockwool cubes.

His root aphids are black, but they come in a lot of colors depending on the species. I had them about 20 years ago in my home made cloner.

 

[stinkyattic]

Azamax is another option

 

[Caw]

I checked the plant, and others, this morning and although theres still bugs present, they appear to be dead - no movement. Lots of floaties still! I guess I didnt rinse well enough.

I researched some more last night and got a bit nervous. Someone stated that it's best not to bnb use cold water, as it just slows down the bugs and takes longer for them to die. They used the example of jumping into a cold lake vs warm water, drowning at a much different rate of time. Made sense. However, with my past root issues, I'm scared to use warmer water...

Other popular cures were using soap and rosemary oil, or just soap alone. Or, of course, hydrogen peroxide as suggested above.

Apparently this can be easy to get rid of, or virtually impossible to completely stop. All depends on the infestation. One thing was for sure, growing hydro makes it easier to detect and cure.

Thanks for all your wealth of info, fam! I'll be sure to update if theres a change

 

[notthecops]

I put hydrogen peroxide (H2o2 found at any grow store) in with my nutrients every time I feed. Partly for this reason. It will kill any bugs and germs as well as boost nutrient intake.

Right now I am using 2ml per gallon.

 

[Caw]

Sooo, I was wrong. I kept going back to check on the plant and did find 1 bug moving. It was crawling on top of the other dead ones, like "wake up". I did another dunk, but with hydrogen peroxide this time - a little over 2 cups in a 5 gal bucket filled close to the rim. I put the plant in and soon afterwards it started to release some bubbles and bugs started floating to the top. I let it soak for 15 minutes then gave the plant a good rinse. I grabbed the loop and found a couple bugs on top of the Hydroton, moving VERY slowly, then apparently died. I've check the plant a few times since and nothing there. I'll check again in the morning. But, I'm hoping THIS TIME did the trick.

I may begin to add the peroxide to the nutes as a preventative measure for a little bit, as suggested above. But, I'd swear I read somewhere that wasn't good for the plants...? - kills good and bad bacteria. Would this only be for an organic grow though? I presently use GH 3-part with Cal-Mag and Hydroguard, which is not organic.

On a positive note, I harvested 3 plants today! The plan was for just one, but upon closer inspection, 3 were ready. Professional photographer came and shot the plants and me harvesting. After walking him to the door, I came back to a VERY angry wife inside. The house wreaked like a skunk was run over. I also was trimming on the laundry table in the basement which just added to the frustration. I just ordered another scrubber and a gallon of Ona with the fan. Gotta do something before I get put out the house...

 

[Caw]

I put hydrogen peroxide (H2o2 found at any grow store) in with my nutrients every time I feed. Partly for this reason. It will kill any bugs and germs as well as boost nutrient intake.

Right now I am using 2ml per gallon. View attachment 259103View attachment 259104

That stuff is 29%! You wouldnt know the equivalent for 3% off hand would you?