They have me pulling my hair out here. I fugured I'd post these to show what the damage looks like. These are two-spotted spidermites. This is the front side of a leaf. You can see the light colored speckling...
More Spidermites
This is the back side of the same leaf. It looks dirty and if you look real close you can see the mites... they look like grey specks.
I threw these plants in the sink and lathered em up real good with soap. I let the soap sit on them for a 15 minutes or so before rinsing. Then I repotted them using the Bayer systemic granules. I'll prolly hit em with Avid too, once they're outside.
This message was edited May 3, 2004 7:54 PM
Wow! .....where'd they come from? It's too early if you are going to have to battle them all summer yet.
Can see them real plain, hope you get rid of them pronto.
Boy, I agree. It is way to early to start the battle. I've had a couple of plants with just a few and I put the Avid to work and they are gone. I found a few aphids on a plant I was given and shot it with Avid too. I hope it works. I'm planning on moving my brugs out to harden off tomorrow if the wind isn't blowing hard.
Grrrr ! I put my bigger brugs on Bayer Rose systemic when I moved them out to the cold frame a couple weeks ago.
I FOUND APHIDS ON THEM yesterday =(
Sue, I am going to start calling you the bug gal!
What kills me I was very carefull and sprayed EVERTHING with Avid when I brought them inside last fall. I've had several outbreaks of mites through the winter. My problem is TOO MANY plants to keep a good eye on everthing. I'll be so glad when they're all outside!
I got bad spidermites on mine too.. Sick of it.
I fought mites inside all winter. They seem to be doing better now, outside, but still having a problem. I've never tried the 1:1 alcohol water spray. Do any of you have any luck with that? I've used the rose systemic and have purchased the Bayer Tree systemic but have not had a chance to use it yet.
Yesterday I saw the spidermites... I went in my kitchen and mixed the rubbing alcohol, water and few drop of dish liquid, went out and spraying it all over on S. white that have full of spidermites but I spray some on others inc ase if it spread.
One thing.. I didn't measure how much alcohol, water and soap. I just in a hurry and mixed them all and spray! Lol. I hope I didn't kill the plants! lol
I had mites on mine and fought them for a month. I used Avid, Kelthane and finally used Neem, plus when I water I wet the undersides of the leaves. I think they are gone, but with all the big farms down here growing cotton and other stuff, it's a constant battle against the mites.
The systemics take a while to work, from 5-14 days. The chemicals have to get inside the plant and travel to the top leaves where the mites are. There have been reports of aphids, thrips and whiteflies becoming immune to some of the systemic insecticides, so you will have to keep an eye out for resistant pests and spray with an additional insecticide.
Oh Sue, I didn't mean it like that! I meant because you are always showing us great pictures of bugs! Not because you had lots of bugs! LOL.....I am so sorry! And you also know alot about bugs. I am sure your plants are usually bugfree! You are too good a gardener not to have great plants! In fact you and Susie are more knowledgeable about plants than anyone else I know! Of course I do not know too many people so do not get too swelled a head! LOL
Well... I do have lots of bugs! :-) At least they give me sumthin to take pictures of!
Major mite problems here, too! I started seeing them about a month before I moved them outside. I'd never even seen a mite before brugs... I dosed them all with Bayer Systemic Rose and Flower stuff yesterday. They are also being well munched on by something, probably slugs, which I also have never seen here pre-brug!
I've been lucky to not have the aphids and mites, but I have a horrible outbreak of white flies that has lasted forever. I can't wait to get them all outside so I can spray heavy and not worry about drips on everything.
I haven't had white flies lately (knock-on-wood!)... since I quit getting poinsettias at Christmas time. I don't know how many times I've brought in infested poinsettia plants!
The slugs are having a party on my Brugs. Everywhere I pick up a brick or landscaping block, there's a big fat slug hiding under it.
Sue, that is where mine came from. As soon as I found out I had them, I gave my poinsettias away, but it was too late. Never again...........