Julie baby, that's what I'm thinking...
dare I say, great minds think alike?? LOL
do you ever get rid of spider mites
LOL yup!!!! *winks*
I run a humidifyer in my house, but more for me than the brugs. I do believe it helps because before I got one for the livingroom, I had mites on the cuttings in the window all the time. Now, I don't know if it is the Avid or the humidity, but they are minimal if at all.
Brugie. I think its the avid. When I was growing indoors in hydro, I had 2 humidifiers running non stop in a room that was 5x12ft. I was hoping the humidity would help too, well not for me. I still hear some say that it does help, who knows.
The african violet lady did sell it in a slightly diluted form. I can't find the link I mentioned above but I did find smaller bottles on ebay! It's 89.99$ and you could still divide this amongst friends and never run out.
Here is the link at ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20540&item=4346004024&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V&tc=photo
Good luck all
OH HIYA Sherry! its great being back! Let's hope this surgery heals up completely so i can keep on keeping on;). I still have 1 small spot on my suture line that just does not want to close up. I'm now waiting on approval for some human growth factor ointment called "Regranex". Man it's almost 500$ for an 8oz. tube and my insurance is making me take so many tests etc. to make sure I qualify for it. It's been 1 week and I'm still waiting. Wish me luck please;).
Take care my friend, JD
i LOVE my BRUG----but not enough to purchase avid. lol I have to spray mine 4 times during the spring and summer with liquid seven dust..much much cheeper. I let it go dormant during the winter. It comes back every year.
Cricket, that's a pretty picture of your brug ! I can't say the DH will buy this for me...I think I'm going to the telephone book and call some nurseries and ask what they use for these type critters lololol!
I also use Systemic Insect Killer from Ortho. Formerly Isotox. Since mites can build an immunity to Avid after just a few uses, I use this from time to time and it covers many other bugs too, especially white flies, tho it doesn't do a bang up job for me. It just helps.
Thanks everybody for the tips..... I don't know if I can spend big $$$ on Avid, but I'll do some more research and then decide.
I may still try a humidifier because I guess I might benefit from it too.
I'm picturing my skin all glowing and radiant-like LOL
Jackie
Heyyyyyyyyy you gotta good point there Hellobebe, that would be another reason I would like it too LOL!
Julie,
my philosophy is, now that I'm over 40, must try anything!!
LOL
Jackie
I do wish you the best luck in the world JD and I missed you while you were away!! My daddy had one med that cost $1,900.00 per 30 days, so I know where you are with regard to meds and health insurance, whew!! You mentioned 'growing indoors on hydro' - were you growing brugs or brug cuttings like some of us are doing this winter, with 'bubblers'???
Brugie
You have heard of spidermites growing immune to Avid? I know many people that have tried and said just the opposite. I tell ya, when it comes to these mites, nothing suprises me. People talk about how resiliant cockroaches are! I'd bet my bottom dollar that spidermites would survive a atom bomb long before a roach!!LOL Does anyone else remember people saying that thats all that would be left if an A bomb went off?
We owned a duplex that we rented out and killing roaches after a dirty tennant was cake compared to mites. GRRRR! I haven't had mites in years and just the mention of them gets my blood boiling!
SherryL. No I was growing hydro before you guys got me addicted to Brugs. I grew mostly veggies and a few tropicals. I did more experimenting/developing different hybrid hydro systems than anything else. I also worked with aquaponics in the effort to find a no watse "full circle" growing system.ie grow fish for food and use fish waste as nutes for greens and so on. the only additive ever needed was water to top off the tanks and fish food. I visited a aquaponics farm in the Ozarks where they grew fish named Tilapia they sold to the local restruants as white fish and their crop are specialty greens they also sold to the Hi$ restruants there. It was very inspiring and simple. I'd love to do that for a living. Now that you mention it, I think I will grow a few brugs and Passie's in 1 of my hydro systems thats collecting dust. I got really good at tweaking nutrients to get the most out of any given plant. It's amazing how much variation you can get from cuttings of the same plant just by playing with there food. Its fascinating.
Enough babbling/rambling for now...I could go on forever it seems!LOL
Actually Jeff, it states it on the attached information to the Avid bottle.
JD, I cannot remember where the link(s) are, but there are many of us using 'bubblers' for winterizing and rooting brugs. I'm using my GH and others use basements, garage, etc. LindaSC has some wonderful photos in one of the links (maybe someone will post it) and all of us, according to the posts I've read, are having great luck, and the system is so simple that we can build and maintain it ourselves. If you are already familiar with the bubblers, please forgive the rerun................Tilapia is very popular in my entire area, Arky, MS, LA, TN, TX, AL, etc. It's a nice, clean, tasty fish. Are you familiar with Marine Shrimp?? I'm a LA girl and think that seafood from the Gulf is the world's best; however, in my area (southeast Arky) there are Marine Shrimp farms, which are freshwater shrimp. I had to try them to believe it, but they are the best shrimp I've ever eaten, and consistently good and the same size, all a nice medium+. They are sweeter and better tasting than the Gulf shrimp, if you can believe that. They are pricey but we LOVE them!!! Again, I hope this isn't old news...
I sprayed (a couple of weeks ago) all my plants with Raid Flying Insect spray, and haven't seen but TWO in the last two weeks. When I did it last year, I nearly killed all my brugs, but since they have no leaves right now, it didn't hurt them, and did kill the white flies and spider mites. I am not recommending that you do this - it's just what worked for me.
I have heard great things about Raid!! And it is cheap and premixed too!
Works for me. I just got case of aphids, where DO they come from? Sprayed with various things, finally used Hot Shot(same as Raid).
Raid will kill some tender plants.
Technically--your suppose to use differant sprays---so the bugs dont get immune to it. I dont always but suppose to.
I remember that JLD---atomic bomb killing every thing but roaches.
Did you also know that a roach will not cook or die in a microwave? That is so amazing to me. I went to my brothers one day and he had roaches realllllllllll bad---i warmed my coffee in micro and saw a roach crawling around in there while it was on. I was in shock that it didnt cook.
I was suppose to spend the night with brother---but about 12 am when the roaches started visiting me on the coach---i got the heck out of there----and didnt care if it bothered dear brother---it needed to bother him so hed do something about them nasty roaches.
cricket
Ants don't die in the microwave either!! It just makes them run around faster and faster!
Have any of you ever had ants in your bathroom sink?? This is our second winter and it's driving us nutz, I will have the bug man make a run as soon as it's a little warmer so we can open the doors after he sprays...I think it's the weirdest thing I've ever seen, we have never had ants before...
Bugs Bugs Bugs! I've had quite the year of it myself! I really think next year I will put all of my brugs down in our basement and let them go completely dormant and hope that helps. I had to strip all of the leaves off mine anyways because of eggs. Constantly seeing aphids & their eggs grosses me out and discourages me. Nasty things - I can't stand looking at them knowing I am sleeping a few feet away from them - yuck. I think the hardest part is getting rid of the eggs that haven't hatched yet. Anyone know a sure fire way to kill the eggs?
Karrie, go buy the Bayer Tree and Shrub systemic . It is expensive, but it lasts a year in the plant supposedly. I use it and I love it. It kills aphids dead in a few days and they do not come back. It is the only bugkiller that killed scale for me, forever gone! Plus it is easy to use. NO SPRAY!!
This was an excellent post for me to read today. I spent hours outdoors in my little GH, taking my brugs out and spraying them for aphids, white flies and some kind of mites...the kind that makes little webs. I removed alot of the leaves too & sprayed with alcohol, soap and water....Last week I sprayed with neem, but there seems to be more of the critters than before.
Since all danger of frost has past, I decided to leave some of the larger plants outside. We are expecting rain and I thought maybe the rain would help to wash off some of the insects too. I hope this is a good decision.
By the sounds of your posts, if it is mites that I have....I will need to get something stronger to kill them.
As far as mites liking it dry & hot...my GH was humid and warm & they seem to like that too!
I am feeling somewhat discouraged by all the pests that seem to love my brugs....
I guess I shouldn't feel too badly, at least I have a bloosom open today to enjoy...
Beautiful blossom, Margie!!! I was in my GH today too and I have one brug that has been chewed on, but I couldn't find the culprit but I sprayed and I really hate doing that when I don't have a clue what I'm after...
I'm going out and about today garden shopping, as this next week I will be tied up with a healing knee from surgery on Tuesday. I know HD & Lowes sell Bayer products, so I'll go check that one out Kell. Thanks for the info. I know if you use it it has to be ok. :-)
Kerrie, I hope you knee heals swiftly and completely! I'm in the same shape with my ankle and I find gardening difficult enough without an injury...
KELL
Would you please look and see if that product would harm any of the beneficial insects in the soil around the plants? man if not, that could be my new and possible only pesticide we would need. Does it say anything about white flies? I have to purchase these beneficial insects(a wasp and I forget the name)the last 2 fall's for my red hearty hibiscus. I would think it would take care of them. I'll try to look for myself too.
Thanks!
Good luck with your knee Karrie. Sounds like it wuold hurt.
JD, here is the label.
http://www.bayeradvanced.com/garden/products/details.cfm?id=12
It's just a torn meniscus cartildge - you are usually up and walking within a couple days. However, my surgeon told me mine was weird - not a classic one, and it might involve more, including an incision that would take maybe a week longer to heal because of stitches, if that is the case. He said he won't know until he goes in with the scope. It will be nice to not have me knee lock up on me anymore - THAT is really painful when it happens - and it happens out of the blue. I gave up driving a clutch many years ago because that seem to trigger it and it was dangerous. It locked up on me a couple of times in Vegas - when I had no choice but to take stairs. I'll be alright - this is a GOOD thing. :-)
JLD - you know, if that site Kell gave you has a "contact us" link somewhere, perhaps you could ask them before buying the product. Sure it kills those insects listed, but could it kill others as well, that aren't considered "pests"?
edited to say: It does have a contact us link at the very bottom of that page.
This message was edited Feb 27, 2005 3:10 PM
Yeah killing beneficial insect's has me worried not to mention all the micro-bugs that live in the soil we never see.
FYI Rather than buying insecticides, I've switched to buying preditory bugs from www.planetnatural.com . I had a battle with moles and grubworms a few years agoin my lawn. I had tried every chemical known to man to kill the grubs. The only reason I had moles was due to the grub worms. I bought some "Milky spores" and "beneficial nematodes" and the grubs are GONE, I have more earthworms than ever and these milky spores take over the grubs body and kills it from with in. When the grub dies, it releases millions more spores and it goes on and on. You NEVER have to re apply and the fix lasts forever. Once there are no more grubs to eat on, the spores go dormant until something else comes along for them to kill. In this process, I found out that grubworms are actually the larvae stage for junebug's. It's almost impossible to find junebugs around the lights outdoors in the summer too. I almost miss them, nothing makes my wife hop like when I would toss a junebug in her lap! LOLOL!
Anyhow, try www.planetnatural.com before you buy non selective pesticides in the future. You may find a non chemical fix to your problems with extra benefits as a byproduct. I buy their variety pack of bugs every summer just so I can hatch praying mantis for the kids to play with as well as a bunch of Ladybug's. Its good clean fun. LOL I must be getting old as I sure am easily amused these days! or so it seems.
My brugs are all in pots, so that systemic shouldn't bother the rest of my gardens. Also, as this is a systemic, and not a spray, it should only affect bugs that eat the leaves of the plant.
This message was edited Feb 27, 2005 3:30 PM
Kerrie are you having your knee replaced? If so who is doing it? Jeanette
I've been watching this thread for a few days now, and am so happy I came back this morning.
I've been having a problem with just one of my brugs (Maya) still in a pot, and this poor baby wants to grow, but these aphids, mites, or whatever it is I keep killing, won't allow it to grow.
All of my other brugs have been planted in the garden, and are doing quite well, and except for some wind damage, are looking fairly healthy, and are in bloom!
Kell, as soon as I finish posting this, I'm running over to Wal-Mart to get the Bayer-Advanced Garden! Thanks for the info!
My lawn is another story! Oooh, those grubs!!!! The armadillos love them, and are wrecking havoc on my once lush lawn.....well, I've just ordered some milky spores and nematodes, along w/ladybugs. When we lived in Virginia, we always had an abundance of them, and they seem to be in short supply here, so am going to give the few I do have some company.
JLD, many thanks for the info on Planet Natural.......
I do have a question about praying mantis.....since I've moved to Florida, I haven't seen nary a one. Is there a reason I don't see any in this area? Can I deposit a supply of those, also?
From what I've read, the Bayer will help with aphids, but not mites. You may still have to treat with something else if it is mites. It would probably save you a lot of time and money to figure out what the critters are first and then buy what you need to help get rid of them. Aphids are quite visible, but the mites will be tiny little specks on the undersides of the leaves and sometimes they will be visible on some webs near the growth point, but not always. Mites also make the back side of the leaves feel gritty.
Thanks Brugie.......advice well taken!!!
You're welcome. I'd like to have the money back on all the products that I thought I had to buy when I heard about them and they are just sitting there doing nothing for me.
Me too, Brugie, I'd be rich(er), I'm so bad to buy anything I hear about, then I hesitate to use it. I guess because I have defoliated a couple of brugs - thank goodness I didn't kill them!!!
Jnette, no I am not having a knee replacement. I have a torn meniscus that the surgeon is going to try to repair with a laser. (orthoscopic). If it isn't repairable with the laser, he may have to make a 1" incision and repair it that way, which would require stitches and more down time. Either way, it isn't near as severe as having a total knee replacement. He is also going to look at the entire knee from the inside, with the scope to see if there is anything else in there wrong. What happens is it locks up on me (out of the blue) and when that happens it is extremely painful and I have to have help to the nearest chair. Sometimes I luck out and am already in a chair and it happens when I am trying to get up. A torn meniscus causes a little flap of the tissue to flap out in the wrong direction, causing your knee to lock up. Depending on where it is, and how it is torn makes a difference in how painful it is. Let's just hope he doesn't find anything more than a torn meniscus and that I will be recovered by the weekend. I have some yard work to do! :-)
graykay
Thats the reason I started buying praying mantis, I never see them in the wild anymore. Well I do see maybe 2-3 a summer but when we were younger they were everywhere. I started re introducing them into my yard which backs up to a huge park/lake in the hopes of restocking them in nature. I think its the farmers/gardeners using too many non selective pesticides and it has killed off the mantis along with most toads, bull frogs and horned toads. I haven't seen a horned toad in 20 years and when I was a kid in Oklahoma they were everywhere. I've also noticed a decline in box turtles.
I love reptiles so we caught several box turtles a few years ago and bred them. We released 2 clutches of them 2 years ago but I haven't seen enough to keep doing it and I don't have room to keep them indoors all winter.
IF ANYONE CAN FIND HORNED TOADS, PLEASE CATCH THEM AND I WILL BUY THEM FROM YOU!!!
I would make room to keep a couple pair of them for breeding purposes so I could try to rebuild their numbers again. I find it a shame that my kids don't get to see/play with all of Ma Nature's lil critter's like I did when I was young.
When I was a kid we spent our summer's at Lake Texhoma(a awesome lake in the Red River Valley on the OK Texas boarder) and we used to see literally hundred's or turantula's every morning and evening on the road warming themselves or returning to their dens for the night. They were so thick on the roads, you couldn't drive w/o running over some. This was in a small town Named Kingston Oklahoma. Then a big nursery outfit named "Leon's" moved in and has grown like mad over the last 20 years. Now youhave to hunt like mad and get very lucky to find a turantula or a scorpion. It makes me ill that people don't think about what effects their actions have on nature's critters just to control some darn bugs. I could go on and on with more examples but I'll get off my soap box for now. meanwhile, I'll just keep trying to do my part on my small piece of this earth and pray for the best.