Howdy friends.
It's been a sad spring with all of my brugs this season due to weather. Now that the weather has straitened out, I found these tiny lil green !#%^*#!'s running all over the inder side of my leaves. I've had spider mites in the past a long with many other pests. I even had thrip problems with a couple passiflora's this year but I had never seen these before.
http://www.growquest.com/avocado_page.htm
This is the only picture I found so far and I believe this is exactly what they are. They can only be seen under my hand held 30X microscope and they're see through soft bodied lil suckers. They are very bizaare lil things. I hunted and hunted looking for them on several leaves. finally I threw a fit a tore off a small branch a few minutes ago and began hunting again. I found a small grouping of them hanging out on 2-3 leaves only on this branch of maybe a dozen plus leaves. They aren't spinning webs and pooping like spidermites, I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever find them.
So...Has anyone else ever had these dudes before? Can someone recomend something?
I hit them with a serious bath of good old Saffer's Insecticidal soap and hopefully a couple doses will let me get the upper hand. This has been the worst year for me ever with bad weather and misc. bug attacks. I'll keep on keeping on, hopefully you guys can help me further. Man I wished I could find my AVID! UGGHHH!
Thanks friends. jeff
PERSEA MITES! Going to town on my brugs. Ever seen them?
Sounds like you have had a tough time Jeff. I hope it starts to get much better!!! I am sorry but I do not know of those mites. However the site you have there is really interesting. Did you see this part?
2) There are many species of pest mites, but most gardeners face two particular enemies, Two Spotted Spider Mite and Red Spider Mite. In hydroponic gardens this almost always true. When possible mail us the leaves of your plant and we will make the identification. Some people are sensitive about the gardens they grow, if so mail a small section of the leaf and write an identification code on the envelope. Call us a week later 800 787 2847
Kell that's too cool! No I missed that tidbit.
I used to grow hydro and am sadly way too familiar with the 2 spot and red mites. These mites are smaller and they're much harder to find and locate damage from them. I actually didn't think I had bug damage until seeing them. I'm way behind on fertilizing(which maybe why the brugs are weak enough to not fend for themselves) and I think that may have something to do with it. I had problems with thrips earlier in the year with a couple passiflora's that were horribly rootbound and stressed from it. By merely potting it up in good soil allowed it to fend off 99% of the problems and looks like a million bucks.
So I fed them and sprayed them hoping that may help. I hope I didn't over feed them only to make it worse, I highly doubt it though.
Check this out. On the same search I was doing to ID those mites, I found 1 line actually advertising the sale of mites!!!LOL I know itsa mistake but it sure blew me away with laughter.
http://www.shop.com
Buy Spider Mites
Shop for Spider Mites from 600+ merchants with one cart. Hundreds of trusted merchants. Thousands of popular brands. Millions of great products. One simple check out. SHOP.COM. Do you SHOP.COM?
FindWhat
Hahahaha, How do ya like that 1? Priceless advertising eh? LOLOL
Hey, if you have a enemy and want to buy them a nice present. LOL
Good grief!!! How do plants survive with all of the diffrent critters out there. No, I have never seen those. I try to use a systemic for anything that eats the plant.
Jeanette
LOL Kell.
Jeff, I hope things get better for you. It can get so flustrating to have to fight the weather and insects.
Jnette...What systemic do you use? I would preffer that over a non selective spray. I HATE using pesticides and love using natures predators to kill my pests but it is so expensive if you try to take care of everything that way. I use beneficial insects for 99% of any pest problems I've ever had with really good luck. WWW.PlanetNatural.com is a wonderful site for finding such bugs. I buy a "Garden Variety Pack" from them every season partially just for fun but they also take care of my annual white fly infestation that tries killing off my huge hardy hibiscus bushes. It is a lot of fun to actually hatch Praying Mantis from egg cases along with fly parasites and other bugs included in that package. I also like the idea of re stocking my lil enviroment with many of the bugs I rarely see these days. 15 years ago I could find a praying mantis in a day with out much effort. I'm lucky to find 1 a month in summer.
I think things will be turning around for the better soon. It has just been such an odd weather season so far that everything if off. But thats life and it'll all pull through. Thanks for the help;)
Jeff
I was reading about controle of spider mites and came across this as one of the treatments, maybe these are the kind they sell.
Option 3: Biological Control - Predators There are numerous insects (lacewings and lady beetles) that prey on spider mites. However, the most commonly sold predators are other types of mites. Predatory mites (usually Phytoseiulus spp., Amblyseius spp. or Metaseiulus spp.) can be purchased and released onto infested plants. Be sure to check listings to determine which species is appropriate. Some species are host specific and each predator works better under different weather conditions. If predators are used, do not apply pesticides that will kill them.
Grrrr! I hear ya! I've never seen these, but with the luck I've had so far, I'm sure they'll show up. This is my very first year with brugs and I've had white flies, aphids (which wiped out my 2 tenderly nurtured indoor tomato plants), and now spider mites. These brugs had better be very cool to warrant all this. I totally agree with Jeanette - however do plants survive with all these pests? However do we survive!?! 'Tis frustrating indeed!!!
Jeff, Wouldn't life be grand if we could just use a little sugar and honey and the darned things would go away. Well, let me tell you, up here in the northwest we have such a short growing season that I don't have time for that crap.
I have had a container, plastic container, 5 lbs, of RosePride Systemic Rose & Flower Care for several years. Granted I have not used it on a whole lot of things, but if they have bugs then this comes out. Even though it has some rose fertilizer in it. Doesn't matter. I am just about out and I hope I can find it again. NOT on edibles.
It is Ortho, RosePride, SOLARIS Trademarks of Monsanto Company. Di-SYSTON Trademark of Bayer AG, Leverkusen.
Manufactured for the SOLARIS Group of Monsanto Company.
8-12-4 guaranteed fertilizer analysis
Total nitrogen 8%
Availiable Phosphate 12%
Soluable Potash 4%
One easy step feeds and protects plants against insects for up to 6 weeks. This product enters plants through roots and will not be washed off by rain or watering. Even new growth is fully protected from insect damage.
Product is NOT for use on edible plants, fruit trees, lawns or container grown plants.
BUT, I have been using it on my container grown plants for years with no problems. NOT on edibles.
Now you know as much as I do. Jeanette
I never had any of these bugs until I started reading this forum, now I think I have most of them. Who bought those spider mites and released them in here? Who Who Who????????
I am battling spider mites now. I got the Bayer systemic rose stuff the other day after reading kell's advise and I have been treating everything in site. Plus spraying with Ortho Rose & Whatever (it says spidermites on the bottle) I now want a bumper sticker that says......I HATE SPIDER MITES!
I cut off some of the prettiest cuttings of variegated brugs to start a few for some on here and they are toast, heck they are milk toast they are so soggy and ucky and the uck started with the leaves......ack uck! The mother plants even tried to die and are now coming back. I have never had this kind of problem. Before I just stuck sticks in the ground and forrests grew.
I think I am babying them too much! I am about to take them all out of their pots and set them free.......... a brug release! Plant them all in the ground and say "no more babying, you're on your own like those huge ones over there"........What do you think?
And.... to whoever released those spider mites in here I think you need to go get the bug predators and release them to give us a little relief. Crossing my arms, tapping my toes, waiting with a stern look on my face........watching for praying manthes and lady bugs to arrive!
Thanks Jeanette, its time for systemic chems now as much as I hate using them. I sure wished I knew why this is such a terrible year for some of us.
Buns and I used to have the same luck as I literally took brug cuts into the same soil the mom was in and they'd root no problem. Knock on wood...I'm not having any problems with my many trays of cuttings. I have 3 trays of 50 per tray of hibiscus, passifloras and other misc. plants in various stages of rooting.
BUT All of my brugs that are normally covered with huge and lush leaves and rows and rows of blooms are sad stick lil plants with fragile leaves and tons of puny lil buds and blooms. I was so excited early this spring when I had atleast 25 fat and green brugs ready to head for the sunshine then BAM! 4 freak freezes 2 weeks apart in late March into early May. I have never seen such a thing and I had never had so many plants all fat and ready for the sunshine. All my brugs went from thick and lush to tall and twiggy in 2 weeks and its been hell ever since. Atleast all my passion flowers are finally thriving along with most everything else. Everyone is still behind schedule though due to the late freezes and frosts. My new hibiscus hybrids are beginning to show off a lil. Check out this picturwe of "Molten Lava". She's gonna be a beauty when potted up and covered with more blooms.
Well enough crying and time to get postal with this systemic. I sure appreciate having a place to vent, this plae probably saves a fortune in therapyLOLOL
Good night friends, Jeff
Good luck you two. Jeanette
Well the systemic is working big time I am so happy I have stopped losing leaves and the yellow is leaving and the webs are leaving, I think those mites have packed their bags and left town (well I'm hoping). A Big THANK YOU to Kell for the information about that product. I was tired of spraying!
Looking for the 18 wheeler to deliver my next delivery of that systemic stuff. LOL
Susan
Very cool to hear that's working well. I went to buy some yesterday and had it in my basket. For some idiotic reason, I grabbed 2 bottles of Ortho systemics and didn't realize they were spray on products rather than water in products darnit! So back to the Depot I go to grab the right stuff.
If you don't have a handheld "microscope" they sell at Radioshack, I highly recomend getting 1. They range in power from 30X to 100X and are lighted too. Man it makes identifying those tiny specs so much easier when you can actually see them up close and personal. The problem I had was making the bugs sit still long enough to look at over and over. I grabbed the good old duct tape and tricked the critter's into walking onto the sticky side then give them a lil push to trap them on it well. They get trapped while still alive and it's just too cool. Under that magnification, they look like monster sized beasts but you can tell the difference between all the different mites and other critter's.
My favorite brug had 2-3 different mites on it, thips and 1 other evil looking critter that I still can't ID. Man it has some huge pinchers on it. I'm buying some macro lenses for my Mavica so hoepfully I'll be able to take pictures of these pests too. That should help me alot in identifying these dudes.
Well off to the store again for the right systemic. Thanks for the info friends!
Jeff
LOL, I'll let you find and identify them. I just want something to put in the soil and water in and say goodbye to all of them without knowing their names. If I bond with any of them I'll want to make them pets and breed and show them. I am sure there is some competition for show bugs.
Right now I am showing rabbits and guinea pigs (cavys) and that is enough to feed along with my goat and cats, wow I must be slacking I am down to only 4 kinds of animals.
Anyone know of a good way to get rid of common houseflies on a grand scale? I use my guinea pig shavings as mulch and well, the flies love them. I spray malathion 50% a lot and have tried Bioganic Organic Insect control. I seem to have had an increase in them since the hawks ate my chickens, ack.
This message was edited Jun 25, 2005 2:01 PM
Is there a systemic out there that kills spider mites? I have Kelthane and it works, but it stinks so bad that I the smell drifts in my house and reminds me for a few hours afterward. Some one mentioned the Bayer granules. Do those work?
Buns, where did you find it? The Systemic? And did you get the same kind I wrote about? I just used the last of mine a few minutes ago on my new rose so I've gotta get some soon.
Jeanette
Wow, Jeff, thanks for the Radio Shack microscope info, I will go by there first chance I get.
Buns, do you allow your chickens in your flower garden?? If so, do they damage the brugs and other flowers??
Emily,
Back up a half a dozen or so posts and read my post on systemic.
Jeanette
I have major moral problems with buying anything produced by Monsanto :(
This message was edited Jun 25, 2005 9:45 PM
My chickens used to just roam my backyard and barns happily eating the bugs, but then the hawks flew over and happily ate the chickens, it's some kind of natural order but I don't like the hawk part so I took my last remaining, frightened chicken, to a friends house to live with hers in a chicken coop, safe but a prisoner. :(
The systemic I got is Bayer Advanced Garden 2-in-1 Systemic Rose and Flower Care ready to use granules.
http://www.bayeradvanced.com/garden/products/details.cfm?id=3
I need to get some more, so meet me at Walmart and we'll grab what they have left. lol
Susan
This message was edited Jun 25, 2005 11:59 PM
Just noticed this on that page
Can I use Bayer Advanced" 2-in-1 Systemic Rose & Flower Care in container grown plants?
Bayer Advanced™ 2-in-1 Systemic Rose and Flower Care is not for use on or in container grown plants.
I used it on my container grown plants and so far haven't lost any. But I did make sure they were damp when I applied it and I watered it in really well.
Think I will wait a couple of weeks to see how yours is working. The only one I have found that works is the Rose Pride. Jeanette
I have used it in containers and so far-so good. Of course, I didn't read all the directions until after I had used it. LOL (Typical)
I think I'm going to pick some up today and try it on one or two indoor tropicals that are have a really bad case of mites. I'll keep y'all posted.
Well I bought and applied my systemics and am waiting for results. I hit them all with pesticidal soap earlier this week which has helped a little.
I almost bought the Bayer 2 in 1 but the liquid didn't list mites in the killer section. The Bayer Granular does list mites but I didn't want any granules laying on the surface and working them into the soil isn't an option like the label suggested.
I ended up buying the Ortho brand systemics and sprayed some lastnight and will spray everything else today. I'm going to treat all of my hardy hibiscus too as they always get hit by white flies in Late July every year, hopefully this will nip those in the bud too.
I'll keep Y'all posted and wish me luck!
Thanks, Jeff
Luck to: Jeff.
Well lastnight I went in with a spray on systemic called "Orthenex" which is used for garden insect and disease control. It applies really nicely with a hose end sprayer. I decided on this product as I have a few other plants that have a problem I can't ID and am guessing it maybe a disease of sorts. Plus my weeping Mulberry has leaf spot rust like problem every year and consumes it by mid summer.
Man I hate the smell and feel of chemicals like this and when you read the warning labels...PHEW! LOL It warned against skin contact and states "IF ON SKIN: wash with plenty of water. Get medical attention." Well I'm sure there was a little skin contact but I washed it fast and am just fine. I'm sure some label writing engineer didn't mean to write it to read exactly like that..I hope.
It reminded me of my years helping on my buddies farm and spraying corn and soybeans with anhydrous ammonia on a tractor with out an enclosed cab of any sorts. When there was a little breeze, I'd get some on me in such a fine mist, it looked like a gaseous vapor. I was young and dumb back then in my late teens and early twenties. After that first summer of spraying that stuff, I noticed I NEVER got bit by ticks or mosquito's at all. I was laying in bed in our camper 1 night and literally watched a tick crawling across my skin and heading towards my wife rather thn biting me! I didn't give it much thought but after the second season of spraying that and hiking with friends in woods filled with mosquito's...I was the only 1 other than my farmer friend that didn't need to use any kind of mosquito spray. It was the craziest thing I had ever seen, even the horse and deer flies left me alone. Well I was telling this same story to my Aunt who owned her own medical and allergy business about this and she tore into me for not thinking more of this and taking better precautions. It never occured to me what that poison was doing to my insides as far as kidney's and other organs that help the body deal with toxins. Well here I sit almost 20 years later and am fine and the mosquito's just love me now so I imagine all the chemical is out of my system. I just wonder what that stuff must do to my friends and their family that has been spraying that stuff for atleast 2 generations and are just as healthy as anyone else.
Anyhow, I went out to inspect some of the plants today(I know its too early for results) and did notice less bugs on the underside of the leaves. That may be due to the jet spray blasting them off the plant when applying but I like to think it's the systemic. I can't wait for my brugs and other plants to put on new leaves as they look like skeletons now with hardly any foliage. Amazingly enough, some are still bloomig! I decided to remove all the flowers and buds to try to direct all the plants energy towards fighting for its life and forget about blooming for now. I'm cautiously optimistic and will keep Y'all posted.
Thanks, Jeff
Jeff, you remind me of a truck I bought years ago from the Hanford nuke reservation. I bid $500 in a sealed bid auction and got the truck. I always told people that it was easy to find in the parking lot at night because it glowed green. LOL
I sure hope your spray works. One thing I like about the granules, is that even if it rains it doesn't get washed off. It helps get the chemicals to the plant.
Jeanette
LOL Jeanette. My wife my claim I'm a glowing individual but that can be taken many ways!LOL
I shyed away from granules as I was afraid my birds and dogs might not be able to pass them by with out tasting 1. This Orthonex doesn't wash off either and is absorbed through the foliage providing 6 weeks of systemic action, or so they say. I made sure I got something that wouldn't wash off too. I'm pretty sure I'm already seeing good results as my Brugs look like they have much healthier new growth finally. If I see anymore mites, I'll spray a few again to keep up with the mites life cycle. I may have to do it 1 more time as the sprays can't kill off babies inside the eggs and they hatch out in 7-10 days. Well that's the cycle for red and 2 spot spider mites, I'm not sure about these others. We will soon see.