I have been using avid, Forbid and Anti Stress-2000 and H oil in the cooler months. My Avid seems to not be working anymore. I thought I would try Floramite with Stirrup M (attractant).
Has anyone tried some of the newer miticides or has an opinion on Floramite. I did a search and saw where Gordon-hawk said he used Floramite and Forbid combined and had no luck. Oh my, LOL.
Jim
A little help from the experts on Mite control
Jim, think you are making those mites stronger and tougher with all of these chemicals. Why don't you try Al Tapia's formula:
1 pint rubbing alcohol1 pint very hot water1 tsp pure, cold-pressed neem oil3-4 drops Murphy's oil soapAdd neem & soap to hot water & shake well. Add alcohol. Spritz plants thoroughly, covering all surfaces - especially underside of leaves & leaf axils. Be sure to shake vigorously as you use the spritzer to keep the neem mixed with the solution. Works great - the neem oil renders all the insects it contacts unable to complete metamorphosis or reproduce, while the alcohol provides reasonable knock-down for current generations.
Let us know how it works. Jeanette
What kind of mites were you trying to kill? The miticides you mentioned are generally reserved for use against broadmites because as Jeanette pointed out, any mites not killed by the miticides will quickly develop resistance to it. Spidermites are easier to control so using something else allows you to have the big guns for use against the nastier broadmites. Neem oil kills by suffocation so mites don't develop any kind of resistance to it. Just be careful not to use anything with neem oil in temperatures over 85ºF because neem has a tendency to burn the leaves in hot temperatures.
If you remove most of the infected leaves and dispose of them, the spray is moe likely to cover all surfaces that are left. The Brugs will put out new leaves.
Jim, there is another way to get rid of spider and broad mites, but it's not practical with large or a lot of plants (Unless you are really desperate.) Give the plants a hot water bath (115ºF) for 15 - 20 minutes. Then a cold bath to cool the plant down.
I have tried so many different things. Neem is of little use. It 80+ here 10 months of the year. I have about a 50+ brugs.
I was looking for opinions on Floramite. I have as most people both types of mites. The spotted one is my most troublesome. I can actually see their progression from the upwind side. If I only hit the brugmansia they will attack the oleanders, tomatoes, bay trees and everything else. I have to use a limited kill selective miticide as the loss of beneficial insects is not an option.
I do know the growers in South Texas for nurseries help with making a resistant mite that we bring home from the nursery every time we enter . LOL, try making a few slides for a microscope from the bottom of you shoes.
The only other thing I can suggest would be systemic but as you said, the good predator bugs would eat the dead ones killed by it. You could not use it on edibles. I don't any way. I do think there are systemics you can use on edibles but follow instructions to a T.
I purchased 2 ounces of Floramite a couple of years ago from one of the brug growers, but I never used it so can't give you an opinion.
I know, you are thinking, why am I even writing then because that is what you want to know. Sorry. :)
Jeanette
Jeanette, Thanks for the replies. I am always looking for a better way. I have tried so many things. Some work fair to good and only a few work great. The great things were labor intensive and cheap dollar wise. I really do not have the time for weekly spraying.
So I try to be as careful of the environment as possible. Floramite is now rated for tomatoes. So I imagine we are all eating it from the store. LOL the best thing I have used was 5 lbs of flour and 1/2 qt buttermilk in a 25 gallon sprayer. It had to be done weekly during the summer. It is an old time recipe why it works who knows. I can only speculate. I do not know if it kills the beneficial either. But it does work.
Then AS 2000,then Avid , and forbid. I do like the 30 day residual with egg killing ability that is trans laminar. It just makes life easier. AS works but is labor intensive also and not much less than the new chemicals,when it is all said and done.
jim
Jim...I believe you've misread my post... I have not has a single sighting of spidermites this year... ... in truth.. I use a combo of many posions......a cocktail if you will ..it is true mites and others can build up a resistance.. if not a taste for the killers... but that's only if there is a survivor... if everyone is killed... there's no problem with the resistance being built up...I don't recomend this method for everyone..
I've recently had my roof certified as a wildlife habatat... with metal signage and all.. it was a toss up between that and a toxic wase dump...
my cocktail recipe :
Floramite w/ stirup... the phermone attractant for mites.. to get any not directly exposed .... to travel.. in search of the phermone to a sprayed area
Avid
Seven
malathion
bug b gone
Bayers systemic
I'd likely use others... if there were about at mixing time.. it's such a removed section I garden in... I'm able to mostly remove all the pests... although upon their being moved up to the roof.. I have seen a few aphids... and perhaps two white flies.. which were either spring introductions from any of a dozed nurseries.. os a few that were dormant or in the soil through the winter.. only to bloom forth in the warmer weather ... a cocktail spray seems to have reduced my population to ZERO again..
be sure to spray this or any poisions in the late evening.. to minimise the effect of the honeybees ...and other beneficials there.. they get up so early... morning sprayings seemd unduely agressive towards them.. nope ...no spider mites here..
Thanks, i have such a large area. Several acres, I can actually see the mites progress from the neighbors yard. Last year was so good that I neglected to spray a lot of horticultural oil in the winter. I spray his stuff with a 70 psi + single stream at night. Too late for H oil its been 90 here for 3 months. I am paying for not doing this right now.
I believe I will try Akari instead of floramite. I do not have a penetration problem with high pressure. Sorry if I misquoted you. Thanks for the correction.
Jim
Good Jim...Let us know how Akari does... does it do broad mites also..
It list all the broad mites on the label along with all the regular size mites. That is the reason I am switching.I will let you know.