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View Full Version : Ahhh!! They're taking over!!



FloridaChris
04-18-2013, 05:32 AM
Hey guys,
So I started my self-watering rain gutter system two days ago. Put plants in the potters yesterday. I was checking out my system this morning and come to find they have been taken over by spider mites (I believe). How can I remedy the problem!??!? You can see the soil looks red, that's because there is a thick layer of these little bugs over everything!

http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad223/Chris7687/image_zps7917c58b.jpg (http://s938.photobucket.com/user/Chris7687/media/image_zps7917c58b.jpg.html)

http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad223/Chris7687/image_zps28d5ad17.jpg (http://s938.photobucket.com/user/Chris7687/media/image_zps28d5ad17.jpg.html)

keith_r
04-18-2013, 06:57 AM
i'd try hosing off as many as possible..(but not when it's sunny because the refracting light will burn the plant)
rubbing alcohol mixed with water (50:50) will kill bunches but you have to be careful with the spray, you don't want it getting in your ft
my first choice is to usually look for a predator
http://www.buglogical.com/spider-mite-predator/

FloridaChris
04-18-2013, 08:22 AM
Thanks Keith. These plants aren't hooked up to my AP system, just filling the rain gutter manually every day until I figure out how I want to hook it up. Was thinking of connecting it to my sump. Do you know if lady bugs would eat these? It looks pretty pricey on that website, $30 just to buy more spiders.... Not a fan of spiders to begin with, don't want to spend $30 on more!

Basil1
04-18-2013, 08:52 AM
Look around your yard, bet you have plenty of spiders for free. I personally am not the biggest fan of spiders but seeing the benefit let most of them be and have a fair amount of crab and green orchard spiders around.

JCO
04-18-2013, 10:17 AM
I don't know about where you are from, but from all my experience, those are not "SPIDER MITES". Spider mites actually have a web which if left unchecked will eventually cover the entire plant and they are very tiny and usually brownish to white in color.

http://diyaquaponics.com/MyImages/spidermites.jpg

I believe what you are seeing are " Leaf-footed bug babies".

http://diyaquaponics.com/MyImages/red_bugs.jpg

Am I mistaken?

If I'm right, I don't have a better way of getting rid of them than hosing off, but I myself like to mash them to goo because they don't come back from that. :mrgreen:

keith_r
04-18-2013, 10:46 AM
i couldn't see the original pic's, just assumed spider mites.. you definitely want to know what you are fighting before you throw the first punch..
leaf footed bugs don't have many natural enemies (i think there are some parasitic wasps, maybe a type of nematode that goes after eggs).. i haven't looked to see if DE or BT (diatomaceous earth or bacillus thuringiensis) are effective, but might be something to research..i don't use many things in ap, but these are fish safe - but since this isn't a part of the ap, i think neem oil would be good...

regarding the cost of the good bugs, i just threw out a quick example.. there may be a nursery or greenhouse type business near you that has "good bugs", or you can shop around till you find something that sounds reasonably priced to you (my wife can ALWAYS find a deal)

FloridaChris
04-19-2013, 04:51 AM
JCO - Unfortantely, the bugs your think they may be are not the same. These things are tiny little red/brown dots that just crawl all around. They have been the same size since I've seen them originally. I believe they burrow in the soil during the day and at night and early morning come out. They were there again this morning. Tried taking a closer picture, the camera just can't zoom in on it any better.

http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad223/Chris7687/image_zpscf7f716c.jpg (http://s938.photobucket.com/user/Chris7687/media/image_zpscf7f716c.jpg.html)

If this image doesnt show, you can use this link as well:
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad22 ... 7f716c.jpg (http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad223/Chris7687/image_zpscf7f716c.jpg)

My tomato plant and other plants seem to be doing fine, whatever they are. Guess they are not spider mites though, because I haven't seen a single web yet.

keith_r
04-19-2013, 05:26 AM
if there aren't any webs, it could be aphids...(can't see photobucket from work)
ladybugs will take care of them,, my last batch was from home depot, shipped right to my door

JCO
04-19-2013, 06:33 AM
I can't get a good enough look at the to tell anything about their body. Try putting one or more on a white piece of paper and do the best close up you can.

I looked around and this is the next best answer I came up with:-


These are actually little red mites. They sometimes look like spiders.

They suck the life out of your plants and are commonly found on azaleas, rhododendrons and roses. Check the plants around your house (in the vicinity of where you found them) - they'll usually be on the underside of leaves or all over the stems. Check leaves for dry, pale patches (not brown) that look like they've had the color sucked out of them.

We usually treat plants with lightly soapy water (dish washing detergent) in an ironing spray bottle and and spray the underside of affected leaves. You can also buy a mite-specific spray from gardening/hardware shop which works well and doesn't harm your plants. You do have to repeat this every few months though - they're stubborn little buggers and will come back after a while!

FloridaChris
04-19-2013, 06:51 AM
They look like some of the pictures of mites, but they just dont have legs like that. I can't even look that close, no magnifying glass. Maybe I'll bust out the Nikkon camera and try to zoom in really good.

JCO
04-19-2013, 07:35 AM
Get out the Nikon and a huge magnifying glass, this mystery needs to be solved..! :shock: :o :lol: :mrgreen:

hawkiye
04-19-2013, 11:23 PM
try diatomaceous earth its not toxic and can be eaten by mammals but kills bugs physically. Been using it in the dirt garden for years.

JCO
04-20-2013, 07:31 AM
DE is a good choice, but if you do use DE, be sure to get the editable kind, not the insecticide type. :mrgreen:

hawkiye
04-20-2013, 10:41 PM
DE is a good choice, but if you do use DE, be sure to get the editable kind, not the insecticide type. :mrgreen:

I know that's what they say but there really is no difference in my experience. DE is DE IMO, there is nothing toxic or chemical in it.

urbanfarmer
04-27-2013, 08:56 PM
I have this same view in my yard... orange bucket with tomato plants! :lol:

Are the critters hurting anything? Most critters are harmless and some are even beneficial!

A gallon of water and a few spoons of regular dish washing soap mixed and sprayed through an atomizer (spray bottle) will do the trick. It suffocates the critters and shouldn't bother the plant. I usually rinse it off after a few minutes, but sometimes I don't and there have been no apparent issues.

eddiemigue
04-28-2013, 07:10 PM
The different DE's are food grade and the pool grade. Both are made from fossilized algae, but the pool kind is processed and is harmful when breathed in, so stick to the food grade.

JCO
04-28-2013, 09:21 PM
Either one can harm you if you inhale it. It coats the inside of the lungs and prevents them from functioning properly. The difference between them is the pool grade's particles are larger and can do more damage if inhaled. :mrgreen:

FloridaChris
04-29-2013, 05:21 AM
Hey guys, never was able to get the pictures taken on the Nikkon. I went out one morning to take it and the camera was dead. Since then I haven't seen them around. They must have all hatched or moved on, whatever they were.

JCO
04-29-2013, 10:39 AM
That's the way some relatives are....once the foods gone and the TV's broke they disappear overnight. :lol: :mrgreen:

TMorgan
04-29-2013, 08:38 PM
FYI - I saw what looked like the same thing in some of my worm beds, thought they were mites of some type. Read a water/vinegar solution misted on would help, appears they don't like the PH change, and it seem to have gotten rid of them without any adverse reaction by the worms.

FloridaChris
04-30-2013, 06:02 AM
TMorgan - That's where I believe my mite infestation appeared from too. It was somehow realted to the soil I got when I got my worms.

davidstcldfl
04-30-2013, 06:26 AM
FYI - I saw what looked like the same thing in some of my worm beds, thought they were mites of some type. Read a water/vinegar solution misted on would help, appears they don't like the PH change, and it seem to have gotten rid of them without any adverse reaction by the worms.
Nice...what ratio did you use ?

JCO
04-30-2013, 09:32 AM
With Aquaponics, you have to be careful what you put into your system and where you got it. :mrgreen:

FloridaChris
04-30-2013, 11:59 AM
JCO - I know my problem occured in a soil environment. I believe this was the case for TMorgan as well.

JCO
04-30-2013, 02:11 PM
You are probably right as I remember seeing his plants were in soil of some sort :mrgreen: