# Killing bugs with co2?



## SeriousSmoker (Jan 6, 2011)

A friend read in a grow mag that you can kill bugs with co2 without damaging the plants, raising co2 to above 10,000 ppm for 1+ hours then venting. Has anyone tried this and is it true? does it not damage the plants at all and does it actually kill all the bugs? feedback please


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## medz4dayz (Jan 6, 2011)

I too have heard this. bring co2 to 10% in the garden and poof. it makes sense to me tho might be pricey.


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## legallyflying (Jan 6, 2011)

please be advised that at 8% you will loose consciousness in a few minutes. There are better ways to kill pests. If you want to use co2 however, you might as well do it properly. Here is a chart showing concentration and saturation times listed by individual bug species:

http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Ipm/ca2001-insect/ca2001/I_SUMA.pdf


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## sappytreetree (Jan 10, 2011)

Co2 toxicty can occur they look like blacksish wilting first starts on undergrowth .. although this method can knock out and somtimes kill adults it usally had very little effect on eggs your best bet is pyrthum bombs


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## Banditt (Jan 10, 2011)

legallyflying said:


> please be advised that at 8% you will loose consciousness in a few minutes. There are better ways to kill pests. If you want to use co2 however, you might as well do it properly. Here is a chart showing concentration and saturation times listed by individual bug species:
> 
> http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Ipm/ca2001-insect/ca2001/I_SUMA.pdf


where did you get this info? The legal safe limit set by osha is 10% or 10,000 PPM. The lethal amount for a human is 30% or 30,000 PPM.


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## Sr. Greensea (Jan 22, 2011)

30,000ppm is not safe but shouldnt kill either
and 30,000ppm is 3% so 8% probably could kill though its lack of o2 not co2 that kills
imo co2 is way better than spraying your plants with shit. i like nps also


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## nxxxu (Jan 22, 2011)

if your gonna overuse co2 in a room with more than 10k ppm.
might aswell do it at "night time" when the plants don't use it, then they shouldn't take harm
anyone know how long spidermites eggs take to hatch?
if its like 2days, 
then just do like this
co2, wait 24h, co2, wait 24h, co2.
that should kill the bugs, if 10k pp of co2 kills them, 

if anyone got spidermites, would be cool if they could drop a leaf in a glass jar with co2 and see if they die


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## Sr. Greensea (Jan 22, 2011)

yes need to do treatments every few days cause the eggs will not be harmed by co2.. no pest strips are wonderful


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## SwiftGrow (Jan 22, 2011)

CO2 is dangerous to humans at 5000+ ppm and anything above 2000+ for more than a hour will kill adult mites np. Eggs have to be killed by spraying or removed by hand. 10000+ ppm CO2 is 4 times the amount of CO2 a plant can absorb and while the extra is not harmful to the plant it is harmfull for you !

IF YOU RUN CO2 and DONT HAVE A CO2 DETECTOR GET ONE! LIKE 25$ @ HOMEDEPOT!


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## Sr. Greensea (Jan 23, 2011)

*OSHA limits on Carbon Dioxide Exposure*: The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration, OSHA, has set Permissible Exposure Limits for Carbon Dioxide in workplace atmospheres at 10,000 ppm of CO2 measured as a Time Weighted Average (TWA) level of exposure and OSHA has set 30,000 ppm of CO2 as a Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL). OSHA has also set a Transitional Limit of 5,000 ppm CO2 exposure TWA. [OSHA's former limit for carbon dioxide was 5000 ppm as an 8-hour TWA.]


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## Sr. Greensea (Jan 23, 2011)

so if you are tring to kill bugs dont fall asleep in the room with your plants and yes i wouldnt do this if your plants arent in there own room. use common sence!! if i read the osha info correctly 30,000 ppm is ok for under 10min. none of us should ever get close to 30,000ppm.


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## OgreMeister (Mar 13, 2013)

Banditt said:


> where did you get this info? The legal safe limit set by osha is 10% or 10,000 PPM. The lethal amount for a human is 30% or 30,000 PPM.


Wow I almost don't know what to say about this...but I do 
Lets start with some basics.....PPM stands for Parts Per Million. Now for some basic math 1,000,000 divided by 10,000 = 100 so according to YOUR math there is 100 10%'s ( or more simply 1000%) in 10,000 PPM. 
The correct math for figuring percentages is to take the part/the whole x 100....i.e. 10,000/1,000,000x100=1 Simply put 10,000 PPM is 1%, therefore 30,000 would be..... you got it 3%!

2nd. any chemical or element you can think of has a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) available online, if you look at CO2 MSDS you will find that concentrations of 30,000 PPM (3%) can be worked in without breathing apparatus for up to 15min at a time. Fresh air for a few minutes and you can go right back in. It also states that at 40,000 PPM (4%) it IS an IMMEDIATE risk to your health and well being.

So the real question is where do YOU get your information from? People need to quit posting chit they know little or nothing about and presenting it as fact. If you are guessing, admit it.

Used properly and safely CO2 will kill any insects you want it to cheaply and without harm to yourself or others.
Small plants- put them in a 55 gallon garbage bag, squeeze about 1/2 the air out, fill with CO2 until it bulges and tie it off tight, come back an hour later, vent out the CO2 and try and find a living thing on your plant. You will need to do this every couple days until you have passed the the full life cycle of the eggs of the species you are trying to kill. Bigger area take some plastic creativity, some good tape and a good ventilation plan.

Remember folks just cause you heard it on the internet doesn't make it true! Do your own research and make the most educated decision you can!

Good luck, good growing


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## bass1014 (Mar 14, 2013)

wow it was a question that deserves a general answer .. use neem oil or liqiud ladybug. your trying to kill a bug that has no lungs there exoskeleton will stop any co2 from killing them, thats why they make safe bug killers ..co2 is a deadly item to experiment with to try and kill a bug..


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## Apomixis (Mar 14, 2013)

bass1014 said:


> wow it was a question that deserves a general answer .. use neem oil or liqiud ladybug. your trying to kill a bug that has no lungs there exoskeleton will stop any co2 from killing them, thats why they make safe bug killers ..co2 is a deadly item to experiment with to try and kill a bug..


Dude, that is just fucking false. 
Do yourself a favor and find out what you're talking about before you open your mouth. Seriously.
Even a _minor, completely superficial_ search into entomological anatomy will prove you just plain wrong.

Commercially, this happens all the time, lots of post-harvest ripening rooms use this exact technique to rid large amounts of commodities of pests. It's a brilliant idea conceptually, but those are commercial rooms, sealed and monitored to an exacting degree. I'm not saying you don't have a high tech operation, but its probably more effective to use more traditional means, and yes... Like the idiot above inadvertently pointed out, just a tad dangerous. Those levels of CO2 that would kill bugs can easily harm a person. 
However, this would be PERFECT for flowering, when you want to avoid spraying chemicals on those sweet, sweet buds... If you could manage to keep levels high and contained for such a period as bugs would suffocate.


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## Apomixis (Mar 14, 2013)

Also.... Who is this legit OgreMeister? Jeez, he's here for one post, and he might have saved one life already!
OM, stick around, we could use some help separating fact from fiction on RIU. Thanks for the good info.


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## bass1014 (Mar 22, 2013)

I am not the one trying to kill a bug with a invisible gas that can kill the dude! Saving a life is more important then a buzz.. I can write all the insulting words too. Don't mean i am an idiot.. You want to help? Help the guy stay alive..


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## cannawizard (Mar 25, 2013)

c02 is good for getting rid of pests late in flower.. using neem or any chemical sprays will just ruin your flowers 

if you use common sense and proper safety procedures, c02 is safe for pest control~

#cheers


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