Seeing signs of mites( tiny brown bugs underneath leaves)

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Citric acid is the active ingredient in both NukEm and Dr Zymes.

I just mix my own from food grade citric acid. I used to get it in the bulk food section at the grocery store but most have pulled those out due to Covid. You can get a 5 pound bag online for around $20.

 

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
Citric acid is the active ingredient in both NukEm and Dr Zymes.

I just mix my own from food grade citric acid. I used to get it in the bulk food section at the grocery store but most have pulled those out due to Covid. You can get a 5 pound bag online for around $20.

I'll be adding that to my outdoor arsenal next year. Skull is pretty damn expensive.
 

PizzaBob

Active Member
The biological arsenal with 0 residue includes the combo grandevo and venerate used in rotation. Not too pricey. Or PFR 97 which pretty pricey.
These may be zero residue but read the PPE requirements as it could be harmful to breathe or touch when spraying.
 

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
I just successfully eradicated spider mites from my mommy tent with just citric acid. Once you get rid of them, don't forget to keep treating every few weeks for prevention. BTW, I think 2 teaspoons per quart is enough. I used 3 teaspoons per quart, but it did some minor damage to my leaves. If you are worried about it, you can test spray a single plant or even just a branch, then check it 24 hours later for damage.
 

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
Hmm I’m gonna have to look into this citric acid spray I hear some talk about a 1-9 alcohol to water ratio to kill off the mites but some people say it can damage leaves…Maybe if its not diluted enough but I’m about to research into this citric acid spray
alcohol is VERY BAD for plants...i do not recommend the use of it for anything...
citric acid works, hell, hot sauce works, the hotter the peppers the better, just be careful to get as little as possible on the buds themselves....but that is a problem in itself, the mites will just run to the buds....
 

JustBlazin

Well-Known Member
I used hot shots no pest strips with great results, but its toxic and said to cause cancer.
Some members highly recommend citric acid (2 Tsp\quart of water), could be used in flower and is considered safe.
Pretty sure there's a study out now that puts to rest the myth that no pest strip are harmful. Someone posted it on here like last year. End result was that the active ingredient in the no pest strips doesn't stay on or I the plant at all, so they are safe to use.
It's funny cause when I first started growing I asked the owner at my local hydro store about them being bad, he chuckled and pointed behind me at all his viggies he was growing and right above the was a no pest strip and he says " well I sure wouldn't hang it over the food I'm going feed my family if it was harmful"
I have used them for probably 10 years and they work great
 

Nixs

Well-Known Member
Pretty sure there's a study out now that puts to rest the myth that no pest strip are harmful. Someone posted it on here like last year. End result was that the active ingredient in the no pest strips doesn't stay on or I the plant at all, so they are safe to use.
It's funny cause when I first started growing I asked the owner at my local hydro store about them being bad, he chuckled and pointed behind me at all his viggies he was growing and right above the was a no pest strip and he says " well I sure wouldn't hang it over the food I'm going feed my family if it was harmful"
I have used them for probably 10 years and they work great
I don't mind using it myself in my grow area if needed, it works great and doesn't require much work like spraying, I'm just lazy :), and I don't sell my buds.
 

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
Pretty sure there's a study out now that puts to rest the myth that no pest strip are harmful. Someone posted it on here like last year. End result was that the active ingredient in the no pest strips doesn't stay on or I the plant at all, so they are safe to use.
It's funny cause when I first started growing I asked the owner at my local hydro store about them being bad, he chuckled and pointed behind me at all his viggies he was growing and right above the was a no pest strip and he says " well I sure wouldn't hang it over the food I'm going feed my family if it was harmful"
I have used them for probably 10 years and they work great
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6829687/

this is the most recent study i can find, and it doesn't say they're harmless....if you can find a more recent one i'd be very interested in reading it, i do like the ease of use, just hang em and forget them for a couple of months
 

JustBlazin

Well-Known Member
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6829687/

this is the most recent study i can find, and it doesn't say they're harmless....if you can find a more recent one i'd be very interested in reading it, i do like the ease of use, just hang em and forget them for a couple of months
Ya it's harmful if your exposed to it for prolonged periods of time. That's why they say not to put them in your living space. But it doesn't transfer onto plants making your plants harmful to the user.
If you search on riu I bet you could find the thread where the study was posted.
 

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
If you search on riu I bet you could find the thread where the study was posted.
you'd be wrong..i just spent half an hour looking over every thread i could find mentioning no pest strips, and all i found was more links to how poisonous they are...you find it and i'll be glad to read it, i can't find anything that doesn't say don't use them
 
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xtsho

Well-Known Member
Dichlorvos is the active ingredient in No-Pest Strips.

I wouldn't use them anywhere. Too many much more safe and natural remedies that are just as or more effective.

"There is no available literature on the reproductive effect of dichlorvos in humans. However, a study on the effects of dichlorvos on fertility of male mice via intraperitoneal injection reported significant decrease in sperm number and increase in sperm abnormalities (Faris, 2008). In another study, Ezeji and Collegues (2015) reported significant reduction in testosterone levels of adult male rats fed water contaminated with dichlorvos. The study also reported levels of distortions in the cells of the seminiferous levels as well as hypertrophy of the spermatogonia cells (Ezeji et al., 2015)."

 

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
i've always been interested in the effects of these things (not just dichlorvos) when combusted...
they don't do tests for that on crops, the only thing i've found anything like that for is tobacco, which is less than useful because it is chemically significantly different than cannabis..but the few studies i have found on the effects of residual pesticides when combusted in tobacco haven't been good...
 

JustBlazin

Well-Known Member
Dichlorvos is the active ingredient in No-Pest Strips.

I wouldn't use them anywhere. Too many much more safe and natural remedies that are just as or more effective.

"There is no available literature on the reproductive effect of dichlorvos in humans. However, a study on the effects of dichlorvos on fertility of male mice via intraperitoneal injection reported significant decrease in sperm number and increase in sperm abnormalities (Faris, 2008). In another study, Ezeji and Collegues (2015) reported significant reduction in testosterone levels of adult male rats fed water contaminated with dichlorvos. The study also reported levels of distortions in the cells of the seminiferous levels as well as hypertrophy of the spermatogonia cells (Ezeji et al., 2015)."

Didn't they feed the mice dichlorvos?
I don't know any grower eating the no pest strips.
I wouldn't be hanging out in my grow room all day next to the strip. As it says you don't want it in your living space.
The study I saw a year or so ago I thought was posted on riu but could have been on another forum was about the half life and said that dichlorvos didn't stay in the plant so it wasn't toxic. Just like people who use them and get the bud tested with no problems Becuase it doesn't stay in the plant. The study that refers to are either feeding animals dichlorvos or spraying it on plants and that's not what the strips are doing. HSPS put out at 1.2 g/M3 over the life of the product and OSHA recommends you not exceed 1.0 mg/M3 for more than 8 hours a day. Acute toxicity in humans is estimated at 100 mg/M3. A new HSPS puts out a peak level of 0.15mg/M3 gong to 0.05 mg/M3 in a few days.
 
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JustBlazin

Well-Known Member
you'd be wrong..i just spent half an hour looking over every thread i could find mentioning no pest strips, and all i found was more links to how poisonous they are...you find it and i'll be glad to read it, i can't find anything that doesn't say don't use them
I was looking too, must have been on another forum. Hopefully I can find it. Was something to do with half life and dichlorvos not being in the plant material or something like that.
The study you guys are showing involves feeding animals dichlorvos for years which isn't anything like what we are doing with the strips
 

OneMoreRip

Well-Known Member
I’d take them outside and blast them with a hose (from the underside so not to damage leaves), while they are outside clean grow room with bleach or something.

then while still outside, citric acid or neem spray (other options as well but that is what I have and I have not tried citric acid yet but hear it a lot and would probably use that over neem at your stage), if neem need to wash off in a couple days.

citric acid very cheap, can also be used for ph down. I do anyways

them check your run off ph and ec/ppm with calibrated meters to help your plants be as healthy as they can

just what I would do.

I can’t see anything though, picture of mites from 5 feet away
 

ExpertRookie

Well-Known Member
If it were me, I would probably use some Live Predator mites to get rid of the spider mites, I wouldn't use any chemicals on my plants. Chemicals can result in a harsher smoke come harvest time.
I’ve heard some damn good things about the lady bugs I just reaaally hate to introduce more bugs into my house I rather like rinse them off everyday or something in that ball park which I know may not be as effective
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Hmm I’m gonna have to look into this citric acid spray I hear some talk about a 1-9 alcohol to water ratio to kill off the mites but some people say it can damage leaves…Maybe if its not diluted enough but I’m about to research into this citric acid spray
I've done a 1-1 ratio of ISO to water before and it didn't hurt the plants. You don't want to use it if you're flowering though.
 

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
I’ve heard some damn good things about the lady bugs I just reaaally hate to introduce more bugs into my house I rather like rinse them off everyday or something in that ball park which I know may not be as effective
lady bugs are not practical for an inside garden...they need a "house" to live in, and time to lay eggs..the adult lady bugs don't eat the mites, their larva do, so it takes a minimum of a week, maybe two, before you even begin to see any progress with ladybugs, and when they eat all the mites, they die..so if you get them again, gotta repeat the whole process
 
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