How To Get Rid of a Spider Mite Infestation

Step 1: Identify how/where you got spider mites

If you already have an infestation, you will immediately wan to start hitting them hard with something that will kill them on contact (several options are listed below). But....

First, what type of spider mite do you have?

• Tracked in from outside
  • Vegetable garden
  • Animals/pets
  • From a plant besides marijuana

If you have some spider mites which got tracked in randomly from outside, chances are you've got a run-of-the-mill spider mite that should be easy to get rid of.

Chances are you'll be able to use one of the less harsh home remedies to stop your infestation.

• From another marijuana grower
  • Clones were infested with spider mites
  • Tracked spider mites in from another marijuana garden
  • Any time the spider mites were living on another marijuana plant before they got to your plants

If you got your spider mites from a cannabis clone or plant from another marijuana grower, chances are you've got the type of spider mite that is an expert at infesting marijuana plants.

The two-spotted mites often seem to be the worst spider mite in this category!

These specialized spider mites are incredibly developed at living on marijuana plants, and will already be immune to many common spider mite remedies.

If you believe you got your spider mites from another marijuana grower, then don't play games. Get serious and get rid of your mites NOW, before they adapt to your grow room and become unstoppable.



Azamax is a time-tested way to rid your grow room of spider mites - Spray plants 15 minutes before lights out, making sure to drench the foliage under the leaves as well as the top of your soil. Use a fan to blow on your leaves to help things dry. Treat your room more than once, even if you believe the spidermites are gone. You can also add small amounts of Azamax when watering your plants, as it will not hurt your roots but will kill spider mites in the soil.

• Mighty Wash - use in a similar way to Azamax
  

• Spinosad Products (safe & organic) - Spinosad products are organic and unlike many othe spider mite pesticides, completely harmless to pets, children, and plants. Unlike many insecticides, you can spray spinosad heavily on leaves and roots with basically no negative effects. Spinosad products can be used directly to kill spider mites on contact, but can also be used when watering plants to systematically kill spider mites via the roots. Spinosad is also effective at fighting caterpillers, thrips, and many other marijuana pests.
  
  Can be used both as a topical spray like Azamax and Mighty Wash, and can also be used directly at the roots. Spinosad is an organic insecticide made from the fermentation of a specific soil bacteria (actinomycete Saccharopolyspora spinosa) and kills spider mites via ingestion or contact by effecting the insect nervous system. Spinosad can be a good choice for organic and outdoor growers, because it is very toxic to spider mites, but is less toxic to many beneficial arthropods.
  
  Note: Most spinosad products are effective for only about 24 hours after being mixed with water, so only mix as much as you will need per application. Anything left over will be waste.
  

Recommeded: Monterey Garden Insect Spray with Spinosad

• Doktor Doom Spider Mite Knockout Spray - This spray is hard on spider mites, but the main ingredient Pyrethrum can also be hard on plants (espcially in tight spaces without much ventilation) so use as a last resort if possible. Use with extreme care around humans as the ingredients can be toxic. Never use Pyrethrum-based products on your plants while your grow lights are on as it canburn your plants! Avoid using Pyrethrum products on young or sensitive plants as they can get burned even when the lights are left off. Do cover your grow lights and vents when bombing your plants with Pyrethrum and make sure you give the area at least 24 hours to air out before you try to breathe the air. This spray can works well for a couple of plants, but you'll want a Pyrethrum fogger if you have a lot of plants to treat. Outdoors, Pyrethrum can kill beneficial insects too, so keep that in mind if you're using natural predators to control pests (like ladybugs). All that being said, this spray will work to get rid of most spider mites, and it kills them on contact. Pyrethrum kills spider mites but not their eggs, so this product usually needs to be used 2-4 times (once every 2-3 days) to stop the breeding cycle and get rid of the toughest infestations.
  

• NoPest Strips - these emit a vapor that kills spider mites, do NOT use if you will be breathing air from your grow room. only get these if there will be no mammals breathing in the grow room while they're being used. These are only suitable if you're growing somewhere that is NOT your living space.
  

• Floramite - Strong stuff with harsh chemicals, incredibly expensive, but it often does the job when everything else fails. Use as directed and only as a last resort!
  

• Bleach solution (1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 gallon of 95°F, pH balanced, water in a spray bottle) - make sure to clean all surfaces of your room, and bleach them too if possible.
  
  
• Alcohol and Water mixed togther will also kill the bugs on contact and shouldn't hurt the plant as long as the solution contains at least 30% water.
  
  
• SM-90 mixed with water (1 part SM-90 to 5 parts water) kills spider mites on contact and is organic (it even smells good!)
  

You missed one of the best and most effective spider mite killers out there!

FORBID 4F

Expensive, but can be found in small amounts at good prices on ebay.
Forbid is translaminar which means it is sprayed on the leaf tops and it moves it's self to the bottoms through the plant. Forbid is a tetronic acid, which blocks fat synthesis so the mites dry out and die. This mode of activity, inhibiting lipid biosynthesis thus causing dessication (i.e., drying-out), is virtually the same as that of soaps and oils.
Moreover, according to Bayer, Forbid 4F controls mites at all life stages and offers an excellent residual of four to eight weeks for mites.
Keep in mid that Floramite is a contact killer and you will miss some with only one application.

When ALL else has failed, Forbid has not! I keep it on hand at all times......I have not had a mite problem going on 4 years now. The rule of thumb is keep it (your grow) and your self clean at all times before you enter your grow.

You should note that stressed plants and plants treated with imidacloprid (Merit) will put out a pheromone that attracts mites! Happy plants tend to stay that way !!!

A note on Merit. Please don't use this stuff! BAD for you and for the enviro! Merit is directly tied to the reduction of Bee populations in the U.S. !!!!

keep your shit clean and you wont have a problem with bugs.

SM90 will also kill mold being that it is almost all sufonated canola oil!! I use it in veg as a preventative mixed with Azamax.

If you ever run into a serious infestation, luckily iv only gotten bugs once and it was when I originally got the Sour OG cut that is in my journal. Alternating between Spinosoad and Azamax seems to knock everything out in two treatments.

Dr. Who said:

You missed one of the best and most effective spider mite killers out there!

FORBID 4F

Expensive, but can be found in small amounts at good prices on ebay.
Forbid is translaminar which means it is sprayed on the leaf tops and it moves it's self to the bottoms through the plant. Forbid is a tetronic acid, which blocks fat synthesis so the mites dry out and die. This mode of activity, inhibiting lipid biosynthesis thus causing dessication (i.e., drying-out), is virtually the same as that of soaps and oils.
Moreover, according to Bayer, Forbid 4F controls mites at all life stages and offers an excellent residual of four to eight weeks for mites.
Keep in mid that Floramite is a contact killer and you will miss some with only one application.

When ALL else has failed, Forbid has not! I keep it on hand at all times......I have not had a mite problem going on 4 years now. The rule of thumb is keep it (your grow) and your self clean at all times before you enter your grow.

You should note that stressed plants and plants treated with imidacloprid (Merit) will put out a pheromone that attracts mites! Happy plants tend to stay that way !!!

A note on Merit. Please don't use this stuff! BAD for you and for the enviro! Merit is directly tied to the reduction of Bee populations in the U.S. !!!!

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The fucking hypocrisy in your post is mind numbing. I award you the scarlet 'C' for clueless. I hereby ban you from giving any advise to anybody about anything, forever.

CC Dobbs said:

The fucking hypocrisy in your post is mind numbing. I award you the scarlet 'C' for clueless. I hereby ban you from giving any advise to anybody about anything, forever.

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Say what?
Forbid works when nothing else will any more.....How is that hypocritical ?
Any way,,,,I refuse to answer your hate mail after this.

Oh,,I get it now,,,,,your a purist. Organic purist eh?
Yeah, ok.
Now tell me how you stop the problem of making bugs immune to your oil or soap spray's (not to mention everything else out there)?
Neem, or herbal mix's put OIL on your plant (not to mention flavorings from the herbs) How does that go away?

BTW, I run 85 -90% of my plants organic/water only. Like I said, no bug problems going on 4 years.
Mites are not an if, their a when!
If you can't get them gone after many attempts. USE FORBID,,,,BOOM, DONE!!!!

Sorry if you don't like it.
The point being, I give answers that work.....What works for you is great.....for you.
I suggest you share that, instead of worrying about what I suggest....

CC Dobbs said:

The fucking hypocrisy in your post is mind numbing. I award you the scarlet 'C' for clueless. I hereby ban you from giving any advise to anybody about anything, forever.

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DO ONE M8 dont want people start over nothing. please have your input an keep it at that, you dont like what we say then go

I will continue to comment on posts that are dangerous, wrong, and/or stupid. That idiot poster"s advise is all of the above.

Inexperienced growers might read that misinformed nonsense and think that there is some sane reasoning behind using persistent insecticides on cannabis and I'm here to say don't listen to this ignorant advise. If you don't like my disagreement then move-on.

A little off topic but I gotta ask.... about the prevention of spider mites.

Is there any value to applying Bifenthrin & Zeta-Cypermethrin (Ortho Home Defense Max) its a broad spectrum insecticide on the outside structure of the building and as a border/edge treatment to keep mites/aphids away? I never apply on my plants.. I spray at the entrance and doorway, and after I've swept I apply around at the baseboard and corners.

Its the only proactive solution ive come up with for insect control other than the basics like sanitation, and quarantine times before I bring clones into the flowering room.

If you keep the room cool and clean and plants healthy you shouldn't get mites.

This is great info if You Fuck up and bring in a infected plant...Housekeeping and common sense will work best though...

hydrotech364 said:

This is great info if You Fuck up and bring in a infected plant...Housekeeping and common sense will work best though...

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ty hydro

So Great news 7 of the Strawberry Ice are out in under the 400w and looking good. unfortunately out of 20 Amnesia Trance NONE have poped at all, there is one seeds that i will post with the new upto date pic's, that we do not know if it Ice Rhino Trance, i am hoping its the trance just so i can clone the crap out it lol. So keep posted for more pic's

https://www.rollitup.org/t/grow-for-broke.838380

spider mites are the borgs of a grow....if you get mites in your grow room..thats your fault...mite infested clones you did not quarenteen and treat prior....or going to a garden center and then going in your grow room after...

Now outside not much you can do ..mites are web flyers..they transport them selves on web type strings they excete..fly in the wind..they are also transported by other bugs ..they hitch hike on them...if you grow with in your yard ..dont plant near roses..mites love roses...I spray my greenhouse before placing plants in there with Spectracide triazide and also all surrounding vegitation...it may help who knows..but mites over winter as eggs ..once temps hit prime time they hatch...and look for food..

I had some last year in the green house...I used Mighty wash first...then a day later used Azasol mixed with pyrethrum...waited 2 days and repeated...did it 3 times and it cleaned them out..but i bet not 100% ..but I looked at lots of leaf samples under a microscope and seen no live critters and any eggs were dark brown to black...so they looked dead ...

I never had them web up on plants but I just dont like them there...lucky we are going into cooler temps at night and slows them down...I just hate mites...rather battle PM ..lol....easy to see and also see the results trying to eradicate it..haha

best way to kill mites in IMHO is a nice home made mix.
heres my remedy:
https://www.rollitup.org/t/natural-mix-to-kill-mites-and-other-pests.849461/

So, I used a pyrethrum bomb but the person who Set It Off for us forgot to turn off the ACs and the dehumidifiers so now I have to set it off again but I know I should wait a few days at least before setting off another one. Does anybody have any information about timing this? How far apart they should be?