Lady bugs do kill spider mites don't they ?

O

ogreballerina

Well-Known Member
I have 2000+ hard at work in a 5 by 10 grow room, and they seem rather busy crawling over the plants but the damage done by spider mites , while the damage done looks less and less..I am still seeing some on the new growth.:sad:

I bought the lady bugs in packs of 3000 but most died or were DOA.

I'm hoping that this was caused by the final round of eggs.:?:

It's only been a week as of today and they do have alot of leaf to cover it just doesn't seem to be happening fast enough.

I might see a mite here and there but no webs ( thank the ganja gods )

I don't water to chem them but I did use rubbing alcohol / water mix on the top and bottom of the leaves a week before getting the lady bugs.

I got the mites from a clone bought from a dispensary.

When you buy a clone that has been sprayed with Neem...watch out !

I guess I just need to chill and let them work as it's only a week in to flowering.
 
T

TheTokingKing

Active Member
I just think its hard to train them to concentrate on the mites. lol. I have tried them and had more dying from trying to get into the light, now outdoors greenhouse that uses only natural sunlight I can see this effective. BUT go with NEEM once a week fully drench those babies. That way I stop 2 weeks into flowering and never see a mite. Cheaper too and pretty simple. I use outdoors too on vegetable plants.
 
O

ogreballerina

Well-Known Member
I'm going to try lady bugs until next weekend and then decide course of action.

The bugs I got day before yesterday ( first bug batch started last Saturday ) seem to be more active, even though half were DOA.

I got a few plants with 20 or more on them.

I turned off the room exhaust fan to stop escapes and to keep humidity up as I just noticed the RH had been dropping to 40% during light cycle. ( Light is ducted through the room..so no real heat gain ) As I've read that higher humidity helps keep them at bay. The bugs have no place to go anymore ..the room is now sealed and the inlet has a Hepa filter...Walls , Floors completely covered in plastic and sealed with duct tape.

I might even buy another bag of ladybugs Monday as they are cheap...! 3000 for 5.99 US. ( Local nursery raises them )

I'm not fond of chem and sprays as this crop is supposed to be strictly organic...but if I see any damage by next weekend or it gets worse I'll ponder the spraying option.

But the bugs are more present then they were just an hour ago when I first posted...the Ladybugs on the plants I mean..not spider mites.

Never gotten spider mites before...last time I visit that dispensary !

They knew when they sold it to me it came from a infested nursery and that a shot of Neem would hide the damage just long enough.
Water spots my ass ! Lying bastards !

Taking advantage of the disabled..bahh !

And being disabled I find it easier to let a bunch of bugs do the work instead of me....
 
Tlocsmokes

Tlocsmokes

Active Member
Thats messed up man, the same thing happened to me. I got some sour diesel teens(not cheap), from a new club. But i saw the residue or whatever and asked about it and the guy was like, "This idiot", points to other budtender, "he was cleanin up in the back and turned the shop vac on reverse". Then he continued to assure me it was just dusst and was ok. Stupid me for believing someone. Actually gave up at one point cuz the webs were bad. Sprayed them with safer garden all in one. Put them outside, didnt waste anymore nutes for a couple weeks, just water. Then they started budding. Started nuting them again putt em back under the hps. Now theyve been budding for 6-7 weeks. Webs came back up fast one of the plants had a nice big bud on the bottom covered in webs. I tryed to get all the webs i could see. I put them back outside. That was tonight. When there outside i think all the real spiders that are around(alotta spiders on sum old lawn furniture next to the plants) eat the mites. Not positive on that though. But they did better last time i placed them there. Im getting lady bugs tomorrow.They also had lady bugs on them when I got them. Stupid stupid stupid lol. Hopefully they make it. Next time I'll be more wise about where i get my clones. Also I'll watch them closer. This is Tlocsmokes tellin you "Inspect any plants you buy. If they look like they're being treated for anything at all, DONT BUY THEM. Simply find a new source."
 
inhaleindica

inhaleindica

Well-Known Member
ogreballerina said:
I'm going to try lady bugs until next weekend and then decide course of action.

The bugs I got day before yesterday ( first bug batch started last Saturday ) seem to be more active, even though half were DOA.

I got a few plants with 20 or more on them.

I turned off the room exhaust fan to stop escapes and to keep humidity up as I just noticed the RH had been dropping to 40% during light cycle. ( Light is ducted through the room..so no real heat gain ) As I've read that higher humidity helps keep them at bay. The bugs have no place to go anymore ..the room is now sealed and the inlet has a Hepa filter...Walls , Floors completely covered in plastic and sealed with duct tape.

I might even buy another bag of ladybugs Monday as they are cheap...! 3000 for 5.99 US. ( Local nursery raises them )

I'm not fond of chem and sprays as this crop is supposed to be strictly organic...but if I see any damage by next weekend or it gets worse I'll ponder the spraying option.

But the bugs are more present then they were just an hour ago when I first posted...the Ladybugs on the plants I mean..not spider mites.

Never gotten spider mites before...last time I visit that dispensary !

They knew when they sold it to me it came from a infested nursery and that a shot of Neem would hide the damage just long enough.
Water spots my ass ! Lying bastards !

Taking advantage of the disabled..bahh !

And being disabled I find it easier to let a bunch of bugs do the work instead of me....
Click to expand...
Neem oil is Organic but you would want to stop using neem oil 6 weeks before harvest. I would start spraying the Veg room so the next round you won't have any spider mites. You could find an organic Silicone based nute that builds the cell walls and resists pests. I use Protekt for that purpose which is not Organic.

I think Lady bugs work great, but do you honestly think they will kill them all? Its their food and they won't kill them all and starve themselves, so they will eat and let them populate and eat more. The cycle goes on.
 
T

TrainWreck11

Member
If you are a smoker you can save your cig buds and let some soak in water for 24hrs. It has to look just like iced tea, if its too dark than add more water or if its too light add more cig buds and wait another 6 hours. When it looks just like iced tea just put some in a spray bottle and spray some over the plants. If you would like you can also add a lil bit of dish soap to the mix. The soap will make it so that the water kinda sticks to the leaves of the plant. I had the same problem with my first grow and it actually worked really wel so try it out bongsmilie
 
SmoochieBoochies

SmoochieBoochies

Well-Known Member
Ummm, no! Nicotine is a poison and will kill your plants, not to mention smells like ass. Use just the dish soap (no alcohol/anti-bacterial in it!) until you get some Neem oil spray ($5 at the local big box). Spray from week 3 of veg until week 2 of flower once per week. Neem kills and continues to protect from spider mites, six other pests, several types of fungus, and is organic.
 
N

novice11

Active Member
I used Mighty Wash when I got mites 2 weeks before harvest, and after a thorough soaking - from underneath and above - they were gone.

Also, I believe that predatory mites will give you a lot better result than ladybugs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top