Spider Mites - Slay them all

Discovery
So I'm in week 3 of my very first BB grow and I found a mite infestation. Webs were the first thing I noticed but it was already too late. Leaves were chewed, some were wilted. There were mites (tiny) on the undersides of most leaves of every one of my 12 clustered plants.

Identification
The mites are about half the size of a period ( . ) on the screen and mine are a brownish color. some are little closer to black and some are a little more white (young ones I assume). There are tinier white eggs that look a bit like res glands on the bottoms of the leaves. I noticed the eggs long ago but didn't think anything of them. They produce a web and chew the plants.

Action
Immediately I filled a spray bottle with 40% rubbing alcohol, 60% water and sprayed the bottoms of the leaves as much as I could. Then I turned off the lights for four hours and increased the humidity as much as possible (sprayed water on the floors and walls). The next day I went out to get some hot shots vapor strips and a bug fumigator. I opened the vapor strip immediately and began hand picking off each leaf of a single plant (took about an hour). Today, that plant had no sign of live mites! So, I intend to go through each plant doing the same. Then if I am still feeling energetic I'll get my alcohol solution and rub Q tips soaked in the stuff on the bottoms where I see eggs. Hopefully this will allow me to avoid using the fumigator since ventilation will be an issue for me. I am lucky though, that this happened during my veg and I can basically do whatever is necessary to kill these guys. I'm keeping my temp down to 62ish and my humidity over 70% when possible.

A word of caution
I damaged my plants by going overboard with the alcohol. The reason the alcohol doesnt hurt the plants is that it evaporates quickly so that it isn't in contact with the plant long enough to damage it. I would recommend isolating a plant, spraying it like hell for 10-15 seconds (on the bottoms of the leaves) and then not spraying it anymore for at least a day. Or, you could use a lower concentration, like 25% alcohol and 75% water.

Questions
Where did they come from?
How can I prevent getting them again?
How can I get rid of them now?
How cold can I keep my plants without killing them?

Thank you for your help, ~Z

Original Thread with pics: http://forum.grassci...tml#post9036543

Hot Shot Pest Strips... found at lowes and home depot... six dollars... placed at the base of each plant... problem solved

Youre doing the right thing with the humidity and temps, I had a bad case last round and got rid of them in 2 weeks.
I used hot shot pest strips, organicide and temps @ 50 degree's high humidity.
The low temps and humidity should take care of them alone.
Organicide works, but any miticide you get at the hydro shop should do you justice.

Thank you very much for the help. I've got a room only 10'x14'. Is it safe and necessary to use one of those hot shot strips for each plant (12) in a room that size? Again, thank you. And if yes, then that will be the best 70 dollars i spend tomorrow morning. *nod* Thanks again, ~Z

If I were you I would divide it by two...
Like I said they/re nottotally necessary,,,
But ay, i'm trashed so.... That ammount may work grerat.
Keepthe hunmidity and temp like so,ok>
You got it homie, it looks like a christnmas tree bungsglo when u got 10 pest strips hangin lol...
Do what you'redoing and lay thepest strips flat...
You'l be OK. let me know whatsup, pom me or some shit lol!
I'm fucked up.

The Hot Shot strip is all you need now....once you have them under control, leave it in there and it will kill any more that hatch before they can do anything...no need to spray anymore. They come from outside looking for warm places to keep reproducing. I prevent them by just keeping fresh no pest strips in the room all the time. Cleanliness is important, keep the room as clean as possible. Lower temps do not kill them unless its a hard freeze, and not sure if that does either. Keep the temps up if you want to get rid of them for good so the pest strip can kill them...all the lower temps do is delay the hatch of already laid eggs. They hatch quicker or slower depending on temp...at 90F they hatch in 3 days, at 70 it's 30 days...lower temps are even longer, but they will hatch when you warm the room up again, so keep it warm and let the strip kill them....believe me, it will, and you only need one for a closet grow. Yes, Slay them all, don't just make them hibernate!

Low temps and high humidity effect their exoskeleton I'm told.
...

Thank you all for the help. I will be posting updates on how well these strips work. Hope to be smoking some clean pest-free buds soon:smoke: . I expect to be a devout believer soon. ~Z

I am surprised that Hot Shots work so well. I have always heard people struggle with mites. I used Floramite to kill my last batch and now use azamax to keep bug problems in check

Bug strips thats funny stuff:pI just had a battle with the little basterds!!!!!!I tried almost every thing nothing realy worked for shit NOTAAAAAAAAAA.But I did my home work and saw that the top guys killed them with floramite.So I got some its not cheap but it killed them all the eggs adults everything.And Avid to finish them of 10 days after to be safe.They are gone spent 350 bucks them gone priceless:D

After this harvest you need to totally sterilize your room. Get yourself a steam mop or wand so you can steam every single nook and cranny. Then make sure the plants you bring in there are totally pest free.

Never take your plants outside and back inside, instant mites.

Never take clones from anyone before thoroughly inspecting them for any signs of mites.

Never let another grower into your room if you suspect they have mites. (never let anyone in period...)

You should keep mite free this way.

Basically the strip killed every live mite that I didnt kill by hand (squish) or by alcohol spray, because there are no signs of live ones left. I had 1 hot shots vapor strip out in the 10'x14' room for about 5 days. Then I put the strip into a ziplock and wait. There still are some eggs though. I'm told the eggs will hatch when I switch to bloom, so I'll reinstate the strip and hopefully be cleared for good! I am now a >FIRM BELIEVER< in these vapor strips. Don't waste your time or money picking them off, cleaning them, damaging your plants, or doing anything else. Just get a vapor strip for $6. In fact, spend the $6 just in case you might one day get them. It's that cheap and that easy. ~Z

Basically the strip killed every live mite that I didnt kill by hand (squish) or by alcohol spray, because there are no signs of live ones left. I had 1 hot shots vapor strip out in the 10'x14' room for about 5 days. Then I put the strip into a ziplock and wait. There still are some eggs though. I'm told the eggs will hatch when I switch to bloom, so I'll reinstate the strip and hopefully be cleared for good! I am now a >FIRM BELIEVER< in these vapor strips. Don't waste your time or money picking them off, cleaning them, damaging your plants, or doing anything else. Just get a vapor strip for $6. In fact, spend the $6 just in case you might one day get them. It's that cheap and that easy. ~Z

the eggs will hatch when the time is right for them not when your in flower

Why did you take the strip out? Just leave it in there and stop worrying about spider mites...it has no effect on the weed! I ALWAYS keep 1 in the room and I haven't have spider mites come back for a very long time...like never, since I found the strips....the only reason to remove them would be to sleep in there with your girls...the mites hatch according to temperature, the warmer the faster they hatch, the cooler, the slower they hatch out, but they will all eventually hatch, and they don't care whether the plant is in flower or veggin...just leave the strip in the room and fugitabatit.

well, the reason i took the strip out is that i got conflicting information on whether or not the dichlorvos (active vapor ingredient) is harmful to humans. since i spend a decent amount of time in my room, i figured put it back only when needed. Someone said the "carcinogen" word. What do you think? ~Z

well, the reason i took the strip out is that i got conflicting information on whether or not the dichlorvos (active vapor ingredient) is harmful to humans. since i spend a decent amount of time in my room, i figured put it back only when needed. Someone said the "carcinogen" word. What do you think? ~Z

I love the pest strips.!.!.! They work great for getting rid of mites and keeping em gone...but anyway i actually started to think the same thing so i started putting the strips in the room for a week then out for a week and so on...it still works good and i have a lil peace thinking i'm not poisoning myself quite as much..lol... if any one out there knows anything about the true stuff its made out off and the effects on people i'd be interested to know also...

ED Rosenthals ZERO TOLLERENCE is the mite nuclear destroyer of the centry!
is a rosemary base pesticide an it works!

Yea, you're probably better off safe than sorry, I suppose...I would leave it in there when you are not.

I had a problem with mites on my grow. Didn't use the pest strips because I can't get them over here. I bought a bottle of neem oil/ extract spray for less than a tenner. It worked wonders! I followed the instructions on it and sprayed my plants with it once a week and in between that sprayed with plain water every day or two. They were gone in about 2-3 weeks. Cheap and effective!

Hope this helps:wave:

Low temps, high humidity...
I'm tellin you guys...