Hi everyone, So this year was my first grow and my plants are about 6 weeks into flowering, recently I started noticing these tiny caterpillars which I now know are budworms. I'd find a few here & there, sometimes really tiny and sometimes larger, and I'd pick them off with tweezers. I've been using Azamax (somewhat light dose since I hate spraying anything on my babies) and when I saw the worms I sprayed them with a good dose of Monterey (spinosad). So yesterday I was inspecting them and I noticed this weird sandy type stuff on one of my buds. So I started scraping it out and sure enough I found a big ass green budworm burrowed way deep inside my bud! I tweezed him out right away, but there was a huge cavity he left behind and it's full of this light brown sandy shit. Which was my first thought, it's his shit... but there is so much of it. So what I want to know is.. what is that sandy stuff? Is it shit?? Or is is possibly bud rot?? I scraped out as much as I could last night and this morning I decided to just cut that piece off. I hate to do it cuz they aren't ready. Trichs are all still clear or white, no amber. I really wanted to wait til about half are amber cuz I prefer a more stoney buzz compared to a speedy one. Here is the stem where I cut the worm -infested piece off: Leaves & pieces of bud too full of shit I had to cut (you can see that sandy stuff on top of the leaf on bottom) What sucks is I sprayed them with Azamax last night really good and now I have this bud I cut, I scraped out all the nasty brown shit and put the pieces in a brown bag.. I hate to just throw it out but I'm guessing everyone is gonna tell me not to smoke it since it still has Azamax on it. Here is the bud I was able to salvage. I cut off all the brown crap. Is it safe to smoke after spraying w/ Azamax last night? I know how picky people are about not spraying during the last 2 weeks, but first of all, how the hell are you supposed to prevent pests suring that time if you can't use anything? And secondly, I just think of how much bud I've smoked in my life, and who knows what kind of pesticides or worms were on that bud before harvest. Growing your own definitely changes your perspective about that. I know it's not GOOD to smoke anything with pesticides, but at least the Azamax & Spinosad are organic... ??? It's so frustrating, here I am thinking I'm doing such a good job, inspecting them every day for these worms, when these bastards burrow so deep inside the buds it's nearly impossible to find them! I don't want to harvest yet cuz they aren't done My Cole Train is the strain that's budding the biggest and that's the one I found the bastard deep inside the bud. I've also found them on my Big Bang and my Strawberry Cough. The Bubba Kush hasn't been flowering as long and I haven't found any worms on it - yet. I am considering maybe moving them all inside, I was looking last night at growlab tents, and I'm thinking of using an 8 lamp t-5 with 4 blue and 4 red bulbs, I can't afford to pay the electric bill for an HPS right now. Can I transition them to indoors?? If I spray with the Spinosad or Azamax will that prevent any more worms from infesting them?? I'm stressin man, I've put so much love into this and it kills me to find these fucking worms in my buds! I'm sure there are more of them eating away my bud right now and I don't know what to do when the bud is so thick I don't see them!! The Cole Train: Cola... so frosty and the plant appears so healthy. Yet it's being eaten alive by those peices of shit!!! Any advice/help much needed and greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!
those arnt budworms, im pretty sure there is no such thing as a bud worm those are corn borer's, and yes that sandy stuff is there shit iv never delt with them my self but this is what supa nova had to say about them awhile ago QUOTE=sUpA nOvA D9;8303477]Look up corn borers...the white sand like clumps is what they shit out from eating into your stems...eggs are laid on the underside of leaves...clear the white sandy clumps then spray a direct shot of pyrethin and/or neem oil into the hole it ate...this should kill them off...to lessen the chance of more try spraying down the stalk and stems of your plants and large fan leaves...also clear out vegetation around your plants because that's how they get onto your plants easily...[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE] Okay, thanks a lot supanova. I just ran out of Neem but I'll go get some more. Although I already chopped the infected piece. The more I look at my bud I think I have bud rot. Sorry I don't have a pic but I was inspecting the cola by really pulling it apart and I saw a bunch of bug shit, also the buds had turned like a purple/grey color and it looks like some kind of mold or mildew. Seems like my plant issues get worse by the hour. What I need to know is........ a) How bad do you think it is to smoke the buds I trimmed when they were sprayed with Azamax the night before? b) I know the sandy shit is disgusting... I picked out every piece I could but it's near impossible to get every tiny speck of it as everything is SO sticky! So if I smoke a bit of that I'm sure it won't hurt me... it's just fucking disgusting. Right? c) If I do have bud rot do the worms cause this? How can you salvage a plant that has bud rot... or is my baby fucked? Also do you guys think ladybugs or praying mantises will eat the worms? I know I can get ladybugs at the plant depot but I'm not sure on the other. I'd really like to get some totally natural way to deal with the worm issue as I am getting so close to harvest. I'm really at a loss at this point as far as what to do. That was the first, and last time I will grow outdoors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey B. Sorry to hear about the shit thats goin on. Remember those eggs ya found a few weeks back ??? I wuz waiting for u to get back to me so I could help u out. U didnt. Not much now u can do. I recommend chopping and taking the losses. Sorry. Freak
Usually, the plant gets some sort of disease or infection first, which 'invites' pests like worms and caterpillars to feed on the decomposing plant material as it's forming. In many cases they'll eat it almost as fast as the plant can break down, so you'll be left to assume the insects started it, rather than the other way around. I make a common recommendation for issues like rot, fungi or mold, a very diluted spray of a safe copper fungicide and plant-safe peroxide to the effected areas will cause the plant to stop breaking down, and more importantly stop producing readily available food for the insects, and any organic grub/worm insecticide you use after will help deter them from returning. Where you're so close to harvest (less than 2 weeks, correct?), you'll need to treat with your sprays of choice, let it sit for a few days to work, then begin a distilled water 'spray rinse' regime every other day until harvest. If you were growing indoors, I'd recommend facing a fan on the plants to promote fast drying between rinses. And finally, to protect the flavor of your smoke from the sprays, you may want to consider a very brief water cure or rinse, post-harvest, by submerging all the freshly trimmed buds in distilled water for 12 hours, preferably somewhere cold or refrigerated (to prevent rot from occurring).
DUDE FREAK... your trippin man! I DID get back to you. Remember I told you I found the spider that was laying the eggs... and you said you hoped it rained on me.. because I accidentally killed her and I felt so bad. HA I guess weed really does affect short term memory
Wow, thanks for the info! Yeah, at this point I'll probably have to harvest in 2 weeks or less. Some say to chop now but I just sprayed them last night, and was even considering one last good dose of the spinosad to hopefully kill the ones I have now and prevent more from coming. Where can I find a copper fungicide and plant-safe peroxide? I'm growing outdoors but I can bring a fan out there and dry them between the rinses. They are so NOT ready and I would hate to chop them early and when there are still pesticides on them. On the other hand it seems like these issues are just taking over my plants and they are just getting worse, so I feel like I should harvest ASAP. I will use the spinosad one last time tonight, then start misting them every other day. And hopefully I can wait 2 more weeks before I have to chop em. Does this sound like the best plan?? all comments are so appreciated. I'm REALLY stressin about this. I love my plants and it sucks so bad that they are under attack thanks
I have a buddy that has over 200 green house plants under attack by caterpillars, there hard to find deep in the buds, but they'll eat away and suck the chlorophyll right out of your plant.
Ooops... Sorry. I got u mixed up with another "patient" lol . If ya really wanna try to prolong time till harvest, I'll do my best to help ya - but I cant guarantee this one. Theyre quite established and comfy in the budz. They are prolly full of them. Spinosad is really most effective in the soil. What I suggest is this... Get a pair of tweezerz and start hand-picking them if ya can. You can get a pyrethrum spray and give them a direct shot. Clean out what u can, cuz its inviting mold (the shit). Youll have to manually remove them too after they die, cuz theyll rot. Pyrethrum breaks down within 14 days with no residual effects. And the budz usually taste good and dont loose potency. If u act fast, and put in alotta work, it might pay off. Its up to u. Let me know. Freak
im fighting the same battle as you. I did hand pick them out as good as i could and sprayed Bt. I'll just keep checking this thread to see how you fare. Is there an organic way to prevent these bugs? I fixed my spidermite issues with consistent neem sprayings (from the previous grow) but forgot these caterpillers hit you when your're outside.
Neem is a great preventative maintenance measure from the beginning till the end. It makes insects not wanna eat and they die. Bottom line. Freak
Same problem here too. Little bastards eating buds. I cut the branch off that had the dying buds on, and cut the bad shit out. Found a half dozen little yellow larvae less than a centemeter long. I dried the buds in a jar, and as the buds started drying, the little bastards started bailing out, probaly because there was no chloraphyl. I didn't want it to spread, so I ended up chopping the whole plant, even though it had about a week or two to go.
Fighting "Army Worms" myself. Spinosid helps greatly. Aslo the one I have glow in the dark under led light,helps me spot the bastards.
WetDog, GREAT point, I have a little bottle in the other room myself, probably expired by now but I should have thought to mention it. GREAT stuff, in and of itself it's organic, unless the liquid 'vehicle' states otherwise (even better) and when consumed by the worms, it infects their digestive tracts, causing them to immediately halt eating, shrivel up, then die.
Im glad BT works for u. It is not on my list of recommended products tho, as the cons far outweigh the pros, in the effects of BT. BT's closest relative is the Anthrax pathogen . It is acutely toxic to mammals. Studies have shown that 80% of people directly exposed to BT suffer from respiratory, skin and eye irritations. It can also compromise our immune systems. IMO...even tho its an organic living organism, its far-reaching effects to humans and the environment resembles that of a synthetic, man-made pesticide. And it doesnt break down. Freak
Well damn that scares me. I have been having mad worms in my outdoor crop but the sevin dust w/ BT ive been using has def helped alot. I have used it for a little over a week now. At 3 weeks from harvest im hoping not to have to use it anymore. Think i'll be alright?
Please dont get me wrong. It works very well on selected insects, such as the Army worm and all the Caterpillars. Im harsh on it cuz as an environmentalist, I find it too harsh a natural pesticide. BT, altho lower in toxicity, falls into the category of pathogens that can be used in biologicall warfare. It is used in the far east and India to kill entire crops and some forests along with it . It has killed humans. Respiratory failure. Putting a small application of BT on your weed wont hurt anything in small dosages. Im also concerned for your health. Really and genuinely lol . Here is my standard blurb about Neem: Its alwayz a good idea to establish a preventative maintenance program with Neem oil, early in a plants life. It will ward off most potential pest problems and "nip things in the bud", so to speak, lol. Freak
That's good to know thanks. A lot hasnt been used on the actual buds, so I think i'll be cool. But I won't be using it anymore I guess.
While there are relatives of BT that are harmful, it in and of itself, is not. Just thought you'd like to know, just do a little research on the actual strain you're discussing before you go around scaring people, lol. The WORST thing it's known for, is it's possible negative effects against the monarch butterfly =-P *** They still check in with the human subjects who voluntarily inhaled, and consumed (and even dripped into their eyes) ridiculous quantities and concentrations of BT in the late 80's over the course of several months, and they're all still alive, well and healthy. If you'd like some history, this rumor and the hype against bt, began during the US's Anthrax scare... don't get caught up in the propaganda, you can hardly even find evidence of it anymore http://www.agbioworld.org/biotech-info/pr/bt-fears-unfounded.html