Regimen for thrips and predatory mite compatibility
Little yellow thrip larvae appeared in a decent number on my philodendrons and now they appeared in small numbers on my blooming cattleyas and dendrobiums. Still have yet to see an adult thrip anywhere. How they spread so widely in my living room without multiple adults has me flabbergasted...
As I hate them more than any pest and I want them perma-dead, I ordered two pesticides:
"Monterey Insect Spray w/ Spinosad" concentrate and "Azamax" concentrate (Azadirachtin A & B) as my heavy hitters.
I have already started treating the philodendrons with insecticidal soaps(with Spinosad) and neem oil as I wait for the shipment to arrive.
I didn't want to mess too much with the orchids yet until the shipment arrives and I have heard that neem is not great against thrips,
So I went out and bought some predatory mite satchets specialized in thrip killing today and put them on my orchids while I have them all within a "salt-circle" I made out of Diatomaceous Earth to keep crawlers out. It looks hilarious, but hopefully effective.
So my question is, how likely am I to kill all of the nice little mites I hired if I apply Spinosad and Azamax to my orchids?
Can I do a soil/substrate drench/dip in the insecticides to prevent the mites from being harmed?
Also, what kind of regimen would you recommend to treat my orchids with if I am to use both? Do I treat with both at once? Or one at a time?
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