SAFEST QUICKEST WAY TO TREAT SPIDER MITES?

[xxkarliexx]

i have a REALLY bad spider mite infestation on 6 orchids. what is the best way to treat them aggressively and safely?

[DavidCampen]

I am assuming you don't want to use chemical miticides so then I would think that washing the plants would be best - spray, wash by hand with very dilute dish soap, spray again and then repeat the next day and then every few days for a couple of weeks.

[Vanda lover]

I would enclose each one in a plastic bag and spray them well. Keep the bag closed overnight. You'll have a better chance of killing them off. My favourite mix is tsp of cinnamon, tsp rubbing alcohol and a few drops of hand soap or dish soap. Another good one is putting some hot peppers and garlic through a blender with water then put it through a coffee filter. Add a few drops of dish soap. This one is strong spelling and lasts a while. The first one smells much nicer smelling , though. I sometimes add peppermint oil.

[xxkarliexx]

what about the eggs?

[DavidCampen]

Originally Posted by xxkarliexx

what about the eggs?

That is why you need to repeat the treatment every few days for a couple of weeks.

[Paddle_grl]

Mites hate water!!!!! You can even take them out of their medium and wash them under water and scrub the leaves very well. You could use dilute soap, too. Spraying them down with just plain old water every day will also help. Just keep them moist.

[Pilot]

Mites will be slowed down by water but trust me they'll get back on their tiny little feet.

Tetrasan will do the trick in one application.

[Ray]

Tetrasan is an excellent product, and even though I have worked in the chemical industry for over 30 years, and likely have a broader definition of "safe", I question whether that meets Karlie's criteria (see excerpt from MSDS, below).

For the in-home grower, and those that have frequent contact with their plants, I recommend SucraShield. It is an OMRI-listed organic contact insecticide and miticide made from sugar. The active ingredient is sucrose octanoate, which - rather than being a toxin - strips the protective coatings off of eggs through adults, so they basically desiccate to death.

From a safety perspective, it's hard to beat - the stuff is an eye irritant (as is soap), but I have no hesitation spraying a plant while holding it in my bare hand.

[Stray59]

Merry Christmas everyone -
I picked this tidbit up from the Terrarium discussion area;
Place the plant in an airtight container and place a small container of water in one corner. Place a chunk of dry ice in the water and wait. The CO2 will slowly fill the container. Take the container of water and dry ice out before it cools the container too much and continue to 'pour' the carbon dioxide 'fog' into the container until it is completely full of the fog. close the lid and leave overnight. The following morning remove the lid and take the plant out. The CO2 will replace all the oxygen and all the bugs and eggs will smother. The plant will LOVE the CO2 treatment and will not be harmed in any way; in fact it they say the plant will respond very positively to this treatment.
No harmful chem's, no residue to worry about and the plant loves it - what more do you want.
We can buy Dry Ice from Walmart, but most ice cream stores will have it for their ice cream shipment and will sell it buy the pound. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH IT -
don't handle the dry ice without gloves on and don't place it on or in anything that it will harm. I just put mine in a cheap Styrofoam cooler, wrapped heavily in newsprint; it will crack plastic coolers, so be careful.
Hope this helps - it is a great tip for me!
Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Year (can you believe it is going to be 2013 in a few days?)
Steve

[Vanda lover]

I've never heard of that method but it sound like it should work.
We used to take dry ice camping so that we could eat steak at the end of our trip. we also used it to make ice.