danged spider mites are back this year.... - Orchid Board

kindrag23 · #1 03-01-2014, 12:00 AM

I noticed webbing on my gardenia along w massive leaf drop. I thought I would get away without the little buggers infesting my house this year.....so close yet so far...I would like a natural solution to these. 1. I dont want them moving towards my orchids. 2. I have a russian desert tortoise whom runs the floors and I dont want him to munch on a toxin covered leaf if it all possible. The nutria stuff by bayer works some what but I am so afraid of what it will do to my sheldon if he gets a hold of one w out me knowing.

RJSquirrel · #2 03-01-2014, 02:02 AM

i never had spider mites... how do they taste?

katrina · #3 03-01-2014, 09:24 AM

You continue to have trouble because most products will do nothing more than "knock them back" and that can be accomplished w/a good strong stream of water.

The key to eradication is killing the eggs...only a miticide will do that. How you balance that w/a turtle...I have no clue.

If you can't remove the turtle then look for a product that contains Rosemary oil. A couple of years ago I had a minor infestation during the Winter and didn't want to spray any miticides in the house (cats and me!) so I tried a product called SNS 217 that I got at the hydro store. I had to spray regularly until the weather warmed in the Spring and I could get them outside to do a miticide treatment. It didn't eradicate the mites...even though it says it kills the eggs...but it did a decent job of keeping them at bay until I could use the miticide.

I even unpotted the infected plants...sprayed the roots...repotted into clean pots and new medium. And, during my regular sprays I would also spray the potting medium. Like I said, it kept them at bay but, personally, I prefer the miticide...a couple/three treatments and you're done.

Hopefully you can find something w/Rosemary oil in it...maybe even the SNS 217 product. You can probably get the SNS online.

Good luck! Mites are the worst.

MattWoelfsen · #4 03-01-2014, 09:37 AM

Katrina, this miticide product you refer, is it also good for mealy bugs? Can you provide a brand name or source? Even after quarantine some how I got a mealy bug infested plant and now they are spreading. I've been killing visible bugs but I know I am not getting to the eggs. Advise please?

Ray · #5 03-01-2014, 09:43 AM

An insecticide is an insecticide, and a miticide is a miticide for the most part, and very few of them affect more than the adults. SucraShield, on the other hand, working by physics, rather than chemical toxicity, affects all stages of both classes of the soft-bodied critters (hard scale is too well protected, for example).

Two or three weekly thorough sprays and dousings of the media seems to be very effective Plus, once it is dry, it is non-toxic.

MattWoelfsen · #6 03-01-2014, 09:58 AM

Thanks Ray, looks like I'm going to have a good shopping list, this Sucrashield product, and the seaweed extract that I see recommended by other OB members. Thank you.

Orchid Whisperer · #7 03-01-2014, 10:54 AM

Not all of the Natria products are alike, but there is one Natria product that does claim to control mites:
NATRIA Insect, Disease & Mite Control | Bayer Advanced. I have no idea how effective it is.

In terms of protecting your turtle, is it possible to lift the plants up, out of reach of the turtle?

stefpix · #8 03-01-2014, 11:42 AM

I occasionally find mites in the winter. Not really on orchids (only on Catasetum or similar leaves).

I have one pepper plant that was dropping leaves by my kitchen window and I saw some mites.

Usually I cut back all the branches where I see leaves that are affected. I defoliate the whole thing, then soak it in a bucket with a mix of castille and dish soap.

I do not really have a bad problem, and the past fall I washed all the shelves where I overwiter the plants but they seem to come back occasionally (on some small seed grown Ficus and thin leaves plants). They seem to affect plants that are not really established ( Ficus that ate in a 5 / 6 " pot are not affected) , like large seedlings. Mites do not seem to spread.

I would like to eradicate them. I would like to know if eggs resist a wash, or if those eggs can survive a really long time before hatching.

Maybe these mites are present in the environment and come in from an open window.

I am not sure if I want to use miticides as I heard they are way more toxic that insecticides and also I grow hot peppers that I eat. I do not really want to eat something contaminated by toxic pest control

kindrag23 · #9 03-01-2014, 12:06 PM

Sheldon is on the small side the issue is when the leaves fall off I may not catch it and he may have a munch fest. Thanks @Ray I will look for the sucrashield. The pots are big pots 10.00 home depot. So they are high up.

orchidsarefun · #10 03-01-2014, 01:06 PM

please let us know if Sucrashield works effectively. I couldn't really find a lot of current references on the web about it. I need an all-purpose pesticide to alternate with...

as an fyi - Neem oil didn't work for me on mealy bugs - after 3 sprays - 2 consecutively and a week apart. The mealy bugs seemed to shrug it off ! I have now mixed in rubbing alcohol and Dr Bronners and am trying a 4th time. Not sure about on spider mites, but I do have predatory mites that survived a neem spray.
The plain neem oil mix worked like a charm on whitefly though - but I need sustenance for my butterworts ! The whitefly invaded my basil plants...