Help with Spider mites...
 

Oy Vey I found spider mites on may oldest Phalaenopsis today now my entire collection my be infected!!! Does anyone know if "worry free" powder is water soluble? It is the synthetic version of pyrethrin, I'm thinking about making a spray out of it. This is a link to it : Worry Free® : Worry Free Brand Ready To Use Dust : Overview

She was just starting to bounce back from a minor infestation like a year ago, now out of nowhere she's got them again...Oregon Orchid Society says that anything that says is safe for african violets "should" be okay for my orchids not sure I should trust that or not...has anyone tested "garden safes" insect killer as it says it is safe for "ornamentals" ?

If I do the isopropyl alcohol and dish soap do I spray the undersides of the leaves and the roots?

She's been moved to my room but I did notice a couple other orchids had some too so I think I'll have a full on infestation soon if I don't get to it quickly...

I never heard about that product...but I'm no expert. I'm dealing with my first mite infestation in my career.:biggrin:
I'm using dish detergent + alcohol, sprayed all over the plant.

Well I hope we both are able to get rid of these plant eating turds!!! Lol.

Neither of these products claim to kill spider mite and I am always suspicious of using pesticides not meant for garden pests. My best experience has been with Bayer Advanced 701285 3-in-1 Insect Disease and Mite Control Concentrate, 32-Ounce. It is available on line but also in many box stores and garden centers.

There are also horticultural oils. We use Neem Oil each spring on our outdoor fruit trees to suffocate mites, scale and aphids before the leaves emerge. It works very well. Or, as I did once, you can spray olive oil on the entire plant in the evening, then wash it off with warm, soapy water in the early morning. That takes care of all sucking insects quite well. I got rid of a mite and scale infestation that way on some of my non-orchids (I do not use systemic on the edibles).


In the past, I have used the Bayer product Cym Lady mentioned with success but I would always use that outdoors and then let the leaves dry before bringing the plant indoors. Always follow all the directions concerning how often to spray and what concentration.

What definitely does not work for spidermites is Sevin. Sevin works for everything else, though, but I would never use it indoors.

NEEM OIL!!!
i swear by it.
i mix it with water in a spray bottle and i spray my plants whenever i feel like it.
it also helps shine up the leaves and make everything look really nice and green.

I had a spider mite infestation in my small indoor greenhouse. I took everything out, wiped down the whole greenhouse with bleach, wiped all the leaves with alchohol and then continued to stray my neem oil mix religiously for a few weeks.

good luck

Azidirachtin, the active ingredient in neem oil is excellent, but I'm generally against the use of oils on plants, for fear of burning and/or clogging.

I found a non-oil-based concentrate, AzaMax, which is actually more effective (it won't spoil, as the oil can).

I own both of those products which I use on my other plants and both list spider mites as a pest they kill. The "worry free" works in a couple days as it works by attacking the nervous system of the mites (plus over 250 other insects) by paralyzing them which leads to their death.

The "garden safe" insect killer spray contains the same pyrethrins as the "worry free" powder in conjunction with the Piperony butoxide which is most likely a chemical used to increase the efficacy of the pyrethrin through a synergistic effect. This one kills on contact which is really nice.

I'm not certain which products you say do not claim to kill "spider mite" but both products I listed do or I would not have bothered listing them. The question was more about the safety for use on orchids as orchids aren't expressly labeled as a plant they are safe to use on. I've called both companies and they have said that it "should be okay" to use on orchids but I should "test a small part" which doesn't leave me feeling confident it won't kill my orchids.

As for the Imidacloprid that is in the product you listed, it works somewhat in the same manner (a sort of attack on the nervous system); the difference is that it is able to move systemically into the plant which is good, but obviously cannot be used on my vegetable garden. Thus, not being able to use it on my veggies and herbs made it a deal breaker for me in the past.

So, the question remains have all your orchids been treated with this product without any problems? Is there a certain method you use? Does the bottle have warnings about resistance after a certain number of uses?

I contacted the makers of "Sevin" (Bayer) and it is safe to use on orchids so if all else fails I will try that or your recommendation if you confirm its safe to use on orchids! Thanks :)

Hi ALL !!

Few years ago I consulted some agricultural experts here as I had repeating problems with Spider Mites .Since then the ONLY stuff which helps me really get rid of them for very long periods is Abamectin (Avid ).It does NO harm to orchids.

Is the same stuff that they give to pets Avermectin? That is interesting! I will have to look into it! Thanks for the info Sam1174! Do you know if it is systemic too???