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View Full Version : Im losing the battle against spider mites


natej740
12-05-2010, 10:24 PM
All of my bananas are looking like @#$% now because of the spider mites. I have been misting every leaf and the stems 2 times a day. I also bought a miticide(fungicide-3) and it isnt working either. I love my plants but if i have to deal with this every year i might just stick with hardy ones i can just leave in the ground for the winter...Any tips for killing spider mites?

tbaleno
12-05-2010, 10:29 PM
If you don't mind non-organics, try azamax. azamax - Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?q=azamax).

That stuff will kill anything.

The Hollyberry Lady
12-05-2010, 10:36 PM
Over how long of a time period were you misting your banana plant's leaves and were you sure to mist both sides thoroughly?


Adding dishsoap to the mist bottle will kill the mites but you gotta be sure to rinse well afterwards...


I shower my smaller plants in my bathtub once or twice a week and my bigger banana plants I mist every few days. I never have mites on any of my leaves because of it. ;)


Weird how it's not working for you...


If you already had a big mite problem before you started the misting, maybe you should have killed them with soap first. Over time though water will break down spider mites but it must be done consistently and regularily.


Most people do it only a few times though and then wonder why the little buggers return! :ha:


I never stop showering my plants on-going and keeping them mite-free.


There are insecticidal soaps out there that I hear work well, but I've experienced liquid dishsoap to do the same thing and for much less money.


: )

natej740
12-05-2010, 10:52 PM
HBL Ive been misting with water 2 or 3 times a day for at least 3 weeks and its not getting any better its getting worse. 1 SDC is almost dead and just noticed my 7 foot tall Thai black has them ALL over it. Siam Ruby was hit hard as well but my velutina is still coming along nicely it is a small seed grown plant and is easier to keep tabs on...

CookieCows
12-05-2010, 11:15 PM
I bought a cheap thermastat that tells me what the humidity level is in the room and as long as I keep it in the mid 40% range with a humidifier I don't have a problem. I had a problem my first winter and I was using the misting method with a squirt bottle and barely made it alive by spring. Even had a problem outside in the beginning getting those buggers to die. The following year I bought a humidifier that also has a thermastat so it shuts on and off on it's own for around $60 at Walmart. I've never had a problem since. But I live in a humid state also.

The Hollyberry Lady
12-05-2010, 11:45 PM
Most of my banana plants are showered in my bathtub and I have a showerhead that removes from the wall with a hose attached to it...so I'm able to really blast the little buggers right off the
leaves! :ha:


Unfortunately misting doesn't get the mites off the plant and maybe they are surviving your sprays. Even insecticide sprays too...insects can build up a tolerance, rendering them ineffective over time, and a big waste of money. :(


The bugs can never build up a tolerance to being knocked off the leaves however. Maybe when you guys mist, you should follow with a wipe-down of all your leaves...if the plants are too large to shower, that is. Time consuming, I know, but just depends on how important it is to a person I suppose.


I like being kind to our earth too and promoting sprays that are safe and not harmful to our planet. That's why I'm a fan of dishsoap. Only my opinion. ;)


Good luck, you guys. I guess it must be true...what works well for one gardener may not work well for another.


: )

Caloosamusa
12-06-2010, 05:19 AM
What Sherry, the Hollyberry Lady says about insecticidal soaps is correct, they however are not an instant kill. It does take a little longer and multiple applications should be undertaken. This technique is most effective on leaf eating insects, and can be used for leaf/sap sucking insects like aphids/spider mites. Make sure they do not migrate to other plants to hide for a while then come back to the plants in question to feed.

Also make sure there are no water retention areas at the bottom of the planting container.

I hope this helps. :jalapenonaner:

tony palmer
12-06-2010, 07:34 AM
I always use to dread thought of over wintering bananas and colocasia’s in the house because of those little buggers.
I’ve tried various methods over the years to combat them but non have been completely successful and most are time consuming and you must remain vigilant.
People say those predatory mites are a very effective method but the thought of introducing more mites into the house to combat mites doesn’t really appeal to me.
A friend recommended using PLANT VITALITY PLUS he said it doesn’t harm the new rollers emerging on bananas (so that’s good) and he only had to use it once last winter to keep mite free.
I tried it 2 months ago and so far so good! it is harmful to bees and aquatic life though so I wouldn’t use it in the garden.

PLANT VITALITY PLUS 50ml SPIDERMITE KILLER /HYDROPONICS on eBay (end time 08-Dec-10 13:35:58 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PLANT-VITALITY-PLUS-50ml-SPIDERMITE-KILLER-HYDROPONICS-/270673106123?pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item3f055fd4cb)

Cheers,
Tony

Nicolas Naranja
12-06-2010, 09:06 AM
Safer soap or agricultural sulfur will kill mites. I'm a commercial grower and I use a product called m-pede which is basically soap.

eric27
12-06-2010, 02:30 PM
They just showed up on mine too about 2 weeks ago. The problem is they THRIVE in dry air. And once they show up misting isn't enough to get rid of them. The first plant I noticed them on was also a Black Thai. And they do love colocasia the most! I tried all kinds of soap combinations in the past to varying degrees. But sometimes the sprays did more damage than the mites. I have only had one thing work but it isn't always practical. I take each individual plant and spray the leaves with a blast or water, such as in the basment sink etc This knocks off the spider mites and the eggs. I get most of them so I only have to do it every few weeks or so. It doesn't work for very large plants but I'm lucky most of mine I can move easily. For smaller leaves I sometimes will soak them for about 10 seconds as I have always heard mites will drown in 7 seconds under water. Anyway just thought I would throw that out there. Mites hate water! :08:

raygrogan
12-06-2010, 07:10 PM
My experience was like cookiecow's. A new humidifier got things under control. For years I would spray and spritz and barely survive the winter (with taro, yes they love it). Then we put a new humidifier into the heating system. (The air is much better for people, too.) The spider mites all but dissappeared. They really don't seem to like air with a reasonable amount of moisture. In the short / el cheapo run you might try things like rice cookers, coffee pots, crockpots, whatever you have around that boils water slowly. Maybe hanging up wet towels. Good luck.

natej740
12-06-2010, 08:36 PM
See thats the thing i have a humidifier and have been using it for a while and still no results...Its so bad that the new cigar leaf has spots on it before its unrolled all the way. I may try to wipe the leaves but theyre so brittle im afraid ill tear them. I effed up my siam ruby last year trying to wipe the leaf...

varig8
12-06-2010, 09:10 PM
Spider mites seem to hit every year about this time. There used to be a chemical spray you could get at Home Depot especially for spidermites, and it worked like a charm, but I think it has been pulled or banned now. IF you use soap, make sure it is IVORY liquid soap. Lots of people think there is no difference, but trust me, there is! Other than that, its best to remove all the leaves, dispose in a tightly sealed garbage bag, and wipe every inch, including down into the petioles next to the trunk with the IVORY soap/water mixture. If you have a new yet-to-unfurl leaf, just pour some of this soapy water down into the center of it and try to wash as much off the outside as possible. You can pour this soap/water mix into a hand sprayer also. This is a sure way to get rid of them. DO NOT keep your bananas near any other houseplants that may also be infested, otherwise they will re-infest your bananas again. You might think this is drastic, but your bananas will only produce new leaves mite free. Seeing how they have just been brought back into the house anyway, they would naturally slow down growing anyway, so it really wont affect them. Better new mite free growth than continued dessicated leaves.

CookieCows
12-06-2010, 09:19 PM
I looked at your photo gallery and saw the picture you have with the mites on the underside of that leaf. I don't know if there are different spider mites that look different but the ones that I get are a redish color. Just wondering if maybe you have something else, especially since you even use a humidifier, plus all the rest. Frustrating!

sunfish
12-06-2010, 10:23 PM
mealy bugs - Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?q=mealy+bugs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#)

Jamie p
12-06-2010, 11:12 PM
Hello,

I beat spidermites with other mites!! I bought predator mites from a place called Sterling Insectory. You can look them up on the web if you type that name in. That did the job for me. I've been spidermite free for two years now!!! If they come back and so do the predators they are great!!

Annie6078OH
12-07-2010, 08:53 AM
Last year was a bad one for my bananas with unwanted critters. Had to physically wipe down each leaf and stalk by hand several times over the winter in addition to hitting a few times over the winter with organic spray. This year, I sprayed each plant 2 different times a few days apart before even bringing them in for winter and so far so good. Hate to say it, but I agree with the "drastic times call for drastic measures" approach since your case seems to be so severe -- cut off all the leaves, wipe down the stalks well, spray, and add some humidity. However, I must say that I would take a clear photo to a local garden center to be sure what I'm dealing with before I did all that. Who better to know what "local critters" are problematic and what to do to stave them off.

So sorry to hear what you're going through ... I know it must be terribly frustrating.

Best of luck,
Annie

Nicolas Naranja
12-07-2010, 09:19 AM
The picture in your gallery is indeed mealy bugs and no amount of misting is going to get them off. Something like Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub would do a good job at gettng rid of them.

snc
12-07-2010, 10:19 AM
The picture in your gallery is indeed mealy bugs and no amount of misting is going to get them off. Something like Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub would do a good job at gettng rid of them.


au contraire mon frere.....

It has taken me 2 yrs to get the mixture right but I have defeated mealy bugs by misting. My mixture is based upon the recipie below. I do however add a lot more vegi/canola oil to my mixture rather then soap and add quite a bit more alcohol also. I do this after I pour into the squirt bottle which is a little bigger than a quart.

I would do
quart squirt bottle (.99+/- cents at wally world)
fill 3/4 full w/ H2O
add vegi oil until you have 1/2" on top of water
Add 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol or enough that when you shake the bottle the smell of the alcohol is very distinct

Then just spray until all parts of the plants are soaked. May have to repeat and tweak amounts of oil and alcohol to your needs. I had a bad infestation but this finally worked this year. It has never hurt my plants, I added a lot of oil this time and I think that is what smothered them completely. Plus my plant is super shiny now. It may take a 2x+ of spraying to get rid of them all depending on your thouroughness, Hope that helps.


I used this as a basis but found it not very effective on mites and mealy bugs.....

Original directions
Ingrediants:
-Water

-Dish Detergent

-Rubbing Alcohol


Directions:
Fill a gallon jug with water and add one (1) or two (2) tablespoons of dishwashing detergent and one (1) tablespoon of vegetable oil (or Neem oil). Shake up the gallon jug to mix the ingredients.



Fill this solution from the gallon bottle into a spray bottle and just before using add 1 to 2 two caps full (from the rubbing alcohol bottle) of rubbing alcohol and spray immediately. If you do not use the full bottle of spray, I suggest the next time you are going to use the soap/alcohol solution add the same amount of rubbing alcohol again, since the alcohol will evaporate. I store this soap/oil solution in the gallon jug for months on end. It does not seem to go bad.



Spray on plants covering all leaf and stem surfaces. You may have to spray from three to four times with intervals of three days. I have eliminated almost any kind of pest that has attacked my trees, including scale.



I do not wash off the spray and have seen no adverse reaction to the trees from this mixture.

Caloosamusa
12-07-2010, 10:37 AM
Good morning SNC,

I noticed in your mix you use isopropyl alcohol, have you tried it with ethynol?

The Canola oil tends to be more toxic to insects and also keeps the other ingredients on the leaves longer for greater effectiveness. If I ever have the problem I am going to use your modified recipe.

Thanks!
:jalapenonaner:

snc
12-07-2010, 10:43 AM
never had tried it with ethynol as I do not have any around the house.

natej740
12-07-2010, 12:00 PM
Yeah the picture in my gallery was mealy bugs. That was from this summer...Im dealing with spider mites now. I can see them all over my plants they are so small you really cant see them till they move. They loved my colocasia "black magic" it was about 2 foot tall but all the leaves withered up and its still tryin to shoot out small leaves but they get quickly eatin by these little ******! I will try spraying down with soapy water with a touch of olive oil and wiping the leaves and see if they get any better.

snc
12-07-2010, 12:11 PM
my concoction took care of the spider mites too :)

The Hollyberry Lady
12-07-2010, 12:27 PM
Some really great tips and recipes, you guys! Thanks.:waving:


I find that a lot of the problem comes in because people usually wait until there's an out of control infestation before doing something about it or even discovering there's a problem at all.


Then they think they just have to spray a few times with some kind of insecticide or soap spray and that they'll be done with the problem forevermore! :ha:


Keeping your plants mite-free is truly an ongoing process and if you let your guard down even once, the little buggers will be sure to return. :eek:


"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"


This expression means that is is better to try to avoid problems in the first place, rather than trying to fix them once they arise.


I don't wait until there's a problem, I just keep my plants showered all the time so that mites never have a chance to buildup their population and over-take my plants. I never have to bother with mixes and sprays anymore. ;)


If you're gonna grow bananas inside, you may just have to accept that they will require regular showers and misting...even and most especially when they have no bug problems at all because this will keep them clean and prevent infestation from ever taking place. :D


Once your plant is overrun with pests, it is very difficult to get rid of them and sometimes even impossible, before it means the death of your plant. :( Preventative measures are the key, and never allowing them the chance to take over your plant in the first place! http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/hollyberrylady08/2nd%20album/emo2.gif


Happy pest-free growing, Everybody! :03:


: )

eric27
12-07-2010, 01:28 PM
My plants get thrown in the shower too! That really knocks them off! Between the shower and the sink the mites don't stand a chance. In fact after that I don't see any for weeks, if at all. I just did a few last night as a preventive measure. It only takes one of them. Plus it helps to give them a boost of humidity for a bit. I notice the dry air tends to yellow the leaves a bit, even without mites.

Nicolas Naranja
12-07-2010, 02:37 PM
My boss who got a PhD working with mites told me that you want to hit plants with soap spray about every 3 days because it only kills the adults and doesn't kill the eggs, but that after about 12 days you would have reduced the number sufficiently not to have much of a problem.

The Hollyberry Lady
12-07-2010, 04:13 PM
What your boss told you is exactly correct, Nick. The eggs are always hatching and mites multiply like crazy. :(


Good you added this bit of information. ;)


: )

blownz281
12-08-2010, 08:15 AM
I would cut all the leaves off your plants and then wash the p-stems real good.

sandy0225
12-08-2010, 09:43 AM
Cut off all the leaves that are really covered. Mix up your shampoo/oil spray in warm water. 2T cooking oil, 2T suave coconut (or your fave scent) shampoo in a gallon of warm water. Shake it up real well. Spray the crap out of what's left of your plant, until it's dripping wet with the mixture all over. Do that every 3-4 days until the new leaves are growing out clean. Once a week, rinse the leaves off with warm water if you can physically get your plant to a place to do that. If you can't, then use a wet rag and wipe off the plants as well as you can, every couple of weeks. Should take care of the problem, but it's not going to work overnight. In the meantime, get the humidity up around your plants, that will help prevent them from coming back. but it won't stop them by itself.

Jamie p
12-08-2010, 10:12 PM
A swiffer duster works really well too!! The little devils really stick to it!!

wxman
12-09-2010, 02:42 AM
I keep my humidity at 55% in my house. Zero mite problems on my bananas and palms.

sunfish
12-09-2010, 08:17 AM
Pests: Twospotted Spider Mite (http://www.uwex.edu/ces/wihort/pests/TwospottedMite.htm)

CookieCows
12-09-2010, 09:37 AM
A swiffer duster works really well too!! The little devils really stick to it!!

Hey very cool spider mite hint!!

CookieCows
12-09-2010, 09:41 AM
Pests: Twospotted Spider Mite (http://www.uwex.edu/ces/wihort/pests/TwospottedMite.htm)

I'm so glad we can't see them close up like that! They're really nasty looking! :ha: