Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
It doesnt have to be mineral oil, lots of organic treatments contain sesame oil, neem oil (which are both plant based) and others.
Mites???
- Thread starter Ashley Pearson
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It doesnt have to be mineral oil, lots of organic treatments contain sesame oil, neem oil (which are both plant based) and others.
my nellie
Masterpiece
Thanks for the correction, Sandy.
Mellow Mullet
Masterpiece
Like mentioned above, don't play with mites. Sevin does nothing other than maybe make them high, same for neem. Dish soap only makes them clean. If you have a mite infestation, you need a miticide. Look on ebay for Avid, Floromite, Forbid, etc. There are many vendors so who will sell you an ounce which will go far. It will kill mites! I will never understand those who will not go the distance to save their tree. Dish soap and neem or sevin is useless against mites.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
I just spray them where they are. The full sun doesn't hurt. It helps to pull the chemical in through the leaves and gets it circulating in the plant faster.
BigBen
Shohin
GREAT thread, thanks for starting it!
I also have a couple of questions:
1) Even though I try not to use too many chemicals... Has/does anyone here use a systemic insecticide on their trees (that's provided it's still legal any more)???
2) From what I'm reading, there are also beneficial mites/critters of different colors...
Being that I'm somewhat color-blind, would someone be able to point me in the direction of some sort of chart/photos showing the different types of mites/critters?
I really need to get a good look at them (AND some help with their colors) in identifying them before I go and destroy the wrong ones?
My Wisteria and a few other trees also have some tiny single-strand webs from branch to branch, and I'm not certain which critter is building them.
Thanks Again!!!
Ben
I also have a couple of questions:
1) Even though I try not to use too many chemicals... Has/does anyone here use a systemic insecticide on their trees (that's provided it's still legal any more)???
2) From what I'm reading, there are also beneficial mites/critters of different colors...
Being that I'm somewhat color-blind, would someone be able to point me in the direction of some sort of chart/photos showing the different types of mites/critters?
I really need to get a good look at them (AND some help with their colors) in identifying them before I go and destroy the wrong ones?
My Wisteria and a few other trees also have some tiny single-strand webs from branch to branch, and I'm not certain which critter is building them.
Thanks Again!!!
Ben
BigBen
Shohin
I just found this.
Not sure how complete or accurate it is, but it should help.
http://mmad.ca/insects-faq.html#.WdDpt2eWzVg
Not sure how complete or accurate it is, but it should help.
http://mmad.ca/insects-faq.html#.WdDpt2eWzVg
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Virtually all systemic are banned where I live. There is a liquid "systemic", but I'm not convinced how effective it is.
As with all products, you need to make sure what you are using actually does kill the critter you are dealing with. There is no one fits all product. So proper identification is key.
Know your enemy.
As for the mites, they are tiny and not easy to ID. You would need a microscope to even have a shot at identifying them.
Which is why I am very interested in the product that Dav4 linked. It is safe for beneficial insects including the predatory mites. It us initially expensive for the bottle, but it takes very little per gallon applied to be effective and it is relatively long term between treatments compared to other mite treatments.
BigBen
Shohin
Hi Sandy,
Yes, all of what you said makes perfect sense.
As a fellow Long Islander, I hear ya about the ban on certain chemicals.
When I worked in the nursery on 231 in N. Babylon, Dursban was popular and just getting banned, so off the shelf it went.
The treatment that Dav4 pointed out DOES seem like a very good way to go. Amortized, it's actually not expensive at all. As long as its shelf-life is reasonably long, and there's enough trees to treat. LOL...
I'll be looking into that today as well.
Thanks Again!
Ben
Yes, all of what you said makes perfect sense.
As a fellow Long Islander, I hear ya about the ban on certain chemicals.
When I worked in the nursery on 231 in N. Babylon, Dursban was popular and just getting banned, so off the shelf it went.
The treatment that Dav4 pointed out DOES seem like a very good way to go. Amortized, it's actually not expensive at all. As long as its shelf-life is reasonably long, and there's enough trees to treat. LOL...
I'll be looking into that today as well.
Thanks Again!
Ben
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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For what it is worth, Sevin was intended to target beetles, not mites. Mites have 8 legs, are arachnids, have a different body chemistry than insects, often are immune to pesticides that target insects.
Sevin is fairly broad spectrum in its action, while targeting beetles, especially in the grub phase, it will kill a fairly broad spectrum of insects, and apparently as the one poster noted, mites too. I actually was surprised to read that it worked at all on mites, but given the nature of Sevin, it is not totally surprising. I would consider Sevin to be less than totally effective for mites.
Before purchasing a pesticide, READ THE ENTIRE LABEL. Both for safety, and to make sure the pest you want to kill is ON THE LABEL. Also read to see if the plants you want to spray are on the list as approved for use on these trees. If a pest DOES NOT APPEAR ON THE LIST, it means the pesticide WON"T KILL UNLISTED PESTS. Or, it is unknown if the pesticide will kill a pest that is not listed. For example, most pesticides do not list slugs or snails. Guess what Sevin, Merit and most insecticides do not bother slugs at all.
Another factoid. Insecticides with imidacloprid, such as Merit, and the one component version of Merit by Bayer, will kill sucking insects but actually trigger a population boom for spider mites.
There is an exception, "Bayer 3 in 1" has imidacloprid for insects, and a separate miticide to cover the fact that imidacloprid does not work on mites.
SO KEY IS READ LABEL, For pests it works on, For Plants it is compatible with, for SAFETY.
okay, legal disclaimer done. But the only advice on dose rates I'll ever give is read the label.
The repeat spray with a soap solution, especially something like Safer's Insecticidal Soap, will eventually work, half the work is done by the mechanical effect of the spray washing off the b=mites, the other half is done by the spray dehydrating the mites, especially if they had just shed their exoskeleton. But if you don't keep it up with spraying every couple days for at least a month after seeing your last might, they will come back.
I bought a pound of Pentac WP, miticide several years ago before it was banned. it works great, but I'm almost out, I will have to switch to something new, like the ones mentioned. I have too many trees for the soap sprays to be practical.
Sevin is fairly broad spectrum in its action, while targeting beetles, especially in the grub phase, it will kill a fairly broad spectrum of insects, and apparently as the one poster noted, mites too. I actually was surprised to read that it worked at all on mites, but given the nature of Sevin, it is not totally surprising. I would consider Sevin to be less than totally effective for mites.
Before purchasing a pesticide, READ THE ENTIRE LABEL. Both for safety, and to make sure the pest you want to kill is ON THE LABEL. Also read to see if the plants you want to spray are on the list as approved for use on these trees. If a pest DOES NOT APPEAR ON THE LIST, it means the pesticide WON"T KILL UNLISTED PESTS. Or, it is unknown if the pesticide will kill a pest that is not listed. For example, most pesticides do not list slugs or snails. Guess what Sevin, Merit and most insecticides do not bother slugs at all.
Another factoid. Insecticides with imidacloprid, such as Merit, and the one component version of Merit by Bayer, will kill sucking insects but actually trigger a population boom for spider mites.
There is an exception, "Bayer 3 in 1" has imidacloprid for insects, and a separate miticide to cover the fact that imidacloprid does not work on mites.
SO KEY IS READ LABEL, For pests it works on, For Plants it is compatible with, for SAFETY.
okay, legal disclaimer done. But the only advice on dose rates I'll ever give is read the label.
The repeat spray with a soap solution, especially something like Safer's Insecticidal Soap, will eventually work, half the work is done by the mechanical effect of the spray washing off the b=mites, the other half is done by the spray dehydrating the mites, especially if they had just shed their exoskeleton. But if you don't keep it up with spraying every couple days for at least a month after seeing your last might, they will come back.
I bought a pound of Pentac WP, miticide several years ago before it was banned. it works great, but I'm almost out, I will have to switch to something new, like the ones mentioned. I have too many trees for the soap sprays to be practical.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
This is why I am looking at the product that Dav4 linked.
I agree and said as much 2 posts above. BUT you need to do your research and make sure you have a positive identification on what you are trying to control THEN pick and use the proper product for that pest.
Mellow Mullet
Masterpiece
I order from these people:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-FL-OZ-AVI...370917&hash=item237be8e65d:g:buUAAOSwENxXl1BV
They sell different miticides in small quantities. I got an ounce of each one I wanted to try for not very much money. An ounce goes very far as the mix rate is 1.2 ml per gallon. This way you can actually try the product to make sure it works for you before spending $100+ on a container of miticide. If you read up on treating mites, nearly all sources recommend a rotation of 3 different products to prevent the mites from building up an immunity to the poison. I use Avid, Floramite, and Forbid, along with the Bayer 3 in 1. I got an ounce each of the first three and it has lasted me for two seasons. It is packaged well, comes with syringes for measurement, and a copy of the manufactures labels and information and msds.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-FL-OZ-AVI...370917&hash=item237be8e65d:g:buUAAOSwENxXl1BV
They sell different miticides in small quantities. I got an ounce of each one I wanted to try for not very much money. An ounce goes very far as the mix rate is 1.2 ml per gallon. This way you can actually try the product to make sure it works for you before spending $100+ on a container of miticide. If you read up on treating mites, nearly all sources recommend a rotation of 3 different products to prevent the mites from building up an immunity to the poison. I use Avid, Floramite, and Forbid, along with the Bayer 3 in 1. I got an ounce each of the first three and it has lasted me for two seasons. It is packaged well, comes with syringes for measurement, and a copy of the manufactures labels and information and msds.
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