Spider Mites and Wooly Aphids

[Redwood Ryan]

Hey folks,

I picked up a couple of trees that appear to have both spider mites and wooly aphids. What's the best course of action against both of them? I feel like neem is never truly strong enough to get everything.

How do we feel about systemics?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I feel bad about systemics.
But if there is no other way, they work. And they work well.

Neem seems to knock out spider mites and most aphids. Wooly aphids I kill with neonicotinoids, not systemics.
The only time I need to use systemics is to get rid of scale and mealybugs.

 

[penumbra]

Few systemics control both insects and mite. You may want to consider a contact plus a systemic.
I do have pretty good success with Safari. Its not cheap but it goes a long way.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Few systemics control both insects and mite. You may want to consider a contact plus a systemic.
I do have pretty good success with Safari. Its not cheap but it goes a long way.

Do you mix it and water it in, or use it as a foliar spray?

 

[penumbra]

I do a foliar spray but in some case, as with scale on cactus, I do a soil drench.

 

[BobbyLane]

another 'mite' thread

there are loads, some very long, page after page. so they must be full of great advice.

 

[Shibui]

Wooly aphids I kill with neonicotinoids, not systemics.

I understood that neonicotinoids ARE systemic insecticides?

Contact insecticide like neem will kill any bugs it touches but will not kill any that you miss. Some wooly aphid and mealy bugs live on the roots so contact insecticide does not kill all. More will hatch and move up to the branches from below ground population. Systemic insecticide moves right through the whole plant including roots and flowers so will kill every insect that bites or sucks on the tree. Great for getting rid of every individual bug but may also affect non target good guys like bees.
Mites are not affected by insecticides so are not usually controlled with the same product. Use a miticide for mites.

I cannot see mites listed on Safari label so probably not effective for mites.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

understood that neonicotinoids ARE systemic insecticides

Not all of them. The lighter varieties to which most bugs develop resistance pretty fast are usually not systemics.

 

[penumbra]

I understood that neonicotinoids ARE systemic insecticides?

Contact insecticide like neem will kill any bugs it touches but will not kill any that you miss. Some wooly aphid and mealy bugs live on the roots so contact insecticide does not kill all. More will hatch and move up to the branches from below ground population. Systemic insecticide moves right through the whole plant including roots and flowers so will kill every insect that bites or sucks on the tree. Great for getting rid of every individual bug but may also affect non target good guys like bees.
Mites are not affected by insecticides so are not usually controlled with the same product. Use a miticide for mites.

I cannot see mites listed on Safari label so probably not effective for mites.

This is all true. But Safari will control mites. I usually knock them down first with a contact spray and a week later I spray Safari. Kept them at bay on hundreds of plants indoors all winter. Before Safari I was throwing plants out right and left.
I know three commercial growers that use Safari for mites everything else with success. I think it is thrips that were their only real problem that Safari couldn't handle.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I just bought some horticultural oil to knock the mites and aphids out, and will probably have to rotate between that and the Safari, once I'm able to find that online.

 

[penumbra]

Safari, once I'm able to find that online

I bought mine on Amazon a bit over a year ago.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

NO MORE APHIDS !!!..... or SCALE !!!

It's the time of year again for the pesties. I've been regularly recommending this product in various threads here when I see them. I'm putting this one here in General Discussion and then I can just link it when someone is having a bug problem. I started using this 3 years ago. Since that...

www.bonsainut.com

Duck and cover....

 

[Jzack605]

Neither are particularly difficult to eradicate without systemics.

Hort oil is a good start.

high pressure water

pyrethrum based insecticides

neem oil

 

[SeanS]

I’ve been battling spider mites all season. I need to be more on top of my spraying next season (I’m in the Southern Hemisphere so it’s autumn now).
I used a conola oil based hort oil a few weeks ago, including on my Japanese maples. They were covered in mites too. The JMs did not like the oil, the leaf petioles and some bark on the shoots and branches have started turning black. It’s not dead bark, it just seems the plant tissue has absorbed some of the oil and become stained. The leaves and shoots seem fine, there’s no die back. The black bits can be scratched off with a fingernail, not it just doesn’t seem healthy for the plant.
What hort oils does everyone recommend? What should the base oil be?

 

[Firstflush]

^^100% “cold pressed neem oil”

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Is there a major difference between horticultural oil and neem oil? Are they essentially the same?

 

[Moridin]

I had a spider mite infestation earlier this year that seems to be under control now.

I try to use as little harsh chemicals as possible due to dogs, chickens and a cat in my small backyard and I used a oil/dial soap spray that seemed to have worked.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[bwaynef]

Is there a major difference between horticultural oil and neem oil? Are they essentially the same?

I'm pretty sure most horticultural oil is Mineral oil. Neem's different.

 

[Firstflush]

Neem has the natural insecticide azadirachtin present. Only 100% cold pressed neem has it. Heat processing breaks it down. When the label says hydrophobic extract of neem like most pre-made off the shelf sprays, azadirachtin has been removed to make products like azamax that the cannabis growers use.

With the use of proper neem you get oil as the smotherant and a great organic insecticide as well.

I believe it has anti-fungal and or bacterial properties also.

 

[Firstflush]

Only thing is, you must use a soap to keep neem emulsified in a water mixture....I.e mixed like Italian dressing.