OK its spider mites how do i get rid of them?

[wifezilla]

I am reviving this thread because I have a BAD infestation. My indoor plants are in a front room on a self waterer and I didn't notice until I was overrun. Not only are there mites, there is some flying insect that looks like a fruit fly and something else small and creepy-crawly.

I tried dish soap and they laughed at me. I SWEAR! They just reproduced faster. I dusted all the pots with DE. Again they laughed. If I have a magnifying glass I swear they would be giving me the finger.

I read on another forum that a 3:1 water to rubbing alcohol mix sprayed on the plant could work. It does look like it is killing the fruit flies, but the mites still look pretty healthy and defiant.

Is my next step pepper oil? If I mix it with water, wont it just separate?

 

[digitS']

Wife' the flies are probably fungus gnats. Some people use the mosquito "dunks" that can be tossed in an outside pond. It is the same Bt that you may (or may not) be able to find as a spray. It is Bt israelensis, if'n I've got that right, and not the other, more common, Bt sprays.

I used to take the house plants out and spray with rotenone pyrethrin insecticide with very little results to show for it regarding the fungus gnats. Now, I just put a yellow sticky trap in each pot and that really does a fairly good job. Some folks will tell you that you may be keeping the surface of the soil too moist. The gnats are living off of fungus in the soil.

Spider mites? Outdoors, I will sometimes spray with Palmolive Green mixed at 3 tablespoons to the gallon of water. Commercial insecticidal soap seems to work better. It should kill spider mites but the way soap works is by dehydrating the bugs.

I find soap to be ineffective for aphids in my greenhouse - it is just too humid. I've sometimes been in a GREAT hurry to get plants outdoors on a warm day so that I could spray the aphids -- out of the sun, I hasten to add.

For the spider mites indoors, I'd just spray them with rotenone pyrethrin, personally.

Steve

edited to add: the reason that rotenone pyrethrin doesn't work well for the gnats is that their larva are down in the soil. This is an organic spray and while toxic, it doesn't persist on the soil surface to kill the bugs as they emerge.

 

[wifezilla]

Well crud! I looked it up and they are fungus gnats!

 

[wifezilla]

I am ready to pitch the plants and try again. Can I just bake the soil to sterilize it? Will I have to do any special treatment on the pots??

 

[wifezilla]

Anybody??

 

[HiDelight]

I washed them all well in the shower...used fly paper hung between my plants and kept hitting them with the soap mixture ..then when summer came they went outside and they are gone for two years now?

I can not imagine dumping my babies!!! good luck!!!!

 

[bid]

Well, other than letting the soil dry out to get rid of the fungus gnats, can you maybe take some of the top layer of soil off? Say 2 inches or so? If you can get rid of the larvae that might get them under control.

 

[Lavender2]

A friend of mine sprinkled cinnamon on the soil for fungus gnats. It kills the fungus that the larvae feed on. She said it worked well.

Here's some other Natural controls to try if you haven't given up yet.

Baking moist soil for 30 minutes @ 180 degrees F will kill the eggs and larvae and I would clean the pots with bleach solution.

I've heard many people have had fungus gnats from purchased potting soil... and recommendations to freeze soil for 3 days before using it.

Good luck! ... bugs ...

 

[wifezilla]

Cinnamon! Great idea.

I did take one planter, empty it and bake the soil. I just had some cress in it so no biggie...I gave the plants to the ducks . The other 4 pots I haven't done yet and I want to save those plants if possible. I may do a total soil change over on the shamrock and the basil. It doesn't look like the mites are bothering the pepper plants. I could try the cinnamon on those two.

 

[wifezilla]

There are a few random gnats flying around, but NOTHING like I was seeing before I baked the soil and added cinnamon on top. Looks like this will work.