Well, for future reference, here's a great list of common pests and ways to deal with them; SWIM has in the past used the information contained herein to satisfactory results (note that SWIM can not yet post links) :
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Spider mites - Spider mites are the number one bug to look out for when growing Cannabis. They are less insect and more arachnid then anything else. They have eight legs, no antennae and a small oval body measuring 1/50th of an inch(.04mm) when an adult. They have the ability to produce and fine silk web that collects on your plant as a tell-tale sign of a Spider mite infestation. The mouth of a spider mite is designed to be able to bite a single plant cell and suck the enzymes from it, causing a tiny white or yellow spot on the leaves. When these spots gain in number, they give the leaves a bronzed over look, usually followed by the premature dropping of victim leaves.
Full grown females lay their eggs on their host plants, and the eggs can hatch anywhere from a couples days to a couple weeks into their first stage, which is called a larva. The larvae are round bodied with six legs. The larvae feed for a several days, then seek a sheltered spot to rest and molt into the first nymph stage in which they gain two more legs. The first nymphs feed a few days, rest and molt into the second nymph. The second nymphs feed, rest and molt into their last stage as adults. The males are the size of the second nymph and have pointed abdomens. The females have rounded abdomens and are larger then the males. Spider mites usually spend the winter months in their egg stage.
Checking for Spider Mites - To find Spider mites, you must make a thorough inspection with a magnifying glass on BOTH sides of the leaves.
Predators - Ladybugs.
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Aphids - These winged soft-bodied hell raisers destroy your plant by slowly sucking the sap from it. They occur in colonies under the tender foliage. Affected leaves will turn yellow or molt after excessive sap reduction. Aphids produce sugary honey dew in deposits under leaves and branches. These deposits attract ants that eat the sweet liquid. Most Aphid infestations are first noticed when the honey dew deposits attract a mold known as "Sooty mold," and the grower notices the blackness caused by the fungus.
Aphids begin their infestation when anywhere from one to a ten adults fly to a new plant and lay a few underdeveloped young in the most tender tissue leaving them to eat and grow. After laying them the adults fly off to a new plant. An underdeveloped aphid matures in a week or so, and a mother Aphid can produce up 60 offspring several times in their lives. This leads to hundreds or thousands in several weeks.
Checking for Aphids - To inspect for Aphids examine the budding areas and the undersides of the new leaves for clusters or colonies.
Predators - Leaf hoppers, Lacewings and Hover-flies.
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Mealy bugs - This un-armored scale insect is found in moist warm climates. Mealybug females feed on plant sap, normally in roots or other crevices. They attach themselves to the plant and secrete a powdery wax layer (therefore the name mealybug) used for protection while they suck the plant juices. The males on the other hand, are short-lived as they do not feed at all as adults and only live to fertilize the females.
Checking for Mealy bugs - Mealy bugs are very tiny, about 1-2 cm in length and are white. Check all over the leaves but especially at the node pints.
Predators - I can't find any information on Mealy bugs predators. Probably Wasps and Ladybugs.
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White flies - These 2 mm insects acts just like Spider mites as they hide under the leaves and suck their enzymatic dinners cell by cell. Not only does this cause a great economical loss in crops around the world, but white flies have the ability to carry diseases from plant to plant. Their damage has been estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Some plants that can be used as deterrents from white flies are marigold, mint and Nasturtiums.
Checking for White flies - White flies are usually be found stuck on the under side of the leaves. Shake your plant and they'll fly around.
Predators - Ladybugs
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Lice - These stout-legged unwinged insects measure between .05 to 8.0mm, and have claws for tight grasping on its host. Lice occur indoors as well as outdoors. They tend to attack plants with, "Questionable health."
Checking for Lice - They are very small and usually range in color from pale beige to dark Grey. Check every leave, top and bottom with a powerful magnifying glass very carefully.
Predators - Assassinator wasps.
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Leaf hoppers This winged insect pest is unfortunately found all over the world. Leaf hoppers are often responsible for the spread of plant pathogens especially viruses and phytoplasmas. In some cases these plant pathogens are also pathogens of the insect themselves, and can replicate within the salivary glands. Leafhopper species feed on a wide variety of vascular plant species, including grasses, sedges, broad-leafed woody and herbaceous plants of many families, and conifers. They feed on sap from the victim plant.
Checking for Leaf hoppers - The average leaf hopper is about 1/4 inch long and with a red three segmented body and small thick wings. Check the nodes and stems.
Predators - Spiders, assassin bugs, wasps, and robber flies.
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Tree hoppers - Tree hoppers are related to Cicadas and Leaf hoppers. They feed much like Leaf hoppers but they tend to produce Honey dew, attracting ants. Along with the Honey dew comes the Sooty mold and blackened leaves on your Cannabis plant(s). A tree hoppers life cycle ends after a couple of months at most. During this time they reproduce on several occasions in their mature life, leaving eggs in the plants tissue.
Checking for Tree hoppers - Tree hoppers may be collected by beating or sweeping the foliage of their host plants. Most species are usually collected by carefully searching for them by eye, particularly in the crooks of nodes. Ants seem to be very good at finding tree hoppers, and because ants are more active and easier to spot, tree hoppers may often be located by locating groups of ants. Many species are also attracted to lights.
Predators - Same as Leaf hoppers predators.
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Thrips - Thrips are tiny, slender fast moving insects with fringed wings. They damage the plants by grating open the leaves with their especially evolved mouths to suck out the chlorophyll resulting in shiny silvery spots. The tend to attack more of the flowering tops and the fresher, younger leaves. Thrips cannot fly very well as their wings aren't very well developed, but when the wind is right they can swarm enough to become a human nuisance.
Checking for thrips - Despite their small size (1mm or less), thrips can be seen marching in a column on the victim plant.
Predators - I can't find any information on thrips's natural predators.
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Catterpillars - These tubular segmented larvae of butterflies Eat right through the leaves on many plants.
Checking for Caterpillars - Check for leaves being bitten from the outside to the inside.
Predators - Brachonids, Chalcids, Ichneumon wasps and birds.
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Slugs/Snails - These soft-bodied mollusks are found in many different climates and biodomes. They are attracted to a wide variety of plants, and can damage the plants anywhere from slightly to fatally. They chew through the leaves they can climb to or reach from the ground. They have caused extensive damage to crops for thousands of years.
Checking for Slugs/Snails - Look for leaf damage low on the plant, or mucus.
Predators - Frogs, toads, snakes, hedgehogs, eastern box turtles, and some birds and beetles.
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Grubs - These nuisances are the larvae form of beetles species. They hatch in the dirt and eat through root systems. They like to destroy many different crops grown for harvesting purposes.
Checking for Grubs - Check the top of the soil during watering to see them squirming around and crawling through the dirt.
Neem oil - Fights most predators including Cucumber beetles, Aphids, Spider Mites, etc.
- Finely chop one onion and two medium cloves of garlic. Blend in a blender with 2 cups of water on high. Strain the pulp and pour the mixture into a spry bottle. Mist the plants making sure to coat both the top and bottom of the leaves at least half of an hour before the lights back on. Used for most pests, especially Aphids.
- A mister filled with soap water at a ratio of 6 drops per quart is to be sprayed on the bottom of the leaves to coat most insects breathing organs, thus killing them. This is used usually before any insects have been seen or identified, just to prevent the need to identify any.
- Fatty acid salts or insecticidal soaps are very good against aphids. They apparently work to disrupt insect cell membranes. They require direct contact with the insects and leave no residual effect. Nervous system insecticides, such as malathion, Dursban (chlorpyrifos), and Orthene (acephate), are labeled for use on many shade trees and ornamental plants for aphid control.
- Take a copious amount(as many as you can collect) of the insect you wish to repel and grind their corpses up into a powder. Mix the resulting powder with one quart of water and, spray as a repellent for the insect that you ground up for the powder.
- A bleach water mixture with a ratio of 1 Tbsp Bleach to 1 gallon 95 degree water in a spray bottle is great for misting the leaves especially for the dreaded Spider mites.
- Mix 1/8-1/4 cup of hydrated lime with one quart of water. This creates an effective spray agains many insects, especially spidermites. Add a drop of non-detergent soap to act as a sticking agent and insecticide. Lime can cause serious harm to plants if you use too much, so always spray a test plant first and watch it for a few days, to check for any adverse effects on plants.
- Old-fashioned fly-paper is very effective in the garden for aphids and white flies. In fact, any board or heavy paper painted yellow and coated with a sticky substance such as tangle foot (available at garden centers) will do the job.
- Pheromones: These biological mating scents attract insects to a trap which is coated with a sticky substance. Pheromone traps are effective, but remember they are "attracting" the insects - be sure to position them on your garden perimeter or you'll attract outside pests into your garden! Available at larger garden centers, usually in the $5 - $15 range.
Remedies for deer and other mammals/Rodents -
- Mix one whole egg with a quarter cup of water and mix well. Pour the mixture into a pump bottle and spray it on your plants. This deterrent will withstand light rains because the egg sticks to the leaves. Great remedy for stopping deer.
- Mix one tablespoon of liquid dish detergent with one ounce of hot sauce in one liter of water and spray directly on plants which deer have been nibbling to stop them.
-For larger volume applications of the above remedy, mix the following ingredients and proceed to pour the mixture into a pump bottle and spray it on your plants
1 cup milk
2 gallons water (8 liters)
2 whole eggs
2 Tbsp cooking oil
2 Tbsp liquid detergent
To deal with larvae -
- Remove the top layer of soil from your pots. Then water them with a Neem Oil and water mixture with a ratio of 3 Tbsp per Gallon of water, flood them well , to kill the larvae. Replace the topsoil with fresh soil, to deal with the adults sprinkle powdered garlic on the soil. The yellow sticky traps also work well paced on the soil during the night cycle or you could put a couple "No Pest Strips" in the room and turn off any fans for the day to let the vapors build in the room.
22-07-2009, 22:43
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