ladybugs vs. sprays for destruction of mites !!

[CmptnAzCampbell]

hello all, so ive found some of those little bastard spider mites on my beloved purple widow and it looks as though theyve started to spread through out the rest of my crop...

ive done lots of reading and it seams as though ladybugs are a last resort way of killing mites, and im unsure as to why can anyone tell me why not to use lady bugs please, because i would think spraying my girls with chemicals or hanging sticky strips wouldnt be the most healthy way for the plant.

the plants that have been affected are not in bud.

side question :
will ladybugs hurt my plants that are in bud ?

 

[Seana23]

Hej babe. Ladybirds (Ladybugs) wont clear a plant ov Spider Mites... dont know who told you that... They (and their ravenous offspring) eat Green Fly not Spider Mite...
If the plants are not flowering then spray them (especially under the leaves) with a contact Pestacide or a weak soap solution or Neem oil etc. make sure you really wet the plant with the soap or Neem solutions and then keep a beedy eye out for any left on the plant...

XXX

 

[meetjoeblow]

go with the neem oil. cannabis is very sensitive to pesticides. they wont kill it but theyll burn the hell out of em

 

[Husky42]

Hej babe. Ladybirds (Ladybugs) wont clear a plant ov Spider Mites... dont know who told you that... They (and their ravenous offspring) eat Green Fly not Spider Mite...
If the plants are not flowering then spray them (especially under the leaves) with a contact Pestacide or a weak soap solution or Neem oil etc. make sure you really wet the plant with the soap or Neem solutions and then keep a beedy eye out for any left on the plant...

XXX

This post is bad. First Lady Bugs DO eat Spider Mites. Whoever todl ou they only eat "green fly" whatever that is, and not spider mites was wrong.

Lady Bugs eat the following:

Aphids
Scales
Thrips
Mites
white flies
Various types of worms

They are effective pest control and cheap. I like to start with a rosemary soil drench to help destroy eggs in the soil) Doc Doom Fogger - Then I wait a week, usually all the Pyrethrum (Pyrethrumis 100% safe to use 2 weeks up to harvest) residual from the fogger is gone I then release Lady Beetles into the room who finish the job.

Lady Bugs area great way to keep bugs off at the end of your crop - The last 2 weeks there are no chemicals present in most grows and sometimes bugs can creep in, it helps to keep the area clean. Some people by using organic drenches then covering soil with sand and using lady bugs alone ward off most pest.

Personally I prefer chemicals.. Hot Shot Pest strips are awesome.

 

[Husky42]

go with the neem oil. cannabis is very sensitive to pesticides. they wont kill it but theyll burn the hell out of em

meh

People talk about how sensitive cannabis is.. bullshit. Its a hardy plant its just amounts that burn, most plants would burn when you see what people use sometimes..

You are safe using

Doc Doom and other pyrethrum based products.
Neem Oil extracts,
SNS 203 and other Rosemary/Clove Oil based products.
Spinosad

Hot Shot pest strips - only use for a week then put away, if you noticed flyers again - put the pest strip back out.. a great effective control. Personally I never use it 3 weeks prior to harvest however as it does release a chemical vapor that while it will not affect the bud and it does go away, I would rather not take a chance. - That said, I always am using one at some point or stage in my grow. These pest strips also knock mites out ridiculously fast.


Also, if its systemic and derived from a man maned substance.. stay away. YUCK! Though i know some people use systemics...that IMO is just dumb even if done only in veg... too big of a risk for me.