bugs becoming more immune?

i have a bad spider mite problem and ive used neem oil to some success but the little F@#kers still wont die.

ive tried neem oil, pepermint oil, rosemary, iso/water, ect...

can bugs start to become immune to neem oil if used too often?

I have never had a problem with mites but had problems with fungus gnats Little Dickheads been using gnatrol prob gonna but then with azamax but if your in flower u really don’t want to be spraying at all

They can't get immune to predatory insects. Hypoaspis miles mites will eat both spider mites and fungus gnats. There's a few different species of predatory mites that help and a bunch of other types of bugs. There are other's that can help too like ladybugs, but they like to fly around so I don't want them in my grow room really. If you're spaying them you want to use different stuff so they don't get immune. I don't see how they could get immune to the ISO though, but don't know for sure.

Ive never found neem oil to have enough of an effect on spider mites, sure it stalls them but if you aren't dunking all your plants and cleaning the room spotless every single day for a week straight, they will likely come back.

If your looking for an effective treatment without all the bullshit, green clean works GREAT but you need to spray daily for the first 3-4 days which will catch the hatching eggs, if your in flower you can't do much but manually pick them off or gassing the entire plant in a trash bag of dry ice.

PadawanWarrior said:

They can't get immune to predatory insects. Hypoaspis miles mites will eat both spider mites and fungus gnats. There's a few different species of predatory mites that help and a bunch of other types of bugs. There are other's that can help too like ladybugs, but they like to fly around so I don't want them in my grow room really. If you're spaying them you want to use different stuff so they don't get immune. I don't see how they could get immune to the ISO though, but don't know for sure.

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so they actually can get immune to neem oil??? can different stuff be classified as neem 1 week, peppermint the next. or is it the same thing bc both are essential oils?

wizardof0z said:

so they actually can get immune to neem oil??? can different stuff be classified as neem 1 week, peppermint the next. or is it the same thing bc both are essential oils?

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Not sure about the neem oil. I'm trying to avoid having to spray my plants with anything. It's tough to spray the plants in my closet since I let them get kinda big. My predators have been doing their job so far and if I have any future bug issues I will get some more predators. All my predatory insects so far came from the EWC or Vermicompost I've used. I'm a lot less worried about getting bad bugs in there now since I know I have some friends in there.

I used Safer's End All insecticidal soap with 10ml/L neem or canola oil added to get rid of mites that I'd had for almost 2 years. Bottle of concentrated Safer's cost around $15CAN and makes 10L for the same price as 1L of the pre-made. Canola oil is used in many of the so-called special non-toxic bug sprays. The bugs do not become resistant to this stuff ever.

The trick is to be consistent and thorough. Every 4th day for at least 4 treatments. New ones hatch and you want to get them before they are mature enough to lay eggs which can be less than a week depending on temps. Cool things down if you can to slow their life cycle. Get a strong light from the side and don't miss a spot. Get a latex glove on one hand and slide that hand up the branches while you spray. If the plants are small enough hang them upside down to get underneath well. Bigger plants can be laid on their sides on a sheet of plastic on the floor. Spray the surface of the soil and the area the plants sit. Wash drip trays etc. Vacuuming well doesn't hurt either.

Make sure they are gone before flowering or you'll wish you did and break your leg trying to kick your own ass!

Good luck.

wizardof0z said:

can bugs start to become immune to neem oil if used too often?

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No. It kills them by suffocation and there's no immunity to that.

I used to make my own insecticide spray with canola oil, orange oil and dish soap. Works pretty well. It smells really good, I hate the smell and taste of neem! Been years since I had any bug problems. Fingers crossed!

Like other people suggest predatory mites is the way to go with spider mites. Good luck!

OldMedUser said:

No. It kills them by suffocation and there's no immunity to that.

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awesome, thats what i was hoping to hear.

thanks for all the great advise guys

If I find mites I will spray them every 3 days until flower time. Even after I find no signs I will keep spraying the neem every 3 days in case there is one pregnant one hiding in there somewhere. By flower time they are mite free and healty and ready to rock and roll.

what do you guys do if you find mites during flower?

Insects do build an immunity to specific pesticides, evolution at work. That's why it is considered best practice to rotate different pesticides with different modes of action. Like an antibiotic, where the doctor tells you to complete the full cycle of pills, they don't want you allowing the most resistant bacteria to survive only to end up creating a super bug one time in a million.