Spider Mites and Scale

[tjwalters]

Every year before bringing the palms into the conservatory for the winter I first run them through a systemic pesticide spray routine (3 sprays, 10 days apart, according to directions), and every year I still end up with spider mite and soft scale infestations. This year is no exception - I've noticed scale on a few palms, and spider mites on some others. However, this time I thought I might try predatory mites or some other bio control to see if that will keep the populations under control until spring when I can move things back outside. Has anyone here used any bio controls for these pests in a greenhouse/conservatory situation? Any suggestions on what to use and where to find?

[www.dadluvsu.com]

Hey Tom, this a good topic that is often overshadowed by chemicals. I can't give any advice on the mites other than better air circulation... this site looks like it might have some good solutions....

http://www.naturescontrol.com/mite.html

For the scale a great predator is the ladybug. You can order them buy the gobs for fairly cheap. Just warm em up, give em a little watered down coca cola shower and presto! You've got little critters that are on a mission to walk around and lift up the scale's scale and dine on the critter underneath.

[tjwalters]

Hey Tom, this a good topic that is often overshadowed by chemicals. I can't give any advice on the mites other than better air circulation... this site looks like it might have some good solutions....

http://www.naturescontrol.com/mite.html

For the scale a great predator is the ladybug. You can order them buy the gobs for fairly cheap. Just warm em up, give em a little watered down coca cola shower and presto! You've got little critters that are on a mission to walk around and lift up the scale's scale and dine on the critter underneath.

Finally got the opportunity to check out the site and the prices seem fairly reasonable, so I'll probably order after the holidays. Don't want to risk the little critters getting caught in the mail somewhere. I'll stick with the mite predators for now, since the scale isn't too bad (controlling now manually). If I get both, the ladybugs will probably end up eating the predatory mites.

[Neofolis]

I have used predatory mites for the past two years to clear up spider mite infestations in my polytunnel. On each occasion one application has cleared the problem within a week. After applying in summer 2007, they did not return until summer 2008 and since my application this summer they have not returned. I have not tried bio controls for scale insects, which I tend to get at this each year and true to form, they are back now.

[ricky]

iv had big problems with both scale and red spider mite last year i did try the predatory mites but they didn't really work for me so this year i decided to try pure neem oil i mix two teaspoons of neem oil to one teaspoon of soft soap added to one liter of warm water in a hand held pressure mister i used this and buy the end of the first week i could not find any spider mite so fare they haven't returned same with the scale it also seemed to help boost the over all health of the palms

if the palms are inside just be aware neem oil as a very unique Oder which could be a bit unpleasant for some people i think it smells a bit like burnt garlic but it is very unique

[tjwalters]

So far it seems like mixed reviews - thanks for the input. Since this is inside, I will give the predatory mites a shot and follow up here with the results.

[www.dadluvsu.com]

I just found a heap of spider mites on a couple species and I would love to hear your feedback Tom, keep us posted.

[tjwalters]

A quick update: I ordered 500 "Triple Threat" mites from Nature's Control on Dec. 28. They arrived FedEx on Dec. 31. I applied according to instructions on Jan. 1, but had trouble finding any mites that were alive. (Using a 10x lens, I did find a few, but most I saw were dead.) I emailed the company, but all emails were returned as undeliverable, so I ended up calling. The company was very responsive and suspected the mites died from exposure. They shipped a replacement that arrived two days later in good shape (though I didn't actually count them ). I re-applied, and when I checked this weekend I found several crawling around on my plants. I have a pretty good infestation on my Adonidia palm, so we'll see how they handle that. Also have a few minor infestations on some other palms (Chamaedorea tepejilote, Ptychosperma elegans, etc.) Supposedly they breed at twice the rate as spider mites, and each consumes 5 adult spider mites per day, or many spider mite eggs. Control should take 4-6 weeks. I'll post another update in a few weeks.

[www.dadluvsu.com]

Good to hear about the customer service, the mark of a person or company is how well they handle problems... Looking forward to hearing your updates Tom! Hope it goes well!

[realarch]

Looking forward to the update. My C.renda seems to be most susceptible to mites, it's a constant battle.

Tim

[www.dadluvsu.com]

Any new updates on the Triple Threat predators? Did it wipe out the problem mites?

[Neofolis]

I used a different predatory mite in 2008 to the previous year and I have not had any spider mites return in 2009. This is the first year that I've not seen any in my polytunnel. There may be other factors though, as I have kept the polytunnel temperature a little cooler this year. My scale infestation is worse than ever this year though. They always seem attracted to my "Cat Palm". In previous years a couple of treatments with an insecticide has done the trick, but this year they started spreading to adjacent palms and whilst the insecticide cleared them from the other palms, the Cat is still fairly infested. I think I will try a bio control on the scale and see how I get on.

[tjwalters]

All;

Sorry to report I had no success with the predatory mites. What's more, the medium in which they were delivered (ground corn cob) created real mess. Not sure what I will do this coming winter. Maybe I will try lady beetles.

Neofolis:

Do you recall what species of predatory mite you used? I also have problems with scale on cat and some other palms.

Anyone know a good scale/spider mite remedy? I've tried Orthene per directions, but I think these critters have built up an immunity.

[www.dadluvsu.com]

The critters do build immunity. Evil little bugs.

I just doled out a pocketful of cash for some Triple Threat and some Destroyers right before you responded. Fingers crossed for warm climate and season.

Calling RMOWEN01, Calling RMOWEN01, didn't you guys try these critters? Any success?

[Mats]

Anyone know a good scale/spider mite remedy? I've tried Orthene per directions, but I think these critters have built up an immunity.

Have you tried Summer Oil?