Aculus lycopersici-tomato russet mite

[Tracydr]

Rubbing alcohol. Works on mites I think.

[StrongPlant]

Originally Posted by b54red

You should be able to get food grade diatomaceous earth online if no one has it locally. I use a mix of 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup food grade DE mixed in a separate container with water and strained into my sprayer. I then add 2 TBS of Dawn per gallon of water along with the pesticide Permethrin. This mix without the Permethrin should help you a lot. The Permethrin is a mild poison used on dogs for fleas with a short almost non-existent wait time to harvest. The Permethrin like Pyrethrin is a quick contact killer used to eliminate many of the adults so they don't continue laying eggs. This has been the most effective means of slowing or stopping mites that I have found in over 40 years of gardening.

Good luck finding some DE and from the looks of those plants you need to do something soon.

Bill

Hey I managed to find permethrin.99% of the plants are dead anyway but I wanted to save a couple of them for some end-season crossings.I already sprayed the plants but because it's quite expensive here I'd like to mix only as much as is necessary.So I guess the quiestion is what's the minimum concentration of permethrine to be effective? How much do you use?

[Nematode]

Follow the label...

[ilex]

Any experience or studies with essential oils? There are a few that work on other mites.

I'm looking for something I can do myself. Everything else is expensive. I've tried DE but using 5-6 kilos per spraying also costs some money.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Nematode

Follow the label...

With spider mites as well as stink bugs I usually up the dose from what is recommended as well as add 2 TBS of Dawn dish washing liquid to the mix so I get better coverage and penetrate the webbing of mites. The Dawn actually kills some of them by itself but it will not take care of a bad infestation. If you can add some diatomaceous earth to the mix all the better because it will make it much more long lasting. No matter how many mites you kill with Permethrin the eggs will continue to hatch so frequent spraying is the only solution unless you can add the DE to the mix because Permethrin is such a short lived toxin. Their life cycle is so short that it is really difficult to control them without frequent spraying to get the new ones that hatch out. I think the DE takes care of most of the new hatch-lings and juveniles so frequent spraying is less of a concern.

Bill

Bill

[tomgirletc]

Has anyone tried the Buttermilk, Flour, Water spray for spider mites? I'm finding little evidence of it's use here through searches, a few people report success online in other places I've found through google searching.

I have quite an infestation. I knew I had them a long time ago and only used Neem and not frequently enough, had I known that it would turn into the problem it now is I would have been all over the buggers. Fortunately, I've had a pretty great harvest already and still lots of greenies that should have a chance to ripen if all the foliage dies. It would be nice to keep these plants going as long as possible though of course and I imagine that my overall harvest is surely way down from what it would be without these beasts. I've ordered spinosad & pyrethrin, have DE but I am super curious about the buttermilk & flour since it would be so inexpensive. Plus, it's supposed to be super specific to mites, I hate to kill beneficials though I suspect I have none of those anyway considering this infestation.

The recipe I've seen everywhere is basically this one.

1/2 cup buttermilk
4 cups wheat flour
5 gallons water

Mix the buttermilk with the flour and then add the water. Spray over a 2 day period to make sure that the infestation has been successfully been eradicated.

Some places say to strain it through cheesecloth, some don't. One woman said she strained through a pillowcase.

[ilex]

I can't find buttermilk here, but really want to try the flour remedy.

What's the use of buttermilk here? Can I substitute it with soap? Milk?

[tomgirletc]

Hi ilex. I'm doubtful anyone understands the purpose of the buttermilk in this recipe but I think it's a little bit acidic and thick. I think if you can't find it, I would substitute plain yogurt, thinned with plain milk with a touch of lemon or white vinegar. I do know that when I try this, I'm going to strain the mixture before spraying. It's going to be a real pain but cheap and the couple of times people said they tried it, it did work for them. Obviously, like all sprays for this pest, it must be very a thorough spray. One person said that they suspected it suffocates the mite without hurting the plant. Good luck!

[greenthumbomaha]

I discovered a mite problem today (sigh).

Two years ago I overwintered a lemon tree and it became infested with a red mite. I tossed it. Left the south facing window fallow for a year.
Last summer I bought a tropical Rio mandevilla and overwintered it in the same window and grew it inside all summer. Today I discovered the red might on a stem and some of the leaves were sticky so I tossed it. I overwintered geraniums on the same rack but I don't see any mites but tossed anyway. I have the green plastic rack outside for cleaning. (Bleach?)

I have carpet, I'm a terrible housecleaner, and I spill soil all the time. I do not eat in this room.

The mites must have lived on soil in the carpet or something in the room. Its not a greenhouse but I have all my grow equipment there so it might as well be. Any suggestions to clean the carpet and wood paneling to get rid of this mite for good?

- Lisa

[Sun City Linda]

I hate mites.

[greenthumbomaha]

Originally Posted by Sun City Linda

I hate mites.

Me too. It was in the back of my mind if this would return. I wish I could grow a lemon or lime tree. Several local Chinese restaurant have beautiful healthy orange trees in the entry. No supplemental lighting and no leaf diseases..

- Lisa

[StrongPlant]

OK,this season I can't take chances with this mite again.Last year the losses were probably 60-80%,it was horrible.I'm not against spraying with chemicals,as long as they're not really dangerous to human health.I've never sprayed anything in my life,but now I'm forced to do it as this gosh darnoodley mite is relentless.The infestation started 2 years ago,but I've only identified what it was last year(thanks to this forum,actually).I've been reading a lot about this mite,and some papers suggested abamectin is quite effective at killing it.From what I read it's not that dangerous to human health and it degrades quickly in the environment.Literature says it's not mutagenic,which is the most important trait for me.I've already bought it,in my country it's called "abastate".
Have any of you used this and what's your opinion on it as far as human health is concerned?

[zipcode]

I have since 2 years a problem with normal mites, and one thing that I know about mites is that they will survive anything and the next population will be resistant to whatever you gave them.
So for mites alternating at least 2 things is essential.
Not sure why everybody keeps saying that if it's extracted from plants is fine. There are deadly toxins that can be extracted from plants.
You need to try something though, that is for sure. You can find DE by the way on ebay.de. I bought it and used a bit and it does have an effect, it's called Kieselgur, find one that is finest powder.

[StrongPlant]

Originally Posted by zipcode

.Not sure why everybody keeps saying that if it's extracted from plants is fine. There are deadly toxins that can be extracted from plants.

Haha yeah,ricin and cocaine are also extracted from plants and I don't hear anyone saying it's good for you xD people also use the term "organic" the same way even though it means nothing.

DE is quite hard to get in my area,but even if I get it I think it will not kill the russet mite because it's so tiny(can't see it with the naked eye) though I really like that it's not a chemical method of control and insects can hardly ever gain resistance to it no matter how much you use.

[decherdt]

Raybo beat them with a pyrethrin in canola oil product ( in temps below 90F)
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=15547

Agrimek is used on lots of commercial tomatoes. I've eaten plenty of them.
http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles...ectin-ext.html

Barring spills or negligence, the majority of the exposure risk is to the application personnel