One easy way to kill bugs in the greenhouse is to keep it closed for a couple of weeks. The temperatures will kill many insects and mites. Then, wash everything well with a very dilute soapy water solution. If you can seal off the greenhouse very tightly, a flea-bomb in a small greenhouse will finish off whatever survived the heat treatment and washing.

Before I bring my plants indoors or into the GH I hose them off with as much pressure as they can take. When they dry, I spray the bejesus out of them with an insecticide and keep them in the shade. I repeat the spray the next day and when dry, bring them in. Spider mites are a constant problem both in the GH and in the sunroom. I've switched to spraying them with a systemic and that seems to have done the job. I spray them at least once a week at sundown.

I use a combination of things, including systemic imidacloprid. May try a bomb this year.

Thanks everyone!

Stressbaby...do you know a source for bombs/fumigants?

This kind of thing...

Here is a link that might be useful: Pyrethrum bombs

Thanks!

If you're taking them all into a greenhouse, then put them in there with the bugs, seal it up in the evening and fog it really good with a fogger or aerosol product. Leave it overnight and then air it out really good. As soon as it gets cold outside, if you keep doing that with a different product each week, you won't have any bugs. Because they won't be getting back in to reinfest from outside.
If the greenhouse is inside your home, like a basement setup etc, then things get more complicated.
We have a fogger and fog things that get really bad inside my hubby's pickup truck bed since he has a camper shell thing on it.

Sandy0225

Thanks so much for the info on the aerosol insect bomb.
I never knew that existed for home greenhouse owners. Aphids and spider mites (and sometimes whiteflies) are a constant problem in my greenhouse over winter so I will try the aerosol insect bomb you suggested. Once all of my plants (mainly tropicals like hibiscus, banana and citrus) are brought into the greenhouse for the winter and I spray the insect bomb, do I need to repeat the spraying on a regular basis all throughout the winter months? Please tell me what kind of insect control regimen you use all winter to keep your greenhouse bug free? Should I still continue to use my systemic insecticide (in the soil) in conjunction with the insect bomb all winter?

BTW, one local nursery told me not to use miracle grow in my greenhouse during the winter because the sweetness in the miracle grow formula attracts aphids which I did have a major problem with all last winter. He suggested using only osmocote to feed my plants in the greenhouse over the winter. Can anybody else verify or refute this?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Hans

I don't think there is anything to that Miracle Grow in the winter business. Nitrogen is nitrogen. The advantage to Osmocote is that its release is temp and water dependent. Temp and water requirements roughly correlate with plant growth. Therefore, in the winter when temps drop, watering decreases, and plant growth slows down, the fert release slows down as well. When things heat up in the spring and summer, the fert release increases as well. That's the way I see it, anyway.

SB

I agree about the Miracle Gro, it does not attract aphids.

Greenhouses get bugs because they are warm and snug during winter while outdoors isn't. Lots of plants are crammed together too.

Most plants should not be fertilized during winter unless they are being heavily lighted.

I can't bomb mine. There are treefrogs inside.

I have several tubs of water in my GHs to winter over tropical pond plants. I'm wondering if we'll have frogs this winter. We had one in the sun room one winter. It never left the hanging basket it was in.