Barry I don't know anything about mite control but if it were my plant(s) I'd isolate them from the others.
Karyn

Are you still trying to keep all of the foliage on them?

No chena, except a few, like snowbank, flowering ones and a few without mites, the rest are bald sticks now.

BTW chena did you get my e-mails??

I did.. You made me laugh!!!!
Did you see the organic recipe that Brenda posted? I have used it and variations of it for yrs. with success..and mist with it 2~3 times a day..They don't like moist conditions.. Here is something else you might try.

Garlic Pepper Tea
To make garlic/pepper tea, liquefy 2 bulbs of garlic and 2 hot peppers in a blender 1/2 to 2/3 full of water. Strain the solids and add enough water to the garlic/pepper juice to make 1 gallon of concentrate. Use 1/4 cup of concentrate per gallon of spray. To make garlic tea, simply omit the pepper and add another bulb of garlic. Add two tablespoons of blackstrap molasses for more control.

I am also battling the evil Mites on my Brug. After spraying and wiping didn't help, I did 2 treatments on it with a 3-1 Fungicide that contained a suffocant. The 2nd treatment burned the edge of the leaves. Today I gave it a strong shower, as hard as it could stand without knocking the leaves off. I have also set up a humidifier.
Does anyone know of the solution to make with oil and alcohol? Does anyone use this method? I am at my wits end.

HW.. Get rid of the leaves.. They will come back.. wash them under a heavy water hot if possible .

Barry, What is wrong with bringing out the big guns.. diazinon(sp) and malathion ? If I have sipder mites that's what I would do. I know this works, I don't know about all those homemade recipes. Some people don't like to use all the chemicals, but I have no problem using them in moderation....

I noticed one of my cuttings had mites when the leaves started falling off. I defoliated it and have been checking for signs of mites on my other cuttings. Haven't seen any yet so I hope they don't get them. The cutting with mites was in a tray with all my other cuttings but the plants were not touching but if you have a major problem I would try to separate them by at least a few feet and hopefully it will work but like I said I only had one cutting with mites and it sounds like your problem is worse so it might or might not work.

I have stripped and methoxyxchlored x10!! and used hot water, but there are those plant I mentioned that I will not strip again. Isolation is a must in case you are not getting rid of pesticide resistant mites. It is a prudent measure, to be sure, even with successfully eradication. (are you really sure in an enclosed ideal environment? Look at my movies after several treatments..)

! no more setbacks for a few of them going well, so I will try Brenda's recipe if I can get that again? please?

I still need to isolate and I hope someone, JIM?? knows mites habits- but at what distance?

Barry give the garlic/pepper mix a go first.. It is for bugs.. the other is just a everyday routine..an organic fertilizer..

Oxmyx, You might want to try this. SUBMERGE as much of the infested plant as you can in a sink/tub of lukewarm-cool water for 2-3 minutes. Afterwards, run the infested plant under fast running lukewarm water, especially where the bugs are seen. Longer next time if the buggers/eggs survived but you might just want to go straight to the appropriate pesticide to get it out of the bag sooner.

Let the water sit a few hours to get rid of some chlorine. Use a baggie to help hold the dirt in the pot before leaning the plant in the water. Try to make sure no air bubble/pockets are in the tips or elsewhere. Good Luck, as I don't know if mites can hold their breath, so do it quick so they can't prepare...lol

Ox, Imported plants in quarantine have to be kept 10 feet from other plants, so my guess is 10 feet or more. My plants that are in separate rooms haven't seemed to pass anything back & forth (mites in the dining room but not the kitchen).

Linda

If yours are the two-spotted spider mites for sure, it says here they crawl and count on wind for longer distances.
Some biology on them such as a female can lay 100 eggs in 30 days. Complete with picture of mother and an egg. I think you need a 5x magnifying glass to spot these ASAP (as soon as possible).

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/89-002.htm

Ortho Systemic.Works good-avid works even better.I've tried other methods-but I break out the big guns when It comes to those spider mites.Mine brugs are in the greenhouse-but I'd move them outside on sunny day-and Spray em!!

I'm sure everyone else knows, but what is avid? The spider mites were a nighmare for me last year, and spread from the brugs to the pole beans and tomatoes as well. The ortho systematic didn't seem to help. I am currently using Triazicide combined with dormant oil spray in the greenhouse which seems to be working for now. I HATE mites.
Roy

Thanks for all yopur questions, I think it is the eggs that are getting me.

Sandy i did what you said, over and over again, way too much treatments for the results I have. There still are mites. Eggs, eggs, eggs Also, there comes a point where the stress to the plant is too much,(as you stated on a thread) I fear I am at the stage where the plants will all be dwarfs, multi-branching bushes, this is not what I am looking for. Trees, I want trees. Maybe I will have to rethink this. perhaps get rid if the mites this year LOL and next year go for trees. I don't know, I am not experience enough, but this damn mite thing has me down.

BTW will my other tropicals be effected by mites> alocacias, Calocasias, cannas, etc??

trigger_m's suggestion of Ortho Systemic is the first thing I'd try, with the Raid if you have them really bad. No SUBMERGE of pots or plants, please! You will just be adding to your problems by doing that! You want to spray hot water or pour it over them and allow them to drain. You are going to have to do this many times to get rid of them. Folks are going to have to keep on a regular schedule of spraying to keep these critter free and use not just one type of spray also.

Barry I know you want Standards.. But if you will grow your new ones out for a yr.. They will be 4~5~6' tall you will have the oppurtunity cut back a couple of branches to root for trees and still have cuttings to trade..

I got them on some new cuttings and got disgusted and ordered a small amout of avid to try. Poof the mites are totally and completely gone! It is so nice.

Hey SJN. I wondered where you had been hiding. Where did you order the avid in small sizes from? I would like to try some.

Hi F4F, I have been sick so haven't been posting too much. I am much better now, thanks for asking :)

I got the AVID on ebay from cedar creek violets. It comes in a sealed, labled bottle with complete instructions and the shipping was super fast. You only need 1/2 tsp per gallon. Comes with a dropper that is 1/4 tsp. I added 1/4 tsp. of cocowet as a surfactant to the mixture to help it stick to the leaves better.
~Lenette

Here is a link that might be useful: AVID

Lennette

Sorry ya were sick! 'N glad you're back!

My avid instructions said use 1/4 tsp per gallon....................??????????????????

Altho, last time I sprayed, I added an extra 1/4 tsp, so maybe I actually got it right instead of over kill!

Help!

Brenda

Hi Bren,
You're right it does say 1/4 tsp for mites and 1/2 tsp/gal for the other bugs. Guess mine got the full blast lol. Didn't seem to hurt them any at all even the little tiny cuttings. I was worried that it might hurt them but it didn't.

I read 1/4 teaspoon for spider mites but double (1/2tsp) dosage for severe infestations.
1 oz (30ml)bottle is over $20 (delivered)
Full strength 1/2 tsp = 2.5ml per gallon gallon (4litres)
So .5 ml would do a 1 litre squirt bottle for home use.
That's 60 1 litre bottles at full strength, which I would just do. 120 litres at 1/2 strength (1/4tsp).

Most of the mites and eggs are underneath the leaves (1st link below), the sucking damage shows on the top. You have to spray underneath the leaves to. With high pressure water and/or pesiticide. And you still have to do follow ups with any pesticide, even if it says it will kill eggs to. What if you missed one? The follow ups should be either weekly or bi-weekly, should say so on the can. The larvae stage holds them back a bit from crawling around. But, though I specifically looked for this before on a few websites, another I just read on a new website says that they do do the swinging down and around on the web. That's irresponsible of these other websites not to mention it if it is true. http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef438.asp

Different sites say different things on their general characteristics to. The eggs take anywhere from 4-24 days to hatch and become adults, depending on the environment. The adults live 30 days+. More links below if you need them.
But that aught to tell you about how long to keep doing the follow ups for two-spotted spider mites.

Oxmyx, For isolating, I grew 3 of mine with nice green leaves under a light bulb (low heat/wattage curly kind) and a tray of seeds. When I started the seed trays, I had to shift the light to be over it for about 8 hours and then over the 3 brugs in order to put the higher level of light on one side and then the other. They still had light it was just not as intense. The trays were lifted with styrofoam blocks to keep them a little lower than the level of the brug leaf canopy. This would of worked fine except that I had to keep 'making' the brugs fit under a shelf for the last 3 of 6 months of our winter = bonsai'ed over-winter growth. Live and learn. This year I'm using a bigger curly bulb (a real 'Grow' bulb) set in an old swag lamp ballast and it's original electrical cable to allow me to adjust it's heighth on the hook as they get taller. And the plant light bar for the smaller ones when the bigger ones are far too big which is now.

What do you people call hot? Our skin would scald/burn under my hot water. Oviously, we need some facts here. \*\*\*None of the sites I HAD visited on mite control mention 'hot' water being used with their high\-volume, high pressure water spraying technic. If it was more effective and safe, wouldn't they of specified hot? They don't even say warm so it can't be necessary. GREENHOUSE MITES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT Twospotted Spider Mite Avid is mentioned under 'Chemical Control' High Pressure Water Spraying is Under 'Physical Control'. http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/uc/uc-030.html Life Cycle of the Spider Mite Control \- Frequent spraying of strong streams of water http://www.gnb.ca/0171/20/0171200009-e.asp \*\*\*If hot running water has been used by others here, I thought 3 things 1)brugs are tropicals and do have to sustain some pretty high temps but how hot is hot? 2)And for how long under? 3)maybe greenhouse/crop owners just don't find the cost of hot water worth it knowing they'd have to pay for pesticides anyway. I submit another google search, specifically with the word 'hot' added. Here's a reference with enough detail to call it responsible and in a published book. \*\*\*It doesn't mention eggs. Elsewhere, I read to put plant in a dry environment to help remove the eggs, I suspect to dry up their adhesive, before trying to remove with water. Temps between 120\-150F for a second or two, will supposedly kill mites, white flies, mealy bugs, aphids and snails without damaging the host plant. Delivery method in this link is through a hose (shower hose underneath or for smaller plants, leaning plant in under tap or submerge 2\-3 minutes \- not pot and soil to and only because I doubt the roots would like hot water). But you're to test your plant first to make sure it won't cause damage and they cite woody plants tolerate hot water better. http://books.google.com/books?id=ywRnTAnh6a4C&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=plants+insects+spraying+with+hot+water&source=web&ots=vbLn1WUx9M&sig=SY9bNvDRNKYJfIf4rxN2QaUEc9g

***I should not have to clarify this Karma. Submerging your plants will not hurt your plants. I'm sure you all water your plants with household drinking water, inside and outdoors. Consistently and repeatatively. So even IF you sank your whole plant, pot and all, in for 2-3 minutes, after the water's been sitting a few hours, it's not going to hurt the thing. Irritate it, yes a little, but 'damage'? It would be a wonder we even have gardens or indoor plants.

Thankfully I don't have mites this year but I do have aphids and cushiony scale. I had poor results with the anti stress and neem oil and I won't resort to stronger pesticides. I've gone back to using water and that seems to work the best. I have stripped the foliage a couple times. I put the plants in the shower and use a hand held sprayer and the hottest water I can stand. I follow that with a wipe down with cotton balls soaked in diluted alcohol. I do this every 3 days. So far so good. It seems to be working well, at least it's keeping them in check until they can go outside. It might work on the mites as well. I've used this method successfully on spider mites in the past.
Barry have you cleaned your plant benches as well when you've treated the plants? Maybe some critters are hiding out in the plant housing? I take a vacuum and go over the benches, lights, etc when I clean the plants.
Karyn

I am glad to see everyone is dealing with Mr. Mite. Remember to use a rotation or you risk them becoming immune. Avid ( albamectin) is good but you need to spray 1 more time in 7 to 14 days so you kill the eggs that have hatched. Or you have kind of wasted your efforts. It is so much kinder to spray a miticide specific for a pest than a broad spectrum that kills everything but the mites.

Someone asked what is AVID? Avid is a derivative from Ivermectin which went generic. It was originally and still is a wormer and used in dog heart worm medications. It was discovered years later when bees started dying that Ivermectin was a good miticide by accident.

I still believe natural is the way to go. Natural has brought Mr. Spidermite down to a point where I have not seen him in 5+ months. Now Mr. Broadmite is harder. All without pesticides. "Bonide" horticultural Oils work good also as do many of the recipes listed above. I guess the key word is management. A good plan does have a backup and Avid or Forbid are good ones. Only use when all else is failing. You are getting eaten up by mites. Then go back to natural. Thinking you have found a solution because it worked once or twice in a row is dangerously false security. These #$#%% mites can become immune in 3 applications in a row. So make sure you kill all of them and cleanup their eggs that hatch. A dead mite cannot adapt. Then go natural until you need that gun again.

Off my soap box. Sorry I just do not want a super mite shipped to my house that is immune to everything and breed with the local population.