Battling Phalaenopsis mites

[jpyerry]

I am hoping that I can get some advice today.

A while ago, I posted about my Phal. cornu cervi having what I believed to be spider mites. After a discussion I was helped to find that they are Phalaenopsis mites and microscopy of the leaves confirms this. I have been trying to treat this plant over the last few weeks. Unfortunately, despite attempts to isolate this plant I am finding these awful bugs on a great deal of my plants so this problem is either escalating or now that I know what to look for I am finding them on other plants.

I really want to get this problem under control. So far, I have swabbed the plants with rubbing alcohol, which seems to knock their numbers down temporarily but they keep coming back. I have sprayed my plants with a mixture of baby shampoo, cinnamon, and rubbing alcohol, and nothing. I bought Bayer's 3-in-1 mite control and after spraying every plant and checking after a few days, there they are smiling and mocking me under the microscope.

Does anybody have some tried and true advice or ideas on what else I can do. I would even consider using predator mites.

Oh, and though I know it does nothing for mites, I have also started watering with water treated with mosquito dunks (I also have an ongoing fungus gnat problem, thanks Miracle Gro African Violet soil for that one).

Information on control of Phalaenopsis mites is pretty sparse on the internet.

[1joyceh]

One of the better brands out there is Safer, OMRI listed. They have a product called
" Safer's End-All II Miticide & Insecticide: 16 oz. Concentrate
The active ingredients in End All II are Pyrethrins and Insecticidal Soap (Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids 20%, Pyrethrins 0.2%)
Safer's End-All II is an easy-to-use, concentrated miticidal and insecticidal spray that kills eggs, nymphs and adults of aphids, spider mites and whitefly on contact.

[Ron]

Hi Check out this site for eco oil

I use all the time and rarely have mite/scales problems, totally safew to us on all orchids and garden plants
whttp://lifestylegardens.com.au/_product_81333/eco-oil

[ChryssM]

OMRI listed. They have a product called
" Safer's End-All II Miticide & Insecticide: 16 oz. Concentrate

Hey, Joyce, please translate your acronym !! TIA !
.

[1joyceh]

OPPS! sorry....

The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) is a national nonprofit organization that determines which input products are allowed for use in organic production and processing. OMRI Listed—or approved—products may be used on operations that are certified organic under the USDA National Organic Program.

[Ray]

The problem with the recurring pests is that while you may be killing the adults, you are doing nothing to stop the eggs, pupae and larvae from maturing, so the population is sustained.

Most contact killers only kill adults, hence the problem. Soaps, like the Safer product mentioned, are effective because they strip away protective coatings on eggs, larvae, pupae and adults, which leads to their desiccation and death. Unfortunately, soaps can exhibit some levels of phytotoxicity in plants.

There is another OMRI organic product on the market - SucraShield - made from sugar esters, that works like a soap, and is effective on insects and mites, but without the potential phytotoxicity.

[ChryssM]

There is another OMRI organic product on the market - SucraShield

Ray, where can I get it ?
.

[11Orchid126]

Bear in mind that mites are not insects, so insecticides won't work. You need a miticide. Listen to Ray, he's the MAN.

[koshki]

Chryss, Ray carries it.

Ray, I have a couple questions about Sucrashield. Could it be used in conjunction with a contact killer? Does it work systemically? What application frequency should you use? Does it have a "shelf life" once you mix it in an applicator? Could it be applied indoors (as in the winter)? What safety issues should we be aware of?

And on what kind of bugs is it effective?

Ok, that was more than a couple!

[1joyceh]

Have you used the sucrashield Ray? Curious because the
customer feedback I got, was 2 out of 4 didn't feel it was effective, and another asked for his money back.

[ChryssM]

Well, I'll try ANYTHING for mites !!!
.

[jpyerry]

Would it make sense to first use the Safer's End-All II Miticide & Insecticide and follow it up with treatments of SucraShield as a sort of two pronged attack?

I really want to get this problem under control because it seems like every day I find these buggers on another plant, I just want them dead. But, I also don't want to kill any of my plants. I recently killed a Cephalotus follicularis (a carnivorous plant) with alcohol, trying to control scale insects, that according to most sources should not have killed the plant, but it did. So I am a little gunshy of the chemicals.

There is a side of me that likes the idea of using predatory mites but they are really expensive and most of the literature I have read is for spider mites and not Phalaenopsis mites.

I don't know, I am worried and would like some peace of mind.

[1joyceh]

I can only tell you what I did in the "devil spawn" attack.....
I treated with the takedown where the plant was, did not move it...started spraying from the bottom, did all underside of leaves, then, went from the top down, doing the top of the leaves. I sprayed around the top of the medium, and the inside and outside of the pot...
The next day, I moved the plant to the sink, took it out of the medium, cleaned every leaf and root. Used a new pot, went back and sprayed the area with 1:10 bleach, then cleaned with soap and water.
I repeated the takedown every 3 days for 3 treatments. 3 days after the last takedown, I started using azamax, as a foliar and in the watering, it is a systemic. I continue to use the azamax about once per week on all the babies.
I have attached 2 pics...on the closeup, you see the risidual damage left. I lost most of my big canes, in the other pic, you see what is left....the tallest cane is about 12 inches, half the hight of the canes I lost.
Again, this is what I do....one other point I want to make is that I use a "sticker" with all foliar applications...personally I use coco-wet, many people use soap. To me, giving a plant a foliar without a sticker, is like showing the plant the bottle only....the stuff just rolls off, and doesn't stay and do what it is supposed to do...my 2 cents

[royalkat]

Hi, I'm a beginner myself and what I use has been mentioned here, Safers End All II. Its a miticide and egg killer. Another product I have used (which isn't available in Canada urgh) to good effect is Bayer Rose and Flower Insect Killer. It has a benefit of being effective for up to 30 days. Active ingredient is imidicloprid. Mosquito pucks crumbled up contain BT, very effective for gnats.

Before you take my advice though and start squirting your plants, do a test.

Another thing you may look at is other houseplants. If you have a crawling infested, say, spathophyllum right next to your sprayed down plant, it wont take long for the bugs to be back.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by koshki

Chryss, Ray carries it.

Ray, I have a couple questions about Sucrashield. Could it be used in conjunction with a contact killer? Does it work systemically? What application frequency should you use? Does it have a "shelf life" once you mix it in an applicator? Could it be applied indoors (as in the winter)? What safety issues should we be aware of?

And on what kind of bugs is it effective?

Ok, that was more than a couple!

SucraShield is a contact killer itself, and has no systemic properties - which is one of the reasons it is so safe to use, and can be used on any crop, including foods. Fortunately, the fact that it kills all stages in the growth cycle makes it more effective than other topical-only pesticides.

I recommend and use it at 1 ounce per gallon, drenching the plants three times at one week intervals.

I am not aware of shelf-life instabilities when mixed (I've done so myself), but like all pesticides, please keep it clearly labeled (I use a Sharpie on masking tape) when you leave it in the applicator.

It is effective on all sorts of soft-bodied insects and mites, but does not affect bees and many beneficial insects. (The active ingredient is actually listed to kill the varella (sp?) mites that wipe out hives.) It will not kill adult hard scales, but will affect their less-mature stages, so it does exhibit some control of them.

[jpyerry]

This SucraShield product seems quite interesting. Do you know if it can be used on carnivorous plants?