Thrips!

[CallumCush]

So I believe I have thrips.
Silvery slime look on some leaves and found about 15 of the lil white buggers crawling around. I cut some yellow insect stick pad up and went through all 3 plants and stuck what I could find to get rid of them. Also left a few small cut up pieces resting on the leaves for now hope that will catch them aswell.

I've read about neem oil working but after reading around on Google some places say not to use on floweing plants.
My plants are about 9 days into flower( RQS quickone)
So an answer from more experienced person, this being my first grow, would be greatly appreciated on weather I should use it or if there is something better.
For now I will keep a very close eye and stick the buggers when I see one. Or weather leaving small pieces of cut up insect sticker around is a great way to catch them.

Thanks all

 

[Skellycrew]

I'm currently dealing potentially the same thing and/or spider mites. Have spotted some "red specks" and i swore i saw a couple of very tiny spun web strings. Anyway, I'm currently using two things, the first thing i did was used a Hot Shot No-Pest Strip2, be advised these aren't technically safe to be in for long periods so not home safe, seal off the garden space and basically bomb the grow space. 24 hrs with the exhaust fan off and definitely dim or raise your lights if you can. This DEFINITELY kills buzzies but is supposed to work on pretty much anything in the fumigated space. Including potentially you so go in, peek and GET OUT =) lol. Does not harm plants whatsoever

Other thing I'm using is Organocide Bee Safe. It stinks like fish, kinda gross but apparently there's an unscented version now. I was using it as a preventative and it was great and the first 2 treatments the plants LOOOVED it, but I didn't use it soon enough/often enough, and I somehow infested my space and here I am. THEN, I freaked out, over-concentrated it and sprayed it on during the full light cycle. Bad news. Definitely wait til 30 mins before lights-out. Mix exactly as directed. It works on tons of shit, at tons of stages. I spray it on the medium too but it's not a root-soak, so I go easy on that, just a topical. edit just read you're 9 days in, this stuff indicates safe til harvest but I wouldn't spray the buds, just leaves n stems and try to find the scentless one. TRY THE NO-PEST STRIPS if you can get your space sealed off.

 

[GeorgeCloney]

Welcome to the world of bugs
Neem oil works very well and is non toxic.
But if over applied will make your buds taste like crap.
Treat heavy right now...taste will go away.
Dont use it every day.
Every 4 to 5 days is fine, pending your concentration rate during application.
Flies will leave in a day or two.
Then return...
This is the issue.

 

[BII]

I'm currently dealing potentially the same thing and/or spider mites. Have spotted some "red specks" and i swore i saw a couple of very tiny spun web strings. Anyway, I'm currently using two things, the first thing i did was used a Hot Shot No-Pest Strip2, be advised these aren't technically safe to be in for long periods so not home safe, seal off the garden space and basically bomb the grow space. 24 hrs with the exhaust fan off and definitely dim or raise your lights if you can. This DEFINITELY kills buzzies but is supposed to work on pretty much anything in the fumigated space. Including potentially you so go in, peek and GET OUT =) lol. Does not harm plants whatsoever

Other thing I'm using is Organocide Bee Safe. It stinks like fish, kinda gross but apparently there's an unscented version now. I was using it as a preventative and it was great and the first 2 treatments the plants LOOOVED it, but I didn't use it soon enough/often enough, and I somehow infested my space and here I am. THEN, I freaked out, over-concentrated it and sprayed it on during the full light cycle. Bad news. Definitely wait til 30 mins before lights-out. Mix exactly as directed. It works on tons of shit, at tons of stages. I spray it on the medium too but it's not a root-soak, so I go easy on that, just a topical. edit just read you're 9 days in, this stuff indicates safe til harvest but I wouldn't spray the buds, just leaves n stems and try to find the scentless one. TRY THE NO-PEST STRIPS if you can get your space sealed off.

I disagree on your use of the No Pest Strips. Your exposure time, 24 hours, is way way too long! The poison is rather potent to insects and at the doses reached quickly in a tent will quickly kill all air-breathing insects (those not within soil/medium). When needed (been several years), I just put a few strips in the closed-up tent with good internal air circulation for no more than 30 minutes, often blowing 1 of several internal fans on the strips (get quicker, maybe higher air concentration). Since my tent is very leaky, I exhaust air out a window fan during the whole process. But you can always just let the tent's exhaust and filter system clear out the toxin-tainted air in the tent. Make sure to leave the room, unless you actually have a truly sealable tent. If you can clearly smell the strips, the pesticide is at more than high enough concentration to kill insects and is definitely not good for you to inhale. And be aware that it can take longer than you expect for the smell (all traces) to be exhausted.

But yes, I definitely agree that fumigation with No Pest Strips is effective and safe (when following common sense handling pesticides). The strips evaporate their toxin as gas. With no liquids or sprays involved, there are zero residues (the plants do not take up the toxin from the air), no solvents, and if you take care in handling and avoid breathing the stuff (avoid exposure), it's non-toxic. And if you are concerned about environmental release, you can capture it all in your exhaust filter.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

IMPO No Pest strips are only for use on premise and not plants. I would use Mighty Wash to get the grow to the end and then seal off the room and bomb with the no pest strip. This shit is serious poison but will sanitize the room of any insect life form. You may need to treat the entire house with some types of infestations. That went over real well with Ms. MOG .

I went to a friends grow and he opens the tent and it looked like a flea circus with tents. The buds were the poles. When I got home I undressed outside naked and put all my clothing in the car with a no pest strip and hosed myself off in the back yard. That worked; I was in the clear. I never want to get the Borg again. This is one of the reasons I grow from seed.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

I am looking at a possible new treatment That simple involves lowering the N input and a foliar application of Kelp, Fulvic Acid and Molasses. It is based on this webcast:

https://www.autoflower.org/threads/...-mites-with-proper-nutrient-managament.78938/

 

[CallumCush]

OK lots of advice lol. The tent is in my bedroom so gassing it out sounds like a bad idea, as at the moment there's only about 3 leaves in total affected I will spray them and surrounding leave and stems with neem oil. Fingers crossed that works

 

[Skellycrew]

I disagree on your use of the No Pest Strips. Your exposure time, 24 hours, is way way too long! The poison is rather potent to insects and at the doses reached quickly in a tent will quickly kill all air-breathing insects (those not within soil/medium). When needed (been several years), I just put a few strips in the closed-up tent with good internal air circulation for no more than 30 minutes, often blowing 1 of several internal fans on the strips (get quicker, maybe higher air concentration). Since my tent is very leaky, I exhaust air out a window fan during the whole process. But you can always just let the tent's exhaust and filter system clear out the toxin-tainted air in the tent. Make sure to leave the room, unless you actually have a truly sealable tent. If you can clearly smell the strips, the pesticide is at more than high enough concentration to kill insects and is definitely not good for you to inhale. And be aware that it can take longer than you expect for the smell (all traces) to be exhausted.

But yes, I definitely agree that fumigation with No Pest Strips is effective and safe (when following common sense handling pesticides). The strips evaporate their toxin as gas. With no liquids or sprays involved, there are zero residues (the plants do not take up the toxin from the air), no solvents, and if you take care in handling and avoid breathing the stuff (avoid exposure), it's non-toxic. And if you are concerned about environmental release, you can capture it all in your exhaust filter.

Fumigation doesn't take hours, it takes DAYS in a house. That's why a 24 hr period is advisable, with exhaust off, as a proper and thorough fumigation. If you're exhausting it out a window, you'redefeating the purpose of fumigation. Reading the package it says do not be exposed for more than 4 hrs, so it's not HORRIBLY toxic, but since i used one in a grow tent in a spare room, i closed off that room and just let er rip.

 

[BII]

OK, but as I recall from looking into this before I started using strips, any insects exposed to excessive concentrations (such as I presume if humans can smell the poison) will absorb the poison and die (likely quickly but if not quick, who cares) -- with 100% mortality if exposed, particularly to the high concentrations within a tent.

Even just 15 minutes at high tent concentration seems to kill everything. I suspect just 1 minute or maybe even just a few 'breaths' at tent concentrations is toxic to the insects, much as just trace amounts of VX nerve gas (with the same mechanism of action) would rapidly kill humans. [My window fan is running to get rid of the poison coming from my very leaky tent. As I noted, if you have a tent that seals for real, than you don't need a fan to exhaust the room the tent is in]

I can better see 24 hours needed if 'fumigating' a whole house, with each room/space much larger, lots more 'nooks and crannies,' and getting good concentration behind appliances, furniture, etc. needed. Plus consumers paying for this likely expect overkill, that even well-hidden, protected insects, such as behind appliances or walls, be killed.

 

[GeorgeCloney]

Folks
I hear frustration, and wanting to be right.
At all cost.

There is no perfect answer.

My advice.
Start low, and work your way up to success
In the end, what ever works is what counts.
This is both an economical good thing, and a bio too.