[APD] mites

["John, Sue, & Brianna Foster" <fostesky at adelphia_net>]

Spider mites won't live underwater. Pull the plants all under water for  a
week or so. The frogbite and others you can put in a pot or bowl and treat
with a little copper or ivermectin. Be sure it rinse real well and let them
float in a pesticide free bowl for a few days afterwards. Change the water a
few times if you have invertebrates you want to keep. Traces won't bother
the fish but will snails and shrimp. Copper tends to bind to plants too so
be careful.

Treat any regular houseplants with permethrin or a systemic insectide. Soapy
water also works but doesn't kill the later hatchings. Don't use
antibacterial soap. Just plain old soap like ivory. Dissolves the cuticle on
the insect and they die. The germicidal soaps are too harsh on plants land
and aquatic.
Maybe safer to just try soapy water on all of them first. Save the
pesticides for a last ditch effort. Just a little bit of soap so it just
barely starts to foam up, couple drops. Might have to repeat this for a
couple weeks. Mites lay eggs pretty darn fast and furious.

Hope that helps. Whatever you choose rinse and rinse and rinse.
I'm kind of lucky. I have an infestation of ladybugs most times of the year
and they winter in my vent spaces too. Love to eat mites.
Sue
who uses soapy water on her garden all the time.

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