Think I may have red spider mites!!

[Julia]

After reading a recent post on here about red spider mites , I think my ensete I bought from B&Q might have them.
I'm not saying they came with this plant as I suppose they could of come from my own GH as that is where the ensete is.

I had noticed these white flecks under the leaf last week, so I got some wet cotton wool and wiped them off. I wondered what it was. Red spider mite had crossed my mind. But I've never seen this before, or looked for it before.. and i was looking for something red!!!
Now I've read a recent post I've realised this is what I have got !!! White sand like grains and little cobwebs!!

I've been looking at what I can use on the plant. But I need to be careful what I use in the GH because of my tortoises...

I've seen something called Savona
http://www.just-green.com/2135/Just-Gre ... rate-.html

And SB plant invigorator

I've also seen these
http://www.just-green.com/2026/Just-Gre ... -bags.html

To be honest I haven't got a clue what to use and what is safe!!!
HELP!!! I'm not a happy bunny!!

[miketropic]

you keep tortoises in your green house? first I've ever heard of that what kind are they? I know a guy who keeps his pancake tortoise in his garden cus its fenced in but never heard of them in a green house

[Julia]

They have access to an outside enclosure which when the weather is lovely they spend a lot of time in, but they sleep / bask in the GH under the lamps if the weather is not good. and at the moment that seems to be a fair bit

[flounder]

First thing I'd do, is get it out in the rain. Red Spider Mite doesn't like damp. If those little 'grains of sand' start to turn an orangy colour, then you can see they've stopped multiplying. Thats when I treat it

[dino]

Hi Julia, it might have been my post re an attack on a Brug. After 2 doses of Provado Ultimate Bug Killer and keeping the leaves wet, they've gone. They don't like wet so worth leaving outside as long as possible. You don't want them on your nanas over the winter inside.

[Vagetarian]

Julia, be careful what you buy. There are an awful lot of 'snake oil' products that won't even tell you what they contain. SB Plant Invigorator for example simply contains urea, wee. The urea (which is a strong source of nitrogen) makes the leaves green up and people think it's wonderful but I wouldn't pay for something I produce by the litre daily.

Quite a few people think Provado works, the active ingredient is used in Advantage flea treatments for dogs and cats so it may be safe for tortoises but it persists for a couple of weeks. Personally, I don't think it's much better than spraying water but I will probably have a different stain of mite to you so that might not be true for you too.

I haven't yet heard of any mites which have a tolerance to Mectins. Abamectin is used by the trade (under the brand name Dynamec in the UK) and is highly effective. Ivermectin is used in pigeon drops to kill mites, almost as effective on plants too.

Personally, I would want to put in a lot of research before I used insecticide near a tortoise, especially if it's likely to ingest any, perhaps some run-off drips into it's food, etc. I think in your case I would just spray/wipe with very weak soapy water. The soap will burst open their exoskeletons and the humidity will slow them down. They shouldn't stay active in your greenhouse in winter anyway, too cold.

[Kristen]

No idea about Tortoises, but Neem Oil (used for Nits on children ) is very effective against Red Spider. If you could establish that it is harmless to Tortoises that might be a useful weapon.

Nuisance to apply, compared to a systemic insecticide though.

[fieldfest]

this one says its ok to use on edible foods so one could assume its ok for the little critters, probably best not to assume anything though

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalo ... CEYQ8wIwAQ

can you not ask on a tortoise forum?

[Julia]

Thanks for your help everyone
At the moment I've chucked it out in the rain I've also chucked my basjoo's out just incase !!!!
I did pop a message on a tortoise forum last night. Just got to wait and see if they can help!

[Vagetarian]

Do NOT use pyrethrum or neem oil without prior research. Pyrethrum is very, very toxic and it will kill anything in the right dosage. Natural definitely doesn't mean safe because, for example, cyanide is 100% natural.

Pyrethrum is safe for human consumption within 24 hours because it degrades quickly and is not at all systemic. But how do you know that in that time the tortoise won't eat some? How do you know that it's not very highly sensitive to it? The lethal dosage for a tortoise is probably minuscule compared to that for a human.

Likewise, neem oil can be dangerous too. It may be relatively safe for external use on humans (nits) but ingesting it has been known to cause severe life threatening problems, especially in children. It will persist on the leaves for a matter of weeks. So, I would not spray neem in your greenhouse unless you remove the tortoise for several weeks. It is unfortunate because neem is very, very good. It is something that they (mites) can never build up an immunity to. The only problem is that it comes in waxy form and is a major pain to mix up (and clean out of the sprayer).

I get the impression that creatures like tortoises are much more sensitive to toxins than we are (per kg body mass).

[Julia]

Thanks for your help everyone
At the moment I've chucked it out in the rain I've also chucked my basjoo's out just incase !!!!
I did pop a message on a tortoise forum last night. Just got to wait and see if they can help!

So far I've only had one reply. Anyone used this ?? Never heard of it myself!!!

See below for reply
I won't use chemicals so use Diatomaceous Earth, with great success, sprinkled over the first signs of any insect infestation. This can be washed away easily when it's done it's job, but be careful not to breathe it in and make absolutely sure it's the food grade DE and not the filter grade one.

[miketropic]

well my luck finally ran out.. the grow closet is overun with some type of spider mite. not the red ones some white version that looks like lice. I took all the plants out and cleaned them, sprayed them and the closet down with a light iso. alcohol solution and left it to dry.. ahh so much of winter left and I don't really want to be fighting it the whole time. If this dosent work I'll try neem oil or somthing else

[Troppoz]

Juli the diatomaceous earth is basically a desiccant and needs to have physical contact with the insects to have any effect. Also if inhaled it can lead to complications in humans so considering how low to the ground a turtles breathing bits are Id be cautious about its use.

Maybe white oils and neem sprays might be the way to go?

[Vagetarian]

Maybe white oils and neem sprays might be the way to go?

I agree about the DE, it's composed of tiny sharp particles which supposedly shred the exoskeleton and then as you say, dessicate. Really nasty sounding stuff.

As I stated up there ^, neem causes life threatening problems when ingested by children and persists for weeks. Not safe for use around herbivores.

[Julia]

Maybe white oils and neem sprays might be the way to go?

I agree about the DE, it's composed of tiny sharp particles which supposedly shred the exoskeleton and then as you say, dessicate. Really nasty sounding stuff.

As I stated up there ^, neem causes life threatening problems when ingested by children and persists for weeks. Not safe for use around herbivores.

Oh god! Won't be using that then!!

In the spring, I think I might try those red spider mite bags with the predator 'thingy' that eats the mites!!