jimfoxy Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Hello all. I have what I think is a spider mite on some of my Sarracenia. They seem to be benithrin resistant. I have also tried Provado Ultimate Bug Killer (sunflower concentrate version) to no effect. They do not look like red spider mite or two spotted mite (see this thread). I am turning to biological control methods. The common predator widely available for Red Spider Mite is Phytoseiulus. It seems that this is not suitable for other species of spider mite (?) This is what I have found by web searching. The other predators I have found recommended for other species of spider mite are Amblyseius, Neoseiulus, Mesoseiulus and Typhlodromus. Does anyone know of a good supplier of these in the UK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aidan Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 If neither Bifenthrin nor Provado kills your bugs, it's time for a flame-thrower! Both are effective insecticides and acaricides and so it suggests that your problem may not be mites or insects. You really need a positive identification. You might even be trying to eliminate something harmless like a phoretic mite of some sort. A biological control if you can find one suitable is unlikely to offer more than a temporary control (if you are lucky) of the problem. The predators are most effective with very large infestations and go extinct when the population of prey organisms falls below a certain level. At which point the pest can reestablish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob-Rah Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Try here: www.greengardener.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenofeden Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 You need to be sure that the mites you can see are causing the damage. I often see mites on my Sarracenia, especially clustered around the top towards late summer, and sent some away to the Natural History Museum to be identified. The answer was that they were harmless soil-dwelling mites which climb up to the top of the plants to hitch rides with passing flies. If this is the case, then there's no need to treat, and may explain why your treatments has been ineffective as they are in the soil and you will only be killing those few mites which are on the pitchers every time you spray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimfoxy Posted July 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Thanks for your expertise Aidan. What do phoretic mites feed on? And what is their habit? It could be them if part of their lifecycle involves breeding on vegetation and then waiting for a new host on the edge of a leaf. I guess they could be feeding on the nectar, too. The mites I have seem to like populating the lip and neck of the pitcher. Has anyone seen phoretic mites hanging around on the neck and lip of pitchers? Do you know anyone I could send them to in order to get them positively identified? I'm beginning to think that I may be a victim of a strange set of circumstances. The guy I bought the plants from has been very apologetic about it (offerred refund) and said that the discolouration could be due to over chlorination of a swimming pool near his plants as he saw some discolouration resembling what I have seen on his own plants but no mites. So I might just have harmless mites and plants which have been treated with chlorine! If so, I've just needlessly killed off all the new growth on 5 lovely leucos by submerging them for 24hrs under water. I had no idea that submerging them like this would have harmed them but I suspect it must have been the heat of the day (I stupidly left them in full sun) which killed the growth. :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimfoxy Posted July 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Just read your reply, Stephen. Thank you. This would explain a lot. It might just have been the chlorine then which didn't show up in the growth of the plants until a couple of weeks after getting them. Can I enter 'the most stupidest thing to do to a CP 2006' competition? #-o We live and learn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aidan Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Like Stephen, I have often noticed mites milling around on the upper parts of pitchers. I've seen no evidence that they cause any harm. Do you know anyone I could send them to in order to get them positively identified? The RHS offer a pest/disease identification service but I think you have to be a member to make use of it. http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/samples.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimfoxy Posted July 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Thanks Aidan. I am not a member but I know a couple of people who are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimfoxy Posted July 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 If these are phoretic mites, there are a lot of them! I can only think that they are breeding on the insects caught in the pitcher. :? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sheila Posted July 7, 2006 Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 In all the years I have kept cps, I have never seen this mite. Thanks for the picture, I won't worry now if I do see them, that is supposing they are harmless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny... Posted July 7, 2006 Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 to hitch rides with passing flies Shame...they finally reached the top, only to find themselves on the bottom again..on the inside of the pitcher that is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimfoxy Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 To conclude: I've had a pest control expert look at these are she does not recognise them as a pest she has come across. She suggested they might be taking liquid from the surface of the plants or scavenging bacteria or algae off the surface. The original 'chlorosis effect' I posted in the other thread was due to a high level of chlorine in the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLeopardGGecko Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 I came across this thread in an attempt to identify some small, red and mite-like creatures on one of my Cephs and a few of my Neps. I grow them all in terrariums indoors, so I'm not even sure how they got on my plants. The thing is, I can't really tell if they're hurting my plants or not. I don't see any webbing, so I doubt they're spider mites. Perhaps they could be some of the harmless mites that are talked about in this thread. I would supply a picture but I don't think my camera would pick them up - they're THAT small. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corrosive Halo Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 Fortuitous timing, a couple of days ago I noticed the same small mites on the rim of one of my pitchers. My plants had recently been invaded by ants and I was worried they were aphids of some sort. I removed the pitcher. They looked exactly like the mites in the jimfoxy's picture. Good to hear that they aren't harmful. Next time I'll be sure to leave them to hitch rides! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLeopardGGecko Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 Another question: If my mites don't hang out underneath the leaves of my affected plants, does that mean they aren't spider mites? This is in addition to the fact that I can't find any webbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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