I was checking out my Den unicum this morning when I noticed some
small dots moving very quickly. Checked them under the glass and
they are very dark bulbous creatures but they seem to have a
hard shell when pinched between the fingers and have a small
head and legs in front. Ok quick check, they might be spider
mites. I hit the plant with neem/soap mixture and set the plant
down for a few minutes. I came back and checked again and now
they were everywhere and on a march. SH__! I poured iso alcohol
over the mount and now they seem to be drunk and passed out.
Next I treated the mounts on either side with neem but found
no evidence. I love this plant, it just finished blooming
dozens of flowers and has two new growths twice as large
as any when I bought it. Does my ID and treatment sound
resonable and how soon and long before I should treat again?


Bob

On Jul 13, 11:46 am, Robert Lorenzini
wrote:
I was checking out my Den unicum this morning when I noticed some
small dots moving very quickly....

If they have eight legs, they are mites. Mites are arachnids. Did you
notice any webs?

I have --Den. unicum--; it's a nice plant. Lots of tangerine-colored
and scented blooms.

I don't know whether dousing any plant in isopropyl alcohol is a good
idea.

J. Del Col

Bob,

First of all ...are they doing damage?

If you can sqeeze them between your fingers they sound like they are too
large to be mites.

I get little black beetles smaller than a pinhead that hang out on the vanda
baskets. They don't appear to do any damage to anything. I've had them for
years. They move fast and crunch like you said.

They seem to like the wood in the basket but don't bother the plants.

Good growing,
Gene



"Robert Lorenzini" wrote in message
...

I was checking out my Den unicum this morning when I noticed some
small dots moving very quickly. Checked them under the glass and
they are very dark bulbous creatures but they seem to have a
hard shell when pinched between the fingers and have a small
head and legs in front. Ok quick check, they might be spider
mites. I hit the plant with neem/soap mixture and set the plant
down for a few minutes. I came back and checked again and now
they were everywhere and on a march. SH__! I poured iso alcohol
over the mount and now they seem to be drunk and passed out.
Next I treated the mounts on either side with neem but found
no evidence. I love this plant, it just finished blooming
dozens of flowers and has two new growths twice as large
as any when I bought it. Does my ID and treatment sound
resonable and how soon and long before I should treat again?


Bob

On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:20:05 -0700, jadel wrote:
On Jul 13, 11:46 am, Robert Lorenzini
wrote:
I was checking out my Den unicum this morning when I noticed some
small dots moving very quickly....

If they have eight legs, they are mites. Mites are arachnids. Did you
notice any webs?

Eight legs, no webs that I noticed.


I have --Den. unicum--; it's a nice plant. Lots of tangerine-colored
and scented blooms.

I don't know whether dousing any plant in isopropyl alcohol is a good
idea.

The beasts managed to sober up and are staggering on. :-(


J. Del Col

On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:26:24 GMT, Gene Schurg wrote:
Bob,

First of all ...are they doing damage?

Not that I can tell but I want to catch them before
they can spread.



If you can sqeeze them between your fingers they sound like they are too
large to be mites.

Well you can barely feel them and I can roll them between my
fingers and they don't squish like a spider would. They are
easly crushed on the mount and it lookes like there is a
shell left. Very small.


Bob

Hi, Bob,

For mites: 2 Tbsp. cooking oil, 2 Tbsp. dish soap (not the grease cutting
type - use Ivory or something mild) to 1 gal. water. Mix well and spray the
plant, especially the undersides of the leaves, to the point of run off.
Repeat every 5 days or so until the problem is gone. And remember that they
may not be exclusive to that plant.

As to alcohol, we use it any time we see a mealie or certain types of soft
scale. Thank heaven we don't see that often, but we use alcohol freely. It
also works on certain ants.

Whatever you use, the buds don't seem to like the spray, IME.

HTH, and have fun at SBOE.....

Diana

"Robert Lorenzini" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:26:24 GMT, Gene Schurg wrote:
Bob,

First of all ...are they doing damage?

Not that I can tell but I want to catch them before
they can spread.



If you can sqeeze them between your fingers they sound like they are too
large to be mites.

Well you can barely feel them and I can roll them between my
fingers and they don't squish like a spider would. They are
easly crushed on the mount and it lookes like there is a
shell left. Very small.


Bob

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
...
Hi, Bob,

For mites: 2 Tbsp. cooking oil, 2 Tbsp. dish soap (not the grease cutting
type - use Ivory or something mild) to 1 gal. water. Mix well and spray
the plant, especially the undersides of the leaves, to the point of run
off. Repeat every 5 days or so until the problem is gone. And remember
that they may not be exclusive to that plant.

As to alcohol, we use it any time we see a mealie or certain types of soft
scale. Thank heaven we don't see that often, but we use alcohol freely. It
also works on certain ants.

Whatever you use, the buds don't seem to like the spray, IME.

HTH, and have fun at SBOE.....

Diana

"Robert Lorenzini" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:26:24 GMT, Gene Schurg wrote:
Bob,

First of all ...are they doing damage?

Not that I can tell but I want to catch them before
they can spread.



If you can sqeeze them between your fingers they sound like they are too
large to be mites.

Well you can barely feel them and I can roll them between my
fingers and they don't squish like a spider would. They are
easly crushed on the mount and it lookes like there is a
shell left. Very small.


Bob

I agree, you find it almost impossible to see a spidermite let alone
feeling it crushing with your fingers.The leaves turn grey/silver ,or
pale yellow pittering on phals this is when you know you have them ,you
don`t normally see them first.
thanks keith

"Keith Kent" wrote in message
...

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
...
Hi, Bob,

For mites: 2 Tbsp. cooking oil, 2 Tbsp. dish soap (not the grease cutting
type - use Ivory or something mild) to 1 gal. water. Mix well and spray
the plant, especially the undersides of the leaves, to the point of run
off. Repeat every 5 days or so until the problem is gone. And remember
that they may not be exclusive to that plant.

As to alcohol, we use it any time we see a mealie or certain types of
soft scale. Thank heaven we don't see that often, but we use alcohol
freely. It also works on certain ants.

Whatever you use, the buds don't seem to like the spray, IME.

HTH, and have fun at SBOE.....

Diana

"Robert Lorenzini" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:26:24 GMT, Gene Schurg wrote:
Bob,

First of all ...are they doing damage?

Not that I can tell but I want to catch them before
they can spread.



If you can sqeeze them between your fingers they sound like they are
too
large to be mites.

Well you can barely feel them and I can roll them between my
fingers and they don't squish like a spider would. They are
easly crushed on the mount and it lookes like there is a
shell left. Very small.


Bob

I agree, you find it almost impossible to see a spidermite let alone
feeling it crushing with your fingers.The leaves turn grey/silver ,or
pale yellow pittering on phals this is when you know you have them ,you
don`t normally see them first.
thanks keith

Spidermites/mites
Microscope is the way to find mites before they do damage.
KEITH

"Robert Lorenzini" wrote in message
...
The beasts managed to sober up and are staggering on. :-(


Suck them up with the vacuum cleaner.

Whatever it is, it's almost certainly too big to be mites. Most people
can't even see mites without at least a magnifying glass, much less squeeze
them between fingers.

Rubbing alcohol has yet to cause damage to foliage, at our place, and we've
used many gallons of it. But it can damage flowers/buds and we also prefer
not to get too much of it on the roots. Kenni
..
"Robert Lorenzini" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:26:24 GMT, Gene Schurg wrote:
Bob,

First of all ...are they doing damage?

Not that I can tell but I want to catch them before
they can spread.



If you can sqeeze them between your fingers they sound like they are too
large to be mites.

Well you can barely feel them and I can roll them between my
fingers and they don't squish like a spider would. They are
easly crushed on the mount and it lookes like there is a
shell left. Very small.


Bob

On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:18:03 -0400, Kenni Judd wrote:
Whatever it is, it's almost certainly too big to be mites. Most people
can't even see mites without at least a magnifying glass, much less squeeze
them between fingers.

Rubbing alcohol has yet to cause damage to foliage, at our place, and we've
used many gallons of it. But it can damage flowers/buds and we also prefer
not to get too much of it on the roots. Kenni
.

I would have never noticed them if they did not move so fast but you
can feel them between the finger tips. I had to use the glass with a
extra magnifcation lense to see with what I was dealing . They are
hiding in the moss so I will refrain from dousing the roots again.
And thanks Diana for the cooking oil treatment plan.

Bob

"Robert Lorenzini" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:18:03 -0400, Kenni Judd wrote:
Whatever it is, it's almost certainly too big to be mites. Most people
can't even see mites without at least a magnifying glass, much less
squeeze
them between fingers.

Rubbing alcohol has yet to cause damage to foliage, at our place, and
we've
used many gallons of it. But it can damage flowers/buds and we also
prefer
not to get too much of it on the roots. Kenni
.

I would have never noticed them if they did not move so fast but you
can feel them between the finger tips. I had to use the glass with a
extra magnifcation lense to see with what I was dealing . They are
hiding in the moss so I will refrain from dousing the roots again.
And thanks Diana for the cooking oil treatment plan.

Bob
I think you can rule out mites then as they like dry conditions and usually
live on/under leaves not in composts.
keith