I have been using them since the fall. I switched from the sachets to loose that I sprinkle on top of the substrate. The ones I use are a bit of a catch-all (thrips, spidermites, mealy and fungus gnats) that are substrate dwelling so I don't see many on the leaves. At first I was a little icked out about using them but now I just don't think about them really. I don't think I have ever seen one not on a plant. I started using them as preventative and I haven't had an infestation since. I have seen two mealy bugs on one problem hoya and spidermites on a syngonium (which I think were linked to fresh flowers in the house), and it is tempting to treat them chemically when I see them. I did kill the mealy that I saw with alcohol and a Q tip but was patient and let the good bugs take care of the rest.
Ooooh I need to get me some of these catch all ones! Would love to hear more about them and which mites they are specifically! And especially if they're soil based thats IDEAL!
OOOOH SOOOO COOOOOL!! Question... So if you use them preventatively but don't have any pests currently will they just die off and will you need to keep buying more cause they don't have anything to feed on? Also when you say chemical pesticides might kill them - do you know if this definitely applies to systemic pesticides (aka provanto as you said) and so does this mean they could also feed on your plants? Ahahaha sorry for the million questions I'm just super intrigued! Tempted to grab a bottle and shut it in a small space with my verrucosum for a long time 😂 Love ya 💚
So I'm pretty sure they can live for 3-4 weeks without consuming any pests. I think they feed on your plant but not in a destructive way? I'm not 100% sure how but I think I read that. Idk how you use provanto, but I mostly spray directly on the plant so that would defo kill anything that's on them. Would certainly be worth getting some sachets for your verrucosum and locking it away. I wouldn't go so far as to getting a whole bottle as they can't be stored! I'd defo suggest trying them out in your grow cabinet though x
I started using the paper ones maybe 6 months ago and only just seen the spidermites return. They are great and I think last longer then stated. I found neem oil I was using constantly and with aquariums provanto was such a worry.
Honestly after trying predatory mites I don’t ever want to use a pesticide again because it’s just so convenient and soooo much more effective! They are so underrated!
Aw man a discount code, I literally put mites on today, I only ordered them a couple of days ago. I've recently sprung thrips out of nowhere for the first time so hoping Amblyseius swirskii and Mighty Mites will get rid of them. I've been using Hypoaspis miles for about a year and a half from Dragonfli after a "what's the harm of 1 little gnat on my new plant" turned into all of my plants being infested to biblical proportions! I tried sticky traps, drying them out, neem drenches, bagging my pots, diatomaceous earth, Hydrogen peroxide drenches, spraying with alcohol, cinnamon, even pulling the maggots out with tweezers! (the battle went on for months!) so the mites where my last ditch attempt before resorting to chemical warfare and after one round, almost all the gnats where gone! Now I buy them when I get new plants and dose them all to get rid of nasties (hence why I can't think how I now have thrips, the last new plants where in November and quarantined and treated for a month)
Haha yeah sorry! But you can use it for the next set of mites you get! I've really struggled with fungus gnats before too. I've kind of accepted having them in small amounts, but I really should get on top of them a bit more. Maybe I'll get some predatory mites 😂 Idk if I've just made this up or if I heard it somewhere but I feel like thrips can be dormant for a while and then spring up when the conditions are right?
Yes! I just added predatory mites a couple days ago! I found a great place to helped me pick the good bugs for the bad bugs I wanted to address so I definitely recommend finding a company that will take the time to answer all your questions! Do you plan to reapply monthly for maintenance? I haven’t decided how often I want to put fresh ones out. Also, umm, more Cleo, not less! :)
Nice nice! Yes I actually just ordered more after putting up this video. I'm planning on just keeping them in the cabinet as that's what works best for me, so I will reapply every month or so because I continue to bring plants in 😅 Haha defo more cleo to come, but less when I'm trying to concentrate 😂
I just saw they have these sachets where i buy my plants online they are pretty expensive. The ones i see are powder form you add one sachet in the water and water all your plants with it. I think this way definitely much better and works inside your soil without hanging them on the plants not looking pretty. I don’t know why alot of plant people are experiencing these types of pests I wonder if they happen with certain plants mainly tropical ones big leafy ones. I only get fungas gnats but every one will cause of watering plants. Also when i bring plants into my home i repot them into my soil, wipe it down with lemon dish water and spray preventative pests. Is been working great that way. So your not bringing in anything nasty into your home. I also clean my plants once a week to get rid of dusts and dirt on my plants too and remove any dead leaves straight away too.
Sounds like you have some great practices! I wish I could be that on top of things. But with my schedule and the number of plants I've got it's not quite possible 😅 so this is a good tool to help me prevent them 🤷🏻♀
Do predatory mites lay eggs? I think you said they do, and if so, why do you have to buy more monthly? Is it because they don’t have anything to feed on after they’ve done their job? Thanks for the video, great content!
Ooh that's a good question. They do lay eggs and continue the life cycle. But I suppose if they're doing their jobs correctly, their food source should run out!
I was thinking the same, and if it’s because they eventually die then it seems like it would be better to buy the predators in tiny quantities so that they have plenty to eat and don’t wipe themselves out
I had the worst issues with fungus gnats. I would treat for them with Neem oil or Mosquito Bits and it only worked in the short term, if at all. After some time I swear the gnats grew resistant to the Neem, which worked best. I was lucky enough that predatory mites came in on plants I purchased from the nursery and they spread around my plants naturally. (I have to admit I was upset when I noticed mites in my soil, as I didn't know about the benefits of predatory mites) Fungus gnats... GONE! It was glorious because the gnat situation was really out of hand and highly annoying. Treating for them was a chore as well, having a small 1 bedroom apartment on an upper floor with no yard, and 70+ houseplants.....mites were a little miracle, I recommend them to all my plant friends! (plant friends are still iffy about them though, unfortunately)
Yeah Ives heard they can become resistant to neem. I just got some mosquito bits though so hopefully that will work enough to control them for now and I can change the soil if needed 😅 I’ve not heard of predatory mites for fungus gnats. Do you happen to know what they’re called?
@@GoodGrowing Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoaspis miles) is primarily used for treating and controlling fungus gnat infestations, but can also be released as a control measure for root aphids, spider mites and thrips.
Neem doesn't work, publicly available neem does not contain the neuro toxin credited with killing mites, which us a good thing cause it's very powerful toxin and humans would get sick 100% . The sold oil kills some by drowning them in oil. Predator mites are the easiest way, if its for a small bracket condition you can use 1 to 4 mix of isopropyl and water.. it kills them on contact and their eggs. I use this on my cannabis indoors, outdoors I use predators. For a plant like cannabis that grows dense leafs you are best to also use asift paintbrush that is wide to brush the plantsas you spray. Do this every 4 days for a month ( 2 weeks longer than their life cycle to be sure ) , it won't harm plants but killsthem on contact,that's why you need to shake and upwards brush and spray them upwards too, they colonize mostly under leafs, if you see them on top you likely have thousands on the plant. If a leaf rests on another leaf they ( if they are there ) may survive because they mayescape just misting, hence the brushing.mif concerned about the mixture you can start at 10 - 1 ratio and drop 9 - 1 water - alcohol etc etc. I'd suggest a tour on amazon marketplace. You're looking for the $30 Bluetooth microscope.. you can link it to phone or tablet computer and actually setup close this vermin, then you can pick an infested leaf and experiment finding the ratio that is most effective, you can also watch them die which is so satisfying.. I dont usually wish harm on life, but I loathe these things.. im checking the video out here cause I've recently considered using them indoors as I get occasional occurances at random times again today I found some.. last time was 2 years back . You can also use that bt microscope to inspect plants, identify when leaf edges are out if vpd range and see things like powder milder or viral influence etc before it effects the entire crop/plant by the time you can see things with the naked eye, the problem is a microscopic one that can be witnessed at a relative macro scale.. its a big deal then.. :)
@@GoodGrowing they do not become resistant, this is bro science, see my other comment regarding neem oil, I assure you I'm an expert on this, wife is a botanist and I've been growing cannabis for 30 years ;) though I've never used predators indoors.... yet. I'm thinking I may alow one if my effected plants to be a test subject in my 3x3 tent.. let it get moderately bad in controlled environment, then release the kraken (predator mites ) to see when I achieve zero mites of either kind as the operators die off after they eat all their food. :) appreciate your channel, I'll keep ya posted on results for timing
Thank you so much for this informative video!! i have a few questions I want to ask though, u mentioned that the predatory mites reproduce really fast, so will too many of them become an issue in houseplants? would I start seeing them in places other than my plants around the house? also, would they work against fungus gnats too? and lastly, do u know where i can buy predatory mites in Australia? thank u so much!
You won't notice them moving to other parts of your home because they won't have food there. Unfortunately they don't work on fungus gnats. A natural method against those would be nematodes. Predatory mites can feed on plant pollen but will likely die without a source of food (pests). That's why you have to replace the sachets every 4-6 weeks. And sorry I'm not familiar with how to get them in AU
@@GoodGrowing thank you so much! Now I know what stuff I need to get, thanks for helping me out! Now I just need to find out where I can buy some near me lol 😂 thanks! 👍👍
I have been using them since the fall. I switched from the sachets to loose that I sprinkle on top of the substrate. The ones I use are a bit of a catch-all (thrips, spidermites, mealy and fungus gnats) that are substrate dwelling so I don't see many on the leaves. At first I was a little icked out about using them but now I just don't think about them really. I don't think I have ever seen one not on a plant. I started using them as preventative and I haven't had an infestation since. I have seen two mealy bugs on one problem hoya and spidermites on a syngonium (which I think were linked to fresh flowers in the house), and it is tempting to treat them chemically when I see them. I did kill the mealy that I saw with alcohol and a Q tip but was patient and let the good bugs take care of the rest.
Ooooh I need to get me some of these catch all ones! Would love to hear more about them and which mites they are specifically! And especially if they're soil based thats IDEAL!
OOOOH SOOOO COOOOOL!! Question... So if you use them preventatively but don't have any pests currently will they just die off and will you need to keep buying more cause they don't have anything to feed on? Also when you say chemical pesticides might kill them - do you know if this definitely applies to systemic pesticides (aka provanto as you said) and so does this mean they could also feed on your plants? Ahahaha sorry for the million questions I'm just super intrigued! Tempted to grab a bottle and shut it in a small space with my verrucosum for a long time 😂 Love ya 💚
So I'm pretty sure they can live for 3-4 weeks without consuming any pests. I think they feed on your plant but not in a destructive way? I'm not 100% sure how but I think I read that. Idk how you use provanto, but I mostly spray directly on the plant so that would defo kill anything that's on them. Would certainly be worth getting some sachets for your verrucosum and locking it away. I wouldn't go so far as to getting a whole bottle as they can't be stored! I'd defo suggest trying them out in your grow cabinet though x
I started using the paper ones maybe 6 months ago and only just seen the spidermites return. They are great and I think last longer then stated. I found neem oil I was using constantly and with aquariums provanto was such a worry.
Honestly after trying predatory mites I don’t ever want to use a pesticide again because it’s just so convenient and soooo much more effective! They are so underrated!
Agreed! I'd defo use them more in the future and suggest them to others cuz they're fab!
❤️
Aw man a discount code, I literally put mites on today, I only ordered them a couple of days ago. I've recently sprung thrips out of nowhere for the first time so hoping Amblyseius swirskii and Mighty Mites will get rid of them.
I've been using Hypoaspis miles for about a year and a half from Dragonfli after a "what's the harm of 1 little gnat on my new plant" turned into all of my plants being infested to biblical proportions! I tried sticky traps, drying them out, neem drenches, bagging my pots, diatomaceous earth, Hydrogen peroxide drenches, spraying with alcohol, cinnamon, even pulling the maggots out with tweezers! (the battle went on for months!) so the mites where my last ditch attempt before resorting to chemical warfare and after one round, almost all the gnats where gone!
Now I buy them when I get new plants and dose them all to get rid of nasties (hence why I can't think how I now have thrips, the last new plants where in November and quarantined and treated for a month)
Haha yeah sorry! But you can use it for the next set of mites you get! I've really struggled with fungus gnats before too. I've kind of accepted having them in small amounts, but I really should get on top of them a bit more. Maybe I'll get some predatory mites 😂 Idk if I've just made this up or if I heard it somewhere but I feel like thrips can be dormant for a while and then spring up when the conditions are right?
💪🏼
Yes!
I just added predatory mites a couple days ago! I found a great place to helped me pick the good bugs for the bad bugs I wanted to address so I definitely recommend finding a company that will take the time to answer all your questions!
Do you plan to reapply monthly for maintenance? I haven’t decided how often I want to put fresh ones out.
Also, umm, more Cleo, not less! :)
Nice nice! Yes I actually just ordered more after putting up this video. I'm planning on just keeping them in the cabinet as that's what works best for me, so I will reapply every month or so because I continue to bring plants in 😅
Haha defo more cleo to come, but less when I'm trying to concentrate 😂
I just saw they have these sachets where i buy my plants online they are pretty expensive. The ones i see are powder form you add one sachet in the water and water all your plants with it. I think this way definitely much better and works inside your soil without hanging them on the plants not looking pretty. I don’t know why alot of plant people are experiencing these types of pests I wonder if they happen with certain plants mainly tropical ones big leafy ones. I only get fungas gnats but every one will cause of watering plants. Also when i bring plants into my home i repot them into my soil, wipe it down with lemon dish water and spray preventative pests. Is been working great that way. So your not bringing in anything nasty into your home. I also clean my plants once a week to get rid of dusts and dirt on my plants too and remove any dead leaves straight away too.
Sounds like you have some great practices! I wish I could be that on top of things. But with my schedule and the number of plants I've got it's not quite possible 😅 so this is a good tool to help me prevent them 🤷🏻♀
Do predatory mites lay eggs? I think you said they do, and if so, why do you have to buy more monthly? Is it because they don’t have anything to feed on after they’ve done their job? Thanks for the video, great content!
Ooh that's a good question. They do lay eggs and continue the life cycle. But I suppose if they're doing their jobs correctly, their food source should run out!
You can feed them with pollen, or beneficial nematodes. Keeps your plants, and soil, healthy.
@@burnswhenpeeswhere do you get the pollen from?
I was thinking the same, and if it’s because they eventually die then it seems like it would be better to buy the predators in tiny quantities so that they have plenty to eat and don’t wipe themselves out
I had the worst issues with fungus gnats. I would treat for them with Neem oil or Mosquito Bits and it only worked in the short term, if at all. After some time I swear the gnats grew resistant to the Neem, which worked best. I was lucky enough that predatory mites came in on plants I purchased from the nursery and they spread around my plants naturally. (I have to admit I was upset when I noticed mites in my soil, as I didn't know about the benefits of predatory mites) Fungus gnats... GONE! It was glorious because the gnat situation was really out of hand and highly annoying. Treating for them was a chore as well, having a small 1 bedroom apartment on an upper floor with no yard, and 70+ houseplants.....mites were a little miracle, I recommend them to all my plant friends! (plant friends are still iffy about them though, unfortunately)
Yeah Ives heard they can become resistant to neem. I just got some mosquito bits though so hopefully that will work enough to control them for now and I can change the soil if needed 😅 I’ve not heard of predatory mites for fungus gnats. Do you happen to know what they’re called?
@@GoodGrowing Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoaspis miles) is primarily used for treating and controlling fungus gnat infestations, but can also be released as a control measure for root aphids, spider mites and thrips.
@@jenniferjohnson5632 interesting! I'll have to look into them more! Thanks :)
Neem doesn't work, publicly available neem does not contain the neuro toxin credited with killing mites, which us a good thing cause it's very powerful toxin and humans would get sick 100% . The sold oil kills some by drowning them in oil. Predator mites are the easiest way, if its for a small bracket condition you can use 1 to 4 mix of isopropyl and water.. it kills them on contact and their eggs. I use this on my cannabis indoors, outdoors I use predators. For a plant like cannabis that grows dense leafs you are best to also use asift paintbrush that is wide to brush the plantsas you spray. Do this every 4 days for a month ( 2 weeks longer than their life cycle to be sure ) , it won't harm plants but killsthem on contact,that's why you need to shake and upwards brush and spray them upwards too, they colonize mostly under leafs, if you see them on top you likely have thousands on the plant. If a leaf rests on another leaf they ( if they are there ) may survive because they mayescape just misting, hence the brushing.mif concerned about the mixture you can start at 10 - 1 ratio and drop 9 - 1 water - alcohol etc etc. I'd suggest a tour on amazon marketplace. You're looking for the $30 Bluetooth microscope.. you can link it to phone or tablet computer and actually setup close this vermin, then you can pick an infested leaf and experiment finding the ratio that is most effective, you can also watch them die which is so satisfying.. I dont usually wish harm on life, but I loathe these things.. im checking the video out here cause I've recently considered using them indoors as I get occasional occurances at random times again today I found some.. last time was 2 years back . You can also use that bt microscope to inspect plants, identify when leaf edges are out if vpd range and see things like powder milder or viral influence etc before it effects the entire crop/plant by the time you can see things with the naked eye, the problem is a microscopic one that can be witnessed at a relative macro scale.. its a big deal then.. :)
@@GoodGrowing they do not become resistant, this is bro science, see my other comment regarding neem oil, I assure you I'm an expert on this, wife is a botanist and I've been growing cannabis for 30 years ;) though I've never used predators indoors.... yet. I'm thinking I may alow one if my effected plants to be a test subject in my 3x3 tent.. let it get moderately bad in controlled environment, then release the kraken (predator mites ) to see when I achieve zero mites of either kind as the operators die off after they eat all their food. :) appreciate your channel, I'll keep ya posted on results for timing
I am awaiting my mites to be delivered.
Very informative! Thanks for sharing!
Do they kill eggs?
Thank you so much for this informative video!! i have a few questions I want to ask though,
u mentioned that the predatory mites reproduce really fast, so will too many of them become an issue in houseplants? would I start seeing them in places other than my plants around the house?
also, would they work against fungus gnats too?
and lastly, do u know where i can buy predatory mites in Australia?
thank u so much!
alsoooo u mentioned to use them preventatively, and i was thinking of doing that but do u think the predatory mites would survive without any prey?
You won't notice them moving to other parts of your home because they won't have food there. Unfortunately they don't work on fungus gnats. A natural method against those would be nematodes.
Predatory mites can feed on plant pollen but will likely die without a source of food (pests). That's why you have to replace the sachets every 4-6 weeks.
And sorry I'm not familiar with how to get them in AU
@@GoodGrowing thank you so much! Now I know what stuff I need to get, thanks for helping me out! Now I just need to find out where I can buy some near me lol 😂 thanks! 👍👍
🙌