Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have been having a chronic year round problem with spider mites attacking and killing my eggplant, tomato & chili pepper plants. I've searched for threads online here and most of the solutions are to get predatory insects to eat and control them. Only problem is I live in Hawaii and I can't import them to here. I've went and collected dozens of wild ladybugs and released them onto the affected plants, but the seem to just fly away and don't have any impact. I've tried the chili pepper/garlic spray for several weeks to no major impact that I could see.
Any help on what I can use to save my eggplant and tomatos?

Aloha,
Cory

Red spider mites will thrive in warm to hot dry conditions. So to alter their environment and make it moist spray regularly with a mist or spray of water. Make sure that you get under the leaves. When you make the conditions unfavourable they will no longer be happy to live there. Why not add worm juice to the spray or even a seaweed concentrate which will help the plant become stronger and more resistant to attack. I am not sure what colour the mites would be attracted to but you could also make up sticky traps.
Have you got any pictures Opihiman I love bug photos!

Hi Faye,
if you like bug photos try these,the orange bug is the goody and the rest are the badies.The second photo shows what it is like when the show is coming to an end.The predators round the spider mites up like sharks herding up a school of fish ,they finish up on the end of a leaf with nowhere to go.

This one is where the encarsia wasp has laid it's eggs in white fly .

Cool. what are the orange bugs Don?

The orange ones are persimilis mites,the result is quite dramatic,it takes about two weeks for them to breed up and about one week to finish the job.There's a place at Wanaroo that suplies them and also Biological Services in Adelaide.

Hi opihman,
Are you allowed to import them from Australia because if you could it may not cost much more than it does here.Also with tor warmer climate you may not have to get a new lot every spring

Not really sure if I can change my enviroment here is Hawaii. If is consistantly 70-90 degrees with humidity always 50-70%. Its been raining here for several weeks so the humidity is even higher as it real sticky and muggy right now.

I can't bring in any beneficial predatory, Hawaii has a really strict import laws.

I'll try and see if I can get a good pic of them. I wasn't really sure what I was dealing with until I got a magnifying glass to see them real clear.

Cory

I cleaned out a bunch of dead branches last night. went out this morning to look a them and was amazed to fing all the spider mites gathered on a trellis pole. Almost as if they were waiting for me to get a pic. Here is a pic of them on a pole and another looking through a 30x magnifying glass. Had to play with the magnifying glass and burn a bunch while I was at it.

Know how you feel opihiman911, we have the same issue. Adelaide is a reasonably dry climate, this will be our 3 yr of the dreaded spider mite.

hey dbird, you got contact details for the place in Wanaroo? Please?

Under the right conditions, spider mites can be a huge problem. Ladybugs might stick around if you put out lady bug attractant. They sell it here in CA at gardening shops.

You can also vigorously spray under the leaves frequently, a mechanical control.

Hey I don't post much but I thought id add my 2 cents.
I have a indoor aquapoinics system that I run mostly for the houseplant and aquarium aspect though I also have a mother tomato plant and by request I do bush beans every once in a while. Only prob is every time I put beans into it I get spider mights like crazy. So after trying a few homebrewed insect sprays I went online and got a small container of neam oil. Mix a cap of it with a drop of insect soap and warm water, spray on all plant surfaces and it takes care of it no prob. stuff works wonders on the spider mites on the beans and works on any white flys that try and make a home on my tomato.
You have to give it a few days before you harvest anything to let the taste of the oil go away before consumption, it helps to spray it down with plain water 2 days after the neam oil.

Regular coffee diluted 50% (wait until it's cool) sprayed twice weekly is pretty effective against both spider mites and white fly. Takes about 3 weeks to see significant improvement though on heavy infestations.

Roy

Bug control can take on a number of methods as well as variables. Remember if you have an outdoor system that is affected by rainfall, these treatments can be washed into the fish tank water. Fish do not really like soap in their water, not sure about coffee or neem oil. Just be cautious in the event that any treatments can be washed into the tank where the fish are being kept.