Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have used Neem oil & h20 mixture to spray down the plants that I feel are being damaged by my pest issue, but I can NOT use neem oil to spray the actual cinder that makes up my beds. Now THIS is where my main issue lies, because I can not use any organic sprays or treatments since they are all natural oil based and can not put them in my beds because of my fish. They have seemed to help the plants and right now the plants arent even my concern. It's the fact that I have 4 20 foot beds over 3 feet wide almost fully infested with these "webs" which I believe belong to spider mites. at times I think they are spiderlings, but man is it hard to tell!!! These critters seem to be bigger than what I've read online about spider mites. I've also never seen any photos or references to spider mites OR spiderlings building webs and living IN THE BEDS. I'm guessing the only solution is to get predatory mites but I've also read that with such a large infestation, predator mites alone may not do the trick. Now I am stuck. I do not want to buy predatory mites and have them shipped to me here in HI only to find out my beds are far too infested for them to do any good. HELP!! any suggestions from anyone who has seen this type of webbing IN THE BEDS OF THEIR AQUAPONICS SYSTEMS!!??? I am at a stand still and am no longer planting seedlings until I have this pest situation under control.

@Faye.... I was thinking (hoping) that these were spiderlings as well, but the amount of web infrastructure seems crazy to be baby spiders. They are also very unorganized haphazard looking webs, unlike the typical spider web. Also, if this was a baby spider infestation, wouldn't the spiders be helping me take care of the other pests??

I'm not sure what these webs are from but I'm also not sure they are causing any problems so I'm going to suggest you work on identifying the ones you know are causing problems. Faye suggested aphid nymphs so I'm going to suggest using the chili garlic spray - the recipe is down the page on this link http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=7892&hilit=Chilli+spray+Abdul&start=555#p267402

If the webbing in the media bothers you, try physical means to destroy it that won't hurt the system. Flooding, spraying with water (non chlorinated or you can use some if the system is large), maybe even using a small propane torch passed quickly over the area (but not close to the plants). I'd repeat whatever method over a few days and then try replanting. Only downside is if these are preditors then they're helping to protect the system.

Cheers

i have had spider webs all through the surface of my bed media. as the webs were in/on the media i did not worry too much about it. we have a similar web structure on our soil here (pea gravel - looks like hydroton) and looks spectacular when covered in dew. anyhow the webbing in the beds only lasted a season and now i only see it in isolated spots.
i doubt very much that they are plant mite webs as plant mites feed on plants and would derive no benefit in having webbing in the media.

Try flooding a bed a bit higher than usual (say slightly above the media) and see if anything comes to the surface and/or moves on.

I have decided that I think the webs in my cinder beds are from spiderlings and not spider mites, only because I see little white egg sacs formed on some of the pieces of cinder, and from what I understand spider mites lay EGGS but not in egg sacs like spiders.. is this accurate? if it is, boy am I happy to not be infested with spider mites!

this is what i would have suggested too.

if they are spiders, why would you want them gone? they will help keep other bugs you dont want away.

sevin dust huh? a bayer product huh? you do know bayer wants to kill all of the bees and then you and your family.....

support them if you really want..... but.... well i wont say it as it will get me banned.

I'm quite sure that I don't have spider mites, but spiderlings. I've noticed little white egg sacs, like how spiders keep their eggs/babies on some of the cinder. from what I've read, if these web creatures were spider mites, they lay eggs but do not encase them in spider-like sacs. therefor- I think I have spiderling infestation and not spider mites. does this make sense to you experiences AP'ers? technically speaking then, if these are spiderlings, they should be helping me get rid of my other garden pests such as thrips and mites, if mites do exist in my system. What do y'all think about this? I can NOT find anywhere to purchase predator mites who will ship to Hawaii, which is where I live. so, I'm happy to think that these are spiders not spider mites. Please though, any opinions will help me!!!

If they are spider mites use spider mites predators after spraying water on leaves(no chlorinated) to knock down as many insects from leaves before applications, again it is kind of expensive, but mites kill our plants and they are constantly coming back. I have been facing this problem every year since I started our aquaponic system. This year all my cucumbers were ruin right before harvesting, they did not have a chance to grow. I removed the plants, but pest spread to green beans and tomatoes, so the soonest you treat the problem the better.

I had an infestation of every kind of pest on the past year and this doesn’t look like spider mites. I suggest to drawn them, It will help also to identify whatever is living in your media. I had an infestation of ants this summer, yes they were living in the media, I started with filling the beds above the media and leaving food for them with boric acid. It took me almost a moth to get rid of them. I tried DE around the beds, neem oil, ant bait,etc. I was a real battle, but I won.