Paging gardening nerds

[LAN]

I'm so pissed off! I started corn, sunflower and sweet pea seedlings. They were moved outside, doing great, and then I noticed that they all became infested with bugs. They're about the size of a pinhead, rust brown/blackish colored. I've put out some ladybugs, sprayed insecticidal soap each week, but they keep coming back.

Any idea what the hell they are and how I can get them to go away?

[Viva]

Flame thrower. Very effective in my experience.

[LAN]

Ah ha! I think those little fuckers might be spider mites?

[lobstahmeatwad]

I think you might be right. Any webbing? probaly not.
Rather difficult outside definately a multi pronged approach.
1. Insecticidle hot and spicey soap and pyritherin(in most insecticidle soap or natural pesticide)
2. Benificials-integrated pest management
Lots of things eat spider mights.
Do they look like mini spiders? Could be somthin different but this approach can be applied to any pest, you just have to be dilligent.
An infestation of possible spider mites outside, you most have put your garden right next to a nest or somthin.
Just don't kill your benificials with the soaps.
compressed air works daily as management.

OR MALATHION, kills everything including YOU

[LAN]

I actually just noticed last night that a small tree in our front yard has lots of white stuff on the underside of the leaves and little clear "globes." I did a google search and they look exactly like the spider mite eggs. This tree is about 10 feet from the row of sweet peas.

Since part of the "crop" is corn, I'd prefer not to use something toxic. Is it possible to make my own insecticidal soap? I've been using that "Safer" stuff that they sell at garden stores.

[MeatPuppet]

I've heard good things about this guy. My parents are into the whole organic everything approach and they use a lot of his recipes with good success.

The site has a wealth of information.

The Dirt Doctor


Spider Mites

[runethechamp]

Check out this site as well. Lots of good info there: http://www.fagerlund.addr.com/