Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible

often, the larvae pupate inside the host’s body and emerge as adults.

Spiders are predatory and eat other insects. If you see a spider in the garden, let it help you!

Young spider mites, adults, and eggs are visible in this photo.
    Parasites, unlike predators, hunt until the prey is almost eliminated. Predators choose to be surrounded by prey. When prey population starts to diminish a little, predators move on to find a nice, fat infestation. They never truly eradicate the pests. This is why predators work best for preventative control, but are slow to stop an infestation.
    The rate at which the predators and parasites keep the infestation in check is directly proportionate to the amount of predators. The more predators and parasites, the sooner they will get infestations into check. Predators and parasites outbreed their victims, reproducing faster than pests are able to keep up with.
    One of the best places in the country to buy predatory and parasitoid insects is from Nature’s Control, Medford, Oregon. Check out their very informative web site at www.naturescontrol.com . This supplier gives advice and supplies specific care and release instructions. Nature’s Control has a good predator and parasite supply and can ship year round. Predators and parasites are shipped special delivery and may arrive after the daily-mail delivery. Make sure to pick them up as soon as they arrive. Do not let predators sit inside a mailbox in the hot sun. It could easily reach 120°F (49°C) or more!
    When predators and parasites are introduced into a garden, special precautions must be taken to ensure their well-being. Stop spraying all-toxic chemicals at least two weeks before introducing the predators. Pyrethrum and insecticidal soaps can be applied up to a few days before, providing any residue is washed off with fresh water. Do not spray after releasing predators and parasites.
    Predators and parasites survive best in gardens that are not sterilized between crops. Gardens with perpetual harvests are ideal for predators.
    Most of the predators and parasites that do well in an indoor HID garden cannot fly. Insects that can fly often head straight for the lamp. Ladybugs are the best example. If 500 ladybugs are released on Monday, by Friday, only a few die-hards will be left. The rest will have popped off the lamp. If using flying predators or parasitoids, release when it is dark. They will live longer.
    Predators are most often very small and must be introduced to each plant separately. Introducing predators to a garden and plants takes a little time and patience. Predators also have veryspecific climatic requirements. Pay attention to the predators’ needs and maintain them for best results.
Spider Mites and Insects
    Here is one of the best web sites I have found that describes insects. They have excellent photos of all pests and predators that attack marijuana: http://vegipm.tamu.edu/imageindex.html
Spider Mites
    Identify: The spider mite is the most common pest found on indoor plants and causes the most problems. Spider mites have eight legs and are classified as spiders rather than insects, which have six legs. Find microscopic spider mites on leaf undersides sucking away life-giving fluids. To an untrained naked eye, they are hard to spot. Spider mites appear as tiny specks on leaf undersides; however, their telltale signs of feeding-yellowish-white spots, stippling–on the tops of leaves are easy to see. Careful inspection reveals tiny spider webs–easily seen when misted with water–on stems and under leaves as infestations progress. A magnifying glass or low-power microscope (10-30X) helps to identify the yellow-white, two-spotted brown or red mites and their translucent eggs. Indoors, the most common is the two-spotted spider mite. After a single mating, females are fertilized for life and reproduce about 75 percent female and 25 percent male eggs. Females lay about 100 eggs.
    Damage: Mites suck life-giving sap from plants, causing overall vigor loss and stunting. Leaves are pocked with suck-hole marks and yellow from failure to produce chlorophyll. They lose partial to full function, and leaves turn yellow and drop. Once a plant is overrun with spider mites, the infestation progresses rapidly. Severe cases cause plant death.

Spider mites cause stippling, small spots, on the top of leaves.

This is the worst spider mite infestion I have seen!

Remove leaves with 50 percent or more damage.
    Controls: Cleanliness!