Black and white dots that move!

Discussion in 'Pests, Diseases and Cures' started by Trisha, Jun 13, 2005.

  1. Trisha

    Trisha Apprentice Gardener

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    Hi
    my lovely indoor pepper plants (bell) which i have been growing on my window sill have been doing really well. they are my 1st attempt at growing anything!
    They are 60cm tall, lushious and leafy...
    except.....
    today i saw Black and white dots that move all over some of their leaves (mainly underside). :( these dots are so so tiny i thought it was black dust from the local railway i live beside!

    There are also very fine webs at the corner of the stems. :confused:

    what are these things? How do I treat my lovely plants?
    Please help!
    Trisha
     
    Trisha, Jun 13, 2005
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  2. pete

    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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    It sounds like red spidermite or scale insect.
    The webbing suggests redspider but they are not black, they're yellow with black spots, and you need a hand lense to see this ( I do anyway).
    Scale insect crawlers are black and move pretty fast. Try a serch for both on google.
    pete
     
    pete, Jun 13, 2005
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  3. Trisha

    Trisha Apprentice Gardener

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    Hi Pete
    I'm sure your right about the spider mite. I did some google research and all the symptoms fit...(scale i.c doesn't match)

    Am going to try the popular "ice cold shower" + "soapy wash" attempt at getting rid of them....

    Do you have any idea if I can use any form of household soap? I know it has to be mild...
    Trisha
     
    Trisha, Jun 13, 2005
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  4. Marley Farley

    Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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    :( Hi Trisha, It definately sounds like spider mite. Do you have small spots on the leaves that make them look mottled too? I spray with ice water late at night & leave them in a cool place for the night, I do this for 3 nights then wait 1 week & repeat. This seems to get rid of them. They do not like cool damp conditions. Also wash down the window & window sill with hot soapy water to get rid of any there, they do not fly they crawl. :( :( :D Good luck :D
     
    Marley Farley, Jun 14, 2005
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  5. Trisha

    Trisha Apprentice Gardener

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    Thanks.
    I did the ice water thing last night and left them in the cool and dark.

    There were still some creeping around this morning on the plants......and one was running around like mad on my window sill looking for its mates!

    I will do repeat as you say for several nights...

    Am glad I don't have to buy any sprays....as i don't want to use any toxins etc..

    b.t.w. I heard something about garlic juice working for bugs and spider mite...
    I always thought that was sposed to be for vampires!
    Mind you these little critters bite and suck too!LOL

    will let you all know how it goes :)
    cheers
     
    Trisha, Jun 14, 2005
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  6. Marley Farley

    Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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    :D :D Keep it up :D :D
     
    Marley Farley, Jun 15, 2005
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  7. Trisha

    Trisha Apprentice Gardener

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    Hi all
    for the benefit of anyone reading in the future I've got another "cure" which came from an Italian organic farmer!
    Soak 10-15 garlic cloves in a litre of water for 2 days and then spray.
    ...and a slightly less organic cure (and probaly less smelly) is a teaspoon of washing up liquid in a litre of water.
    I'm going to try both as the little creatures come back to life when the sun comes out!
    (not like vampires after all!!)
    :)
     
    Trisha, Jun 19, 2005
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  8. Bayleaf

    Bayleaf Gardener

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    Bayleaf, Jun 20, 2005
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