ROOT APHIDS!

[Ameth]

So this problem has hit me, has anyone had them before? They seem to be a much more serious problem then any other pest.

[distracted]

I had to google them as never heard of them

Root Aphids



How to spot and organically control root aphids. A growing pest of greenhouse and garden plants.

Description
Root aphids — aphids that stay at or above the soil line — are from the family Phylloxera, a near-cousin of aphids. They are an escalating problem, especially among indoor growers, and spreading through parts of the country where they haven’t been seen before. They’re hard to spot and unlike small colonies of green and other aphids found on stems and leaves, root aphids are more likely to get out of control. They can multiply quickly, unseen, and sap enough vigor from your plants to kill them.
Because they’re small — about the size of a mite — and often colored to blend with roots and soil, Phylloxera is hard to spot. Often, growers will see the white, waxy material that the aphids secrete, a chalkier type of the honeydew secreted by other aphids. Their bodies are more pear-shaped than oval as are mealybugs. They’re about the same size or slightly smaller than stem-and-leaf aphids with shorter legs and antennae. They come in a variety of colors, including pink, but are mostly white and brown. They’re commonly confused with the larger mealy bugs, because of the white substance they spread. In their winged stage, they can be confused with fungus gnats. Like other aphids, they have small cornicals or “tail pipes” at the end of their abdomen which also distinguishes them from mealybugs.
Because of their size and below-soil habitat they can go unnoticed, even through one or more grow cycles. They can be spotted attached to the sides of grow cups when growers take the trouble to look. Root aphid damage is often mistaken for other problems, especially nutrient deficiencies. Plants that appear to be suffering from magnesium or iron deficiency should be checked carefully for root aphids.
In outdoor gardens, root aphids may be accompanied by ants. Once established in soil or hydroponic systems, root aphids are difficult to completely remove.

Lifecycle
Root aphids are surprisingly adaptable and their lifecycle can vary tremendously. They reproduce asexually during the growing season. Eggs over-winter in soil or, in warm seasons, are attached to leaves and stems above the root line where they hatch and fall to the ground. The aphid bores into the root, creating scars that leave plants vulnerable to mildew and disease. As infestations increase, “crawlers” will move up the stem to feed. Once a plant is nearly destroyed, some root aphids will develop wings that enable them to seek new plants to attack. In the fall, winged aphids, now male and female, mate in brush and trees and produce more eggs. Ants are known to carry aphids from exhausted plants to un-colonized ones.

Damage
Damage from root aphids is usually visible in a lack of vigor from plants. Withered, curled, and yellow leaves, similar to signs of nutrient deficiencies, appear and plants fail to reach the size of uninfested plants. Fruits and blossoms on aphid infested plants will be small, stunted, and generally less desirable as nutrition is siphoned away from them.
Attacks from root aphids can leave plants vulnerable to root rot, mildew, and disease.
Visible symptoms, like yellowing leaves, often lead growers to consider adding certain minerals, usually magnesium, to their nutrient mixture, often with no result.
In addition to greenhouse and garden perennials, various types of root aphids attack rice crops, the roots of a variety of trees including fir, walnut, and hickory. Root aphids can also cause problems for perennial herbs, including those grown in pots.

Root Aphid Control
Detecting the first signs of root aphids, especially when growing indoors, is crucial to saving your plants vegetating and fruiting abilities. At a certain point, usually sooner rather than later, affected plants and containers should be removed from the grow space completely and destroyed.
Waiting for fruits or flowers to mature in an attempt to save something of a crop is not advised. This only gives root aphids a chance to inoculate themselves into your entire grow area. It’s best to start over, sanitizing all containers and growing equipment that’s been used. Indoor growers should clean their entire grow space.

Indoor plants:

• Avoid importing soil or other growing medium of unknown origin into your growing space. Many nursery plants, especially those from large, commercial growers, have been found to carry root aphids and their eggs into green houses.
• Use yellow sticky traps across indoor grow spaces to discover signs of root aphids on the move.
• Pay careful attention to your plants. Roots that are visible in grow cups and other hydroponic methods should be periodically inspected. The small, usually white mite stage may be noticeable attached to the sides of grow cups, tanks and trays.
• Beneficial nematodes introduced to hydroponic solutions at the first sign of infestation may slow the spread of root aphids.
• When treating aphids in various indoor growing mediums, complete and thorough coverage of infected areas is critical to control. Submerge infested grow cups and root balls completely in a pyrethrum concentrate for a half-minute or more, gently swirling roots and medium to insure complete saturation.
• Remove badly infested plants. No orchid, no herb or flowering perennial is worth risking your other plants and the health of your entire grow space in an attempt to wait out harvest on an affected plant.

Dealing with root aphids, indoors or out, is an evolving and ever-changing set of practices. Don’t be tempted to use harsh, chemical treatments if you already have an infestation. A University of Maryland Cooperative Extension study conducted inside two greenhouses with root aphids on gallardia, aster and boltonia perennials found applications of Talstar (bifenthrin) and Marathon (imidacloprid) applied as a soil drench gave poor results. Keeping aphids out of your garden or grow space in the first place is the most effective practice. And with this problem spreading, it is becoming harder and harder to do.

[wildbill]

found this if its any help:

Root aphids

How can I eliminate an aphid colonization?

By Ed Rosenthal - Monday, June 2 2003

FOLLOW: ASK ED GROW TIPS GROWING PESTS

How can I eliminate or at least vastly inhibit aphid colonization? They are colonizing at roots on rockwool cubes exposed to the atmosphere.

Erich,

Guerneville, California

Root aphids colonize and suck juices from roots in many mediums including horticultural pebbles, rockwool and planting mixes. They are persistent, so it requires some discipline to eliminate them. There are several organic products that can be used without affecting the plant, the buds, or the safety of the buds for later human consumption. The first is organic pyrethrum. This is a natural insecticide gathered from a chrysanthemum-type flower. There are several brands of liquid concentrate. If pyrethrum liquid is not available at your local nursery or garden shop you can order it on the internet.

Botanigard is an insecticide that is composed of a living fungus, beauveria bassiana. This fungus seeks out aphids and infects them, causing death. Then it releases spores waiting for more victims. It also works to control whiteflies and thrips. You can order it at many garden stores or through garden websites on the internet.

Neem oil and citrus oil have also been used to kill aphids, but they sometimes affect the roots. Test them on a sample plant before using either of them in the garden.

The aphids should be treated every other day with a minimum of six treatments. Rotate the insecticides. Botanigard can be combined with pyrethrum. The neem and citrus oils can be mixed with each other as well as pyrethrum. The idea is to totally eliminate the pests.

If the plants are growing in a hydroponic system, rather than mixing the treatment in the reservoir, make a special batch of water. Turn off the hydroponic system and water the plants using a watering can. Let the insecticide water stay in the root area for at least an hour before turning the hydroponic unit back on.

Once the aphids are gone, it is difficult for them to reinfect. They were probably introduced to your garden by a new element such as a clone or infected planting mix.

from here http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2967.html

[uBercaMeL]

Hi @@Ameth Did you have any luck treating these?

[Aurora Ruderalis]

Sounds to me like these may be behind what a lot of folk think are cal/mag problems/deficiencies.....

I never remember such issues with calcium or magnesium deficiencies many years ago and with these little bugs on an upward trend it makes you think......

[uBercaMeL]

A few in the thread over on ic ('Fungus Gnats or WINGED ROOT APHIDS???') concluded as much.. Funnily enough I had been battling odd cases of leaf twist, hard-to-explain hunger and apparent mag def on a few plants in particular, and one which has been the most fussy lately also appeared to have the worst infestation when I did a potato test (put a piece of fresh tater on the soil-surface and leave for a few hours/overnight, most bugs will flock to it). I was just trying to gauge fungus gnat numbers but instead found loads of really small bugs I didn't recognize.. With a sinking feeling I remembered reading that thread earlier in the year (fungus gnat research), confirmed by the pics.. I don't seem to have any fliers, just loads of the 'crabs' stage. They really are very small, spidermite size but grey and in soil, proper camouflaged.. Also don't seem to have any in the coco plants yet (just fungus gnats ).. These (and most in that thread, page 12 has good pics) resemble the male nymph stage of Phylloxerra http://www.medillsb.com/ArtistPortfolioLarge.aspx?IID=108594&AID=6686 which isn't actually an aphid, but related.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylloxera (see 'fighting the phyloxerra plague' )They ruined most of the grape crops in northern europe 100 years ago, and they grow grapes in california, the suggestion is they've moved over to cannabis..

I root trimmed and repotted my worst affected mums and watered everything with Nemasys fruit & veg nematodes until good run off 2 days ago, and numbers seem to have dropped significantly (1 mature 'crab' on 1 slice vs loads of young and old on every plant in soil), but I can see these being borg-like (and many in the states are saying they are far worse!).. If they are phylloxera they have many different life stages and can birth eggs or live! Folks seem to say pyrethrins can work if used repeatedly, and imidacloprid should work with 1 or 2 applications, but I'd really rather not use either, especially the latter..

Some folk are claiming they can lay eggs in the buds

Edited January 12, 2016 by uBercaMeL

[Aurora Ruderalis]

Thanks @@uBercaMeL I feel all itchy now...

I reckon a few folks have had these and misdiagnosed the situation. Well done for restocking the flatland seeds bud. May have to make a donation to the site now I'm a lifer...

Sorry for the off topic bit folks...

[uBercaMeL]

For anyone else suffering these fuckers.. I checked the mums I treated with nematodes earlier, was spacing out looking at the surface of one pot when I realised it was shimmering in the light with the mass of RA covering it It's only 3x3" but must have had 10s of thousands visible. The other pots seem OK but will no doubt have a few.. Bit worried that a break and recloning all the mums into coco is going to be the only way forward (and then they might just decide they don't mind coco anymore). Tempted to try a plague of hypoaspis miles and maybe atheta coriaria (cool looking beetle things), though they are very expensive (especially if they don't work).

Going to borrow a macro lens and add some pics. I would highly suggest peeps doing the potato test if they think they might have bugs, especially sciarid fly, and especially if they get cuts from other growers, definitely if you've had any from the states..

[uBercaMeL]

Finally got around to taking some pics of these tiny pricks. Think these are mature examples of the 'tank beetle' form (I've had no fliers yet), and they are pale yellow/white when young, more like the pics posted earlier in the thread..

For scale the top of the 7 is ~4mm.

Zoom

Zoom

Silhouette showing the shape and antennae a bit better

Nematode (nemasys fruit and veg, work very well against sciarid fly/fungus gnats) treatments don't seem to do much, maybe slows them down a bit. Makes sense that they wouldn't work due to RA's myriad life cycles (they can give birth to nymphs, which the nematodes probably won't infect).

probably going to try Hypoaspis miles next, will update..

[uBercaMeL]

And to correct my previous post, it wasn't actually root aphids 'shimmering in the light' but the nematodes themselves (they appear to bury half their bodies in moist soil & coco, with the other half poking out the surface, very, very, small, barely visible to the naked eye. When you breath across the pots for instance, they all move as one, like a tiny mexican wave it's fucking freaky , highly suggest anyone who uses nematodes to try and have a look)..

[Guest jacks lad]

organic soap round the tray the pot sits in spray the floor spray the top soil blast any fliers that land, this will control till your grow is ready then clear your room and throw a bomb in. if they are in an abundance tap the pot on the floor then spray the shit out of them. 5ml 1lt

[zztopbudz]

Ive been using them large sticky yellow fly things.

Proper ones for the growroom, very handy to have even if you are pest free as they are attracted to the yellow and of course you have a visual record of whats in and around your pots and plants.

Often you might catch em on the traps before you even know they exist or have had a chance to damage your plants.

Then you can attack em early.

They do seem to like wet boggy, humid conditions.

zz

[uBercaMeL]

Pyrethrum bomb ya mean? Read very mixed results on those (with RA), has this worked for you? Not really sure I have that option anyway, I rent and don't wan't to poison my neighbours .

The problem is the mums in compost, they don't seem to get established in the flower tent (coco).. I might try taking cuts of all the mums and keeping them in pure fytocell (the manufacturer claims bugs can't live in it).

[uBercaMeL]

You defo on about root aphids? @@zztopbudz I use sticky traps for sciarid but unless you have RA fliers (a sign of a very bad RA infestation), which I don't, I can't see how they will help.. Conversely I've found they prefer compost with a wet/dry cycle (they seem to thrive in the dry part), as have many others.. Sciarid fly love wetness though, think you might be on about those..

[zztopbudz]

yeh man i think i defo had flyers, i had a couple of plants killed.

sorted now tho, was just saying its a lovely feeling seeing fuck all trapped on the sticky things, when in the past ive caught fliers when i had it bad.

Gives me confidence that im pest free, its a visual indicator, i like it

zz