Home | Community | Message Board


This site includes paid links. Please support our sponsors.


Welcome to the Shroomery Message Board! You are experiencing a small sample of what the site has to offer. Please login or register to post messages and view our exclusive members-only content. You'll gain access to additional forums, file attachments, board customizations, encrypted private messages, and much more!

Shop: MagicBag.co All-In-One Bags That Don't Suck   Unfolding Nature Unfolding Nature: Being in the Implicate Order   Left Coast Kratom Buy Kratom Extract   North Spore Bulk Substrate   Original Sensible Seeds Bulk Cannabis Seeds   Bridgetown Botanicals CBD Concentrates   Mushroom-Hut Substrate Mix   PhytoExtractum Kratom Powder for Sale

Jump to first unread post Pages: 1
Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
OfflineJanuaryWolf
JW
Female User Gallery


Registered: 01/04/15
Posts: 63
Loc: North Texas
Last seen: 5 years, 8 months
Annoying Insect Hiding in the gills
    #23655421 - 09/18/16 11:45 AM (7 years, 5 months ago)


I've got these mini earwig looking insects that are infecting my fruiting mushrooms. I caught a bunch by touching them and holding a sticky trap underneath when they drop. Any clues on what they are and any success stories on getting rid of them. Thanks!

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Offlinekatbusa
TC Enthusiast
 User Gallery

Registered: 02/19/13
Posts: 172
Last seen: 6 years, 6 months
Re: Annoying Insect Hiding in the gills [Re: JanuaryWolf]
    #23655667 - 09/18/16 01:08 PM (7 years, 5 months ago)

Looks like you might have an infestation of springtails. Hard to see them but it looks like them.

To kill them some places say to use a diluted mixture of malathion which super nasty stuff. I would in no way spray pesticides on mushrooms to eat.

What I do know about springtails is that they love fungus. They are super tough and hard to get rid of.

If you have them the best way to get rid of them is to not fruit any more in your grow room. Clean the room out thoroughly. Then treat the entire room with pyrithrin. Wait a few days and treat the room again. Once everything is dry move your new crop back in.

To prevent springtails make sure everything is pasturized correctly. Keep a clean grow area. Do not keep old spawn and casing in the same room. Keeping traps like you have around is a good idea as well.

If you keep things clean they shouldn't come back.

Edited by katbusa (09/18/16 01:22 PM)

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineJanuaryWolf
JW
Female User Gallery


Registered: 01/04/15
Posts: 63
Loc: North Texas
Last seen: 5 years, 8 months
Re: Annoying Insect Hiding in the gills [Re: katbusa]
    #23655811 - 09/18/16 02:02 PM (7 years, 5 months ago)

I wish I could get a better picture, but my camera won't focus that close. They might be springtails.
I'm thinking about options, and going to see if catching as many as I can and physical removal will knock them back enough to save this crop. I'll also hold off on putting new substrates in. I would never dream of spraying something dangerous in my fruiting chamber. Anyway, dammit.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Offlinekatbusa
TC Enthusiast
 User Gallery

Registered: 02/19/13
Posts: 172
Last seen: 6 years, 6 months
Re: Annoying Insect Hiding in the gills [Re: JanuaryWolf]
    #23656949 - 09/18/16 08:35 PM (7 years, 5 months ago)

Good luck man. I havent had them on mushrooms yet. I worked in the plant business for a while and we would get them here and there. When I first saw your pictures I was like "wtf why in the hell are thrips on mushrooms" then realized they were too big.

Keep in mind that some pesticides are "systemic" and or persistant. Thats why I recommended Pyrithrin. It is a persistant pesticide but it isnt nearly as persistant as a vast majority of pesticides and readily breaks down. Hince taking multiple applications to get the job done.

Some other methods that are organic in nature. First one is upping CO2 levels could cause them to go away. High enough CO2 can kill them. I have heard of people nukeing stubborn mite infections on plants by rigging up a trash can and pumping in CO2 to replace the air and letting it sit for a few hours.

There is also the smothering option. Mix water with a little vegtable oil and spray when ever you see them. The oil will attach to and kill them via asphyxiation.

I still think your best option is to get through the current flush your in. Heavily clean your grow area and hit it with two treatments of pyrithrin to kill the adults and eggs. Then to wait a few days after the last treatment and start a new flush of mushrooms.

So that you know. Pyrethrum and pyrethrin are the natural forms and break down faster than their synthetic Pyrethroid counterparts which can linger around for a week or more. You can find these products at hydroponic stores.


Good luck amd keep us updated.

Edited by katbusa (09/18/16 08:37 PM)

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineJanuaryWolf
JW
Female User Gallery


Registered: 01/04/15
Posts: 63
Loc: North Texas
Last seen: 5 years, 8 months
Re: Annoying Insect Hiding in the gills [Re: katbusa]
    #23659028 - 09/19/16 02:54 PM (7 years, 5 months ago)

Thanks for all the good info.

I snapped a picture of the culprits under the microscope in hopes to identify them, they are not springtails because they can fly (poorly, they are slow in the air). I'm still researching what these tiny insects are.



I had adjusted my settings to increase fresh air exchange and their population seemed to explode.

I have removed all my older substrates and harvested all mushrooms. Although I do have a lot pinning.
I tried vacuuming them up, and that worked just as well as tapping on them and catching them in a sticky trap.

My husband sprayed spinosad on everything, so I'll see how that goes.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineJanuaryWolf
JW
Female User Gallery


Registered: 01/04/15
Posts: 63
Loc: North Texas
Last seen: 5 years, 8 months
Re: Annoying Insect Hiding in the gills [Re: JanuaryWolf]
    #23659035 - 09/19/16 02:57 PM (7 years, 5 months ago)

Info on Spinosad: After ingesting Spinosad, insect pests die within 1 to 2 days. Will NOT persist in the environment and is classified as an organic substance by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP).

So I don't think it will kill me if I eat these mushrooms.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineTira
I'm a teapot


Registered: 11/20/10
Posts: 1,202
Loc: Turkey
Last seen: 6 years, 4 months
Re: Annoying Insect Hiding in the gills [Re: JanuaryWolf]
    #23662487 - 09/20/16 05:43 PM (7 years, 5 months ago)

I'll just leave this here


--------------------
Useful Links for Beginners

The Basics              AMU Teks

Frank''s Teks          Agar

Noob Forum Reccomended Teks

Agar for guaranteed spawn,
Proper pasteurization for guaranteed substrate.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineJanuaryWolf
JW
Female User Gallery


Registered: 01/04/15
Posts: 63
Loc: North Texas
Last seen: 5 years, 8 months
Re: Annoying Insect Hiding in the gills [Re: Tira]
    #23665002 - 09/21/16 12:57 PM (7 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

Tira said:
I'll just leave this here




:hug: Thanks, I had read this, but I reread it and you've help me figure out what they are! Using the last image i googled synacra and found another image of the beetle, that linked me to the article that exclaimed what they were.

They are ROVE BEETLES and they eat fungus gnats.
Article Page 5 writes about this insect which is sold as a biological control.

The chapter on contamination in GGMM explains, how keeping tree frogs in the fruiting chamber controls fly/gnat populations, and I recall I had swept some resident spiders that were hatching out and several spider egg sacs a couple days before these numbers of beetles increased. The spider and the beetle must compete for gnats and knocking the spiders back increased the beetle numbers. I've been trying to remove the beetles and only have managed to knock them back to seeing 2-3 bugs on a mature cluster of mushrooms vs about 10 beetles. So I suppose I should be grateful for these rove beetles keeping my fungus gnat population down and stop trying to kill them. Maybe I should allow the spiders come back so that there are less rove beetles crawling all over the mushrooms while still keeping my fungus gnats population under control.

:breakthrough:

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineTira
I'm a teapot


Registered: 11/20/10
Posts: 1,202
Loc: Turkey
Last seen: 6 years, 4 months
Re: Annoying Insect Hiding in the gills [Re: JanuaryWolf]
    #23665376 - 09/21/16 03:17 PM (7 years, 5 months ago)

Glad to be of help .) If I were you I'd stop growing for a while after your current grows and use some insecticide on that place.


--------------------
Useful Links for Beginners

The Basics              AMU Teks

Frank''s Teks          Agar

Noob Forum Reccomended Teks

Agar for guaranteed spawn,
Proper pasteurization for guaranteed substrate.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineJanuaryWolf
JW
Female User Gallery


Registered: 01/04/15
Posts: 63
Loc: North Texas
Last seen: 5 years, 8 months
Re: Annoying Insect Hiding in the gills [Re: Tira]
    #23665944 - 09/21/16 06:35 PM (7 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

Tira said:
Glad to be of help .) If I were you I'd stop growing for a while after your current grows and use some insecticide on that place.



Thanks for the advice, but I disagree, there is a door to outside and things are going to get in no matter what. It's an environment for things to grow and if I wipeout the ecosystem that is establishing, then the first thing that will come back is fungus gnats, then spiders and these rove beetles. I would prefer to have these beneficial insects around keeping my fungus gnat population down. I am going to be more diligent about removing my retired subs, I've been trying to get a third flush and sometimes a fourth. But with the problems that come with old substrates and the weakness of their fruitings I don't think it is worth it anymore. I will be more diligent about cleaning the floor and wiping down the walls, and keeping yellow sticky fly traps up. The mushrooms remain undamaged, I was just unsettled on seeing so many insects on my fruiting mushrooms. This issue is manageable and it wouldn't make sense to put my production back or sterilize the room.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Jump to top Pages: 1

Shop: MagicBag.co All-In-One Bags That Don't Suck   Unfolding Nature Unfolding Nature: Being in the Implicate Order   Left Coast Kratom Buy Kratom Extract   North Spore Bulk Substrate   Original Sensible Seeds Bulk Cannabis Seeds   Bridgetown Botanicals CBD Concentrates   Mushroom-Hut Substrate Mix   PhytoExtractum Kratom Powder for Sale


Similar ThreadsPosterViewsRepliesLast post
* A Spider in the incubation room. What?
( 1 2 3 all )
pftek 2,716 42 03/29/09 09:40 PM
by Fryer Mike
* outdoor grow, insecticide? ipickPA 716 7 05/27/05 08:31 AM
by shroomaker
* Insecticidal Soap and casings GnuBobo 2,409 3 05/05/05 12:39 AM
by GnuBobo
* mite-like insect invasion indianfarmer 1,130 6 10/29/01 01:03 PM
by indianfarmer
* Outdoor Patches and Insects *DELETED* oneducktwoducks 1,326 12 05/24/05 09:59 PM
by deanofmean
* insect foggers Psychoslut 767 8 02/12/03 04:36 PM
by Psychoslut
* stick insect to myc contamination, this possible? Piccas ikkes 1,104 6 02/01/09 12:10 PM
by birdisaword
* Insects & Outdoor Cultivation Question GoodbyeOrb 1,194 9 06/22/07 11:48 PM
by RogerRabbit

Extra information
You cannot start new topics / You cannot reply to topics
HTML is disabled / BBCode is enabled
Moderator: Shroomism, george castanza, RogerRabbit, veggie, mushboy, fahtster, LogicaL Chaos, 13shrooms, Stipe-n Cap, Pastywhyte, bodhisatta, Tormato, Land Trout, A.k.a
700 topic views. 20 members, 138 guests and 63 web crawlers are browsing this forum.
[ Show Images Only | Sort by Score | Print Topic ]
Search this thread:

Copyright 1997-2024 Mind Media. Some rights reserved.

Generated in 0.023 seconds spending 0.007 seconds on 12 queries.