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edgar1337
Professional Moron

Registered: 10/07/20
Posts: 102
Last seen: 3 years, 1 month
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Why the f do I have tiny spiders attacking my cacti? What should I do?
#26996703 - 10/21/20 04:41 PM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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Last night I noticed there was barely visible, tiny little webs inbetween the spines and thorns of my T. Pach and Bridgesii cacti. Upon closer inspection I noticed a very tiny little spider, its abdomen and body morphology was akin to a mite. I killed it and moved the cacti.
Today, the little ****ers are back, and I found TWO on a single cactus, just chillin on their little webs. Some cactus have white spots/tiny callouses up and down the spines, so it seems like the spiders are eating it or something.
Does anyone have solutions for this? I tried taking a pic of the spider but it was too small for camera to focus on it. I googled and found a host of conflicting and contradictory answers. Some guides advised spraying it with isopropyl alcohol, which seems like a terrible idea.
Are there any method to get rid of "cactus spiders" without damage the plant?
-------------------- "Mistakes are, after all, the foundations of truth, and if a man does not know what a thing is, it is at least an increase in knowledge if he knows what it is not." -Carl Jung "The current state of knowledge is a moment in history, changing just as rapidly as the state of knowledge in the past has ever changed and, in many instances, more rapidly." -Jean Piaget
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hummingbird

Registered: 06/29/14
Posts: 2,134
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Re: Why the f do I have tiny spiders attacking my cacti? What should I do? [Re: edgar1337]
#26996810 - 10/21/20 06:19 PM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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You have spider mites it sounds like. Since they only really attack the growing tips IME, I've had really good success sprinkling diatomaceous earth on the tips for mites.
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Pandemoon
Ἧeẍeᾐmeḭsṫeŗ ͛


Registered: 01/28/14
Posts: 5,845
Loc: Europe
Last seen: 7 hours, 37 minutes
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Re: Why the f do I have tiny spiders attacking my cacti? What should I do? [Re: hummingbird]
#26997561 - 10/22/20 09:11 AM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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Yeah, spider mites. Damn little fuckers, hard to get rid of.
Kill them with ethanol, or iso-alcohol. A q-tip soaked in everclear will do it, or spray the alc directly on the tips, it won't harm the plant but kill the mites.
Good luck! 
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Mateo
High on LIFE!



Registered: 06/24/11
Posts: 2,689
Loc: North Europe
Last seen: 3 years, 3 months
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Re: Why the f do I have tiny spiders attacking my cacti? What should I do? [Re: Pandemoon]
#26997792 - 10/22/20 11:45 AM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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Spidermites are the worst of them all, at least for me. Very hard to get rid of. But Trichocereus cacti usually seem to be better off than other plants and cacti. Spidermites hate getting misted by water but that usually isnt a good way on cacti. Try the diatomaceous earth and alcohole treatments suggested above. Insecticidal soap and pyrethium works good on many bugs but spidermites are hard to get rid of indoors. Outdoors, natural predators seem to keep them away and they usually doesnt become a big problem. One can buy predatory mites that kill the spidermites and then dies, but they are little hard to get and sometimes expensive. There is also high chance some spidermites survive somewhere and after some time they are back again. They are truly evil, hard to get rid of bugs.
-------------------- A wise rat has many holes
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