Bugs, Bugs, and more Bugs!

FudogNinja · 02-12-2009, 12:09 AM

With my Chinese Elm dropping its leaves I have been able to take a much closer look at its branches. In doing so I noticed very tiny white, what appears to be spiders, making themselves right at home spinning their webs all over my precious Elm. I was wondering what the best solution was. Do I spray it with an insecticide? if so what kind works best without harming the Elm? Any thought would be much appreciated, Thanks!

philgrayser · 02-12-2009, 06:48 AM

Hi there, If it is spiders on your bonsai they wont harm your tree at all as they only eat other insects, they do not eat or damage trees in any way. It actually sounds like a type of spider mite you have. Does the leaves of the tree have tiny white spots on them? is the tree getting ill if so it is definately a spider mite of some sort as they make webs just like spiders.

The mites suck all he goodness from the tree through their leaves , hence the little white spots, in turn they transmitt viruses to your tree when they feed that is why the tree gets ill.
Any good garden centre should have the appropriate type of insecticide for this type of problem. Best to use half strenght (to make sure the chemical does not harm your tree by burning the new shoots), and spray your tree every 4-5 days to get rid of all mites and eggs. cheers Phil

FudogNinja · 02-12-2009, 12:21 PM

Thanks Phil, the tree has been dropping leaves and is down to about 1/3 of its canopy now. The leaves do not appear to have any white spots but have been turning yellow before falling off. I assumed it was just going dormant thinking it is fall. Could these two be related, the leaves dropping and the spider mites? I will get some insecticide and see how that works.

tombeur · 02-17-2009, 02:06 PM

Try this....

CARL'S SOAP SOLUTION!

INGREDIENTS
Water
Dish Detergent
Rubbing Alcohol

DIRECTIONS
Fill a gallon jug with water and add one (1) or two (2) tablespoons of dishwashing detergent and one (1) tablespoon of vegetable oil (or Neem oil). Shake up the gallon jug to mix the ingredients.

Fill this solution from the gallon bottle into a spray bottle and just before using add 1 to 2 two caps full (from the rubbing alcohol bottle) of rubbing alcohol and spray immediately. If you do not use the full bottle of spray, I suggest the next time you are going to use the soap/alcohol solution add the same amount of rubbing alcohol again, since the alcohol will evaporate. I store this soap/oil solution in the gallon jug for months on end. It does not seem to go bad.

Spray on plants covering all leaf and stem surfaces. You may have to spray from three to four times with intervals of three days. I have eliminated almost any kind of pest that has attacked my trees, including scale.

I do not wash off the spray and have seen no adverse reaction to the trees from this mixture.

Carl L. Rosner

02-12-2009, 12:09 AM	#1 (permalink)
FudogNinja Student of Zen Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Jefferson City, MO Zone: 5b Posts: 21	Bugs, Bugs, and more Bugs! With my Chinese Elm dropping its leaves I have been able to take a much closer look at its branches. In doing so I noticed very tiny white, what appears to be spiders, making themselves right at home spinning their webs all over my precious Elm. I was wondering what the best solution was. Do I spray it with an insecticide? if so what kind works best without harming the Elm? Any thought would be much appreciated, Thanks! __________________ "If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?" – Dogen ”To know you have enough is to be rich.” – Tao Te Ching

02-12-2009, 06:48 AM	#2 (permalink)
philgrayser philgrayser Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Scotland Posts: 120	Re white spiders Hi there, If it is spiders on your bonsai they wont harm your tree at all as they only eat other insects, they do not eat or damage trees in any way. It actually sounds like a type of spider mite you have. Does the leaves of the tree have tiny white spots on them? is the tree getting ill if so it is definately a spider mite of some sort as they make webs just like spiders. The mites suck all he goodness from the tree through their leaves , hence the little white spots, in turn they transmitt viruses to your tree when they feed that is why the tree gets ill. Any good garden centre should have the appropriate type of insecticide for this type of problem. Best to use half strenght (to make sure the chemical does not harm your tree by burning the new shoots), and spray your tree every 4-5 days to get rid of all mites and eggs. cheers Phil

02-12-2009, 12:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
FudogNinja Student of Zen Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Jefferson City, MO Zone: 5b Posts: 21	Thanks Phil, the tree has been dropping leaves and is down to about 1/3 of its canopy now. The leaves do not appear to have any white spots but have been turning yellow before falling off. I assumed it was just going dormant thinking it is fall. Could these two be related, the leaves dropping and the spider mites? I will get some insecticide and see how that works. __________________ "If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?" – Dogen ”To know you have enough is to be rich.” – Tao Te Ching

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02-17-2009, 02:06 PM	#4 (permalink)
tombeur Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Ottawa, Canada Zone: 5a Posts: 7	Try this.... *CARL'S SOAP SOLUTION!* *INGREDIENTS* *Water* *Dish Detergent* *Rubbing Alcohol* *DIRECTIONS* *Fill a gallon jug with water and add one (1) or two (2) tablespoons of dishwashing detergent and one (1) tablespoon of vegetable oil (or Neem oil). Shake up the gallon jug to mix the ingredients.* Fill this solution from the gallon bottle into a spray bottle and just before using add 1 to 2 two caps full (from the rubbing alcohol bottle) of rubbing alcohol and spray immediately. If you do not use the full bottle of spray, I suggest the next time you are going to use the soap/alcohol solution add the same amount of rubbing alcohol again, since the alcohol will evaporate. I store this soap/oil solution in the gallon jug for months on end. It does not seem to go bad. Spray on plants covering all leaf and stem surfaces. You may have to spray from three to four times with intervals of three days. I have eliminated almost any kind of pest that has attacked my trees, including scale. *I do not wash off the spray and have seen no adverse reaction to the trees from this mixture.* *Carl L. Rosner*

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