SPIDER MITE INFESTATIONS IN CANNABIS CROPS
The cannabis industry in the United States is a quickly growing field, and even as it struggles through legalization, regulation, and distribution uncertainties, it faces a group of much more immediate and devastating problems as well. The combined issue of pest and fungal infestations threatens to destroy a large percentage of cannabis crops before they can be harvested, putting entrepreneurs in danger of losing their investment before their cannabis plants ever make it to market.
Spider mites on cannabis plants are one of the most common and harmful pests that appear in grow rooms. Once they begin colonizing a cannabis crop, laying eggs, and propagating, it is very difficult to get rid of them for good. While aphids and other insects also pose health threats to plants as they grow, spider mites are particularly destructive, and growers have had a difficult time finding solutions that are effective yet also safe for humans and plants.
Why Do Spider Mites Attack Cannabis?
Spider mites are very small–in fact, nearly too small to be seen without magnification. Despite their small size, however, the impact of spider mites on the plants that they colonize is huge. They are not insects but arachnids, and like their close relatives, spiders, spider mites also spin webs. These webs are one of the important warning signs that plants are suffering an infestation of spider mites, and they can themselves harm plants by collecting dust, mold/mildew spores, and other contaminants. Spider mites are extremely common on plants of all types, but in most cases they go unnoticed. In cannabis crops, however, they tend to concentrate and inflict heavy losses.
The primary damage inflicted by spider mites on cannabis crops, however, is direct feeding on leaves. When thousands or millions of mites attack the leaves, they wither and die, potentially destroying a cannabis harvest. If left untreated, spider mites multiply very quickly, exponentially increasing the damage done to the plants.
Like many of the pests and fungi that plague cannabis grow rooms, spider mites thrive in warm conditions. This means that young cannabis crops are very attractive to mites, which are small and light enough to float through the air until they land in a favorable feeding and breeding environment. This means that growers must always be vigilant and take measures to prevent the colonization of their crops by invading spider mites.
