Successful growers have told you what works for them to control mites. More than one has mentioned Shultz three in one, which is available in the US. If it is available in Canada, you might try it. The experienced growers here have always been only helpful, and have no reason to lead you astray. It sounds like you want someone to make your decisions for you. You are too mature for that.
It is possible to heat treat your bulbs,but you most likely, could forget about blooms this year,after you did.
Heat treating, without machinery, would involve having a large mass of water,such as a fourty gallon laundry tubfull,for just a few bulbs. You would need a very accurate thermometer,such as those used for photography darkroom baths. The cheapest I've ever seen was over twenty dollars. You would need several quarts of extra boiling hot water and ice cubes to bring the temp up and down,by small amounts.You also have to stir constantly. It is possible to do,and it gets easier to do,each time,but oh,what a job,when a poison would have worked.
Wringing your hands and doing nothing won't kill any mites.
I'm sorry about your brothers destructive behavior. Sometimes kids do that when they're jealous and want the attention you're paying to other people and things-like Hippeastrum. I had a brother who like to torment me, in ways like that too. Good luck in making a decision and following through with some action.
Del

If you haven't even tried Schultz's 3 in 1, how do you know it doesn't work???

Doing nothing will not help your plants. When you have mites, you must act quickly before they multiply and completely destroy your plants.

Mites are insects. Heat treating is NOT the prescribed method for eradicating insects. Without the proper equipment, you stand a chance of losing your bulbs to this method, which is not the correct method for insect control, in the first place.

Since mites WILL respond to a chemical eradication, I would definitely use a spray to kill the adults, repeat the process to kill what hatches in the interim, and also use a systemic for future prevention.

If Schultz isn't a brand name sold in your area, then go to your local garden center and find a brand of insecticide that eliminates mites.

ANY small insect will respond to a decent treatment with a proper insecticide, including mites, scale, mealy bugs, thrips, white fly, etc... and as you spray, IT WILL SEEP DOWN BETWEEN THE LAYERS of the bulb and help to kill anything hiding. It will kill any bugs on the leaves, the scapes, the bulb, between the layers, and the soil surface. A repeated application will kill anything left behind.

The longer you wait, the more problems you will have! What, exactly, are you waiting for? You told us about this issue quite a while ago... and we answered your question. We gave you options, we told you what we use for the same problem... and these are tried and true methods!

And I can tell you, without a doubt in my mind, that Schultz's 3 in 1 spray absolutely DOES work! How do I know? Because I have eradicated several different mite and insect issues using it, so I know it works.

If you don't want to use that brand, choose another one. It doesn't really matter... what matters, is that the chemical you choose should be rated to kill mites. Read the labels.

I would not blame seed pod loss on mites so quickly... my thought is that since you haven't done anything yet, the issue either isn't that bad, or you're not telling us the whole story... in which case, the pod loss more likely a genetic issue. Seed pods stop growing and abort all the time, for no apparent reason.

It's very simple, Phil... if you don't trust our judgment, then go to your nearest garden center or greenhouse and ask them what they would recommend for eradicating mites on indoor plants. The longer you wait, the more problems you will have. We have helped you as much as we possibly can... the rest is up to you. You have to choose to give a spray a try, or choose to ask a professional in your area.

I do hope you take our advice... or find someone else that can help you... good luck with your plants... and good luck with your brother!

Phil,
Hang in there! You're only 16 and life is handing you some lemons right now. Between the mites, your bratty brother, school and just dealing with teen issues, I'm pretty sure you are so frustrated you don't know where to turn. Been there bro!!

So, really, the miticide product like Schultz's would be a good starting point. I succesfully did the hot water treatment and you can do a search for it on this forum. I used the Veronica Read book and followed it to the letter. You have sooooo many bulbs that you would have to treat your bulbs on a large scale basis...keeping the water at the right temperature for the entire time of treatment is critical or else you have just wasted your time.

I did a quick search for systemics and found this website: http://www.ohp.com/Company/Newsletter/Winter09/kontos.php
They talk about a systemic. There's are other products that are fumigants and I'm guessing both of these would take care of mites that are hanging out in the soil between snacking on your bulb.

Phil, do you know an adult that can help you in your area? Do you have a good biology teacher that you could talk to, or maybe someone at the local nursery? They may be willing to help you find the right product and even help you with the process.

I just found a great article and the author is in Canada. Phil, you could write him an email. If you'd like my help, please email me directly and I can help you with the wording, since you need to be really clear and tell him the problem (don't wander into the crosses you are attempting, etc...just stick to your problem with mites). You need to write him a note that is mature and not filled with emotion. This could be a great opportunity to work with a professional in the area, but you have to rise above your current crisis and deal with Dr. Isman on a really mature and professional level.

Let me know if I can help.
Kristi

Here's the author's contact information. GOOD LUCK!

Tel.: +1-604-822-2329; fax: +1-604-822-8640; email: murray.isman@ubc.ca

The title of his article is "Plant essential oils for pest and disease management" and it was published in the journal Crop Protection

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T5T-41J6698-D&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1112389957&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0amp;_userid=10&md5=d58744020bfe865f14d7d8fbf0fd779c

Murray B. Isman,

Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of British Columbia, Suite 248, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4

Schultz's 3 in 1 is not available in Canada and there really is not any substitute for it even if some companies call their product by a name ending with "3 in 1". They may be tried, may be with success, but they are not the product available in the USA.

Most provinces have imposed a ban on any and all pesticides of all kind for home use, except for some less polluting and also less efficient products (insecticidal soaps, etc.) I don't know if this is the case in the province where you live.

Products like Captan and Malathion for example can't be bought in stores by a home gardener. I you can get a permit from the government with proper justifications and you really need to have many and very good reasons, you may be able to get some, but then again, you will have to prove that you know what you do, that you have the proper equipment to apply the product, etc, etc. In a word: forget it!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Schultz's 3 in 1 is made out of neem oil. This oil is unavailable in Canada.

You talk about aborting seed pods. You mentioned in a couple of other posts that you are trying to cross hosta with amaryllis and several other far fetched crosses. I'm sorry to disillusion you as I will, but such crosses are just impossible to succeed, your chances of a seed pod aborting are 200%. Very sorry to put it that way, but these are facts.

Hope you find a solution, I'm sorry not to have any sure thing to propose, but try the soaps that are available to you, and look the combination of product that will best deal with your situation. Good luck!

Laurier

Phil-
Are you able to take a picture of these bugs? The "little white bugs" you mention do not sound like mites. Also, be aware that mites are not insects: mites are 8 legged creatures in the arachnid class, along with spiders and ticks.

I think you need to identify what the bugs is that you have. I do have some bulbs which have mite issues, but those mites are microscopic and can't be seen with the naked eye. If you have such a large bug and it is as destructive as you describe (nearly as bad as your brother) my guess is that it isn't a mite.

Can you take a picture of this creature? If so post it here and in the "pests and disease" forum. That will go a long way towards solving your problem. Keep your spirits high!
Good luck!
Sally

Just to complete my post above...

There is one thing that we forgot from the beginning. Before thinking of treating a plant for anything, the problem should be positively identify so we can apply the best possible treatment.

Phil, you say that you have mites, but what you describe hasn't much to do with what you say it is, so your pest has to still be considered unidentified, therefore, no really suitable treatment can be suggested.

As someone suggested, an in focus picture that you take would be needed. An out of focus picture is useless. If you are unable to supply this picture, I suggest you search the Net to find a valuable picture that would best represent what you see in your home and tell us where we can see this picture if you can't add it to you post.

It will be very hard to REALLY help you as long as we don't see clearly what you are seeing.

Laurier