I'm just reading this thread for the first time. I've never seen cyclamen mites but I, personally, see no reason to ever look to see them. They show themselves by their damage. On gesneriphiles, some years ago, someone posted that they searched and searched for them, and finally found them under the skin of the plant, inside rather than outside. I don't know if this is the case, but I certainly have heard lots anecdotal commentary that they are very hard to see with magnification. So, my methodology is to concentrate on damage, as that is much easier to diagnose. African Violets are notorious for cyclamen mite susceptability. A late friend of mine, who for a while was commercially growing mini violets, found he had to spray frequently to keep them under control, although thrips were probably even more difficult to control. Now, in a greenhouse mass-propagation situation bugs become much more of a chronic problem than in a small collection. They come back fast whereas in our collections we can get rid of them for a long time between infestations. But, what I have noticed, having a mixed gesneriad collection with a small part being AV's, is that cyclamen mite damage has always made itself apparent first with episcias. In fact I noticed that episcias will get quite a bit of obvious damage before I see anything on the violets. So, keep your episcias happy, so that when they get mites, you will be able to quickly ID the situation. Once you suspect or actually know you have an infestation, then treatment is simple and effective. I have had three or four infestations in the last five or more years. Each time I sprayed with one application of Avid, and had complete and lasting supression of the mites. The badly damaged episcias showed recovery by putting out new crowns from the axils of the leaves. Stolons sometimes were dead, and sometimes recovered. Violets that didn't show damage, did not later develop damage. They just regained normal vigor. I would go as far as to suggest, that if you think you have mites, you have two options. One--you can wait until you are certain that the conditions you are seeing are from mite damage, and then spray. This methodology will result in more damage, and a longer period for recovery; but it will teach you first hand what the damage looks like, and what the pattern of damage and time frame of development is like. Then, at least, the next time you will know more about what is happening with your plants--whether a problem is mites or something else. The second option is to spray if you suspect damage. Then if the problem continues you will know that it isn't mites. But, if the plants soon begin to show increased vigor, and lose the problem foliage that concerned you then you can suspect that mites might have been at fault. Either way, you will have dealt with mites and succeeded. I found Avid was very effective. It has an odor, that is apparent and not too dissimilar to some natural plant odors--Kohleria allenii comes to mind. It is something like the natural scent of Nematanthus albus too. It shouldn't be objectionable unless you are especially susceptable to changes in room odors. A small quantitiy of Avid will last a long time. One shouldn't need to use it very often (less than once a year, mol), and a quarter teaspoon will make a gallon, which is about four times + what one would typically need to treat two or three multi-level lightstands. So, that is my methodology, Jon

Nooooo - my guess is - he's not remembering correctly. Are the leaves serrated? re: Vegol from Lilly Miller: says 2% ratio - 4 teaspoons of concentrate with 1 quart of water or 2 fluid oz with 3 quarts of water. Apply 1 quart for 3 square yards. Repeat treatment in 1-2 weeks if needed. Shake while applying. No sulphur before or after for 30 days. Don't use above 90 or below 32. Don't spray tree and vine until daytime teps have warmed to a point above 35F and crops are free from moisture due to melting frost or heavy dews. Use after Oct 1 may increase the tree's susceptibility to cold damage. Says it's for dormant and growing season use. Kills eggs and stuff, too. I don't think you're imagining it. But are the leaves serrated? That will tell ya if it's a yellow. . . .

AS works great for SM. Its the broad mites now that I am after. Leaf curl and stem die back. When it is sprayed the leaves start to go normal but will go back to a curl on new leaves. Grrrrrrrrrr. I get tired of spraying. If I do nothing I can track their progression across the yard. They also are wind riders. I am going to try some horticultural oils mixed in between AS and spray everything including the neighbors yard. That is where they are coming from. I am a miteaphobe and have 0 tolerance for them. "- No highly effective miticides appear to be available, with horticultural oil the primary material present. Some combination products with acephate contain fenbutatin-oxide and can be used on outdoor ornamentals. A bit of dicofol/Kelthane remains on shelves. However, overall there remains a paucity of effective materials to control mites" "- A new systemic insecticide, dinotefuran, was found for the first time in two products. This is only the second neonicotinoid insecticide sold in this market, following imidacloprid" Imidacloprid will wack everything else but mites and good. Neonicotinoid, we banned nicotine but now make synthetic. Go figure. It is very good even on mealy bugs,and white flies so I hear. Now we are down to Oils or coatings AS and the new family of mectins the mother of the current $300.00 a pint miticides. Now that is way too expensive for commercial ventures and farming. The item designed as a wormer is the current hope on the horizon. The mectin patent has expired and now is generic. The Avids and Forbids are patented. Be so very careful if you use them. They have the capability to wipe out entire colonies of bee's and such. It is not a contact killer. Anything that touches can transmit enough of a dosage to kill an entire colony by casual contact over time. My vote is with the mechanical barriers and small amounts of oil. The oils are supposed to work on the soft body insects like mealy bugs and white flies. I have never used oil but it is already purchased. Any of you with oil experience fill me in. I am going by pure research. I would like to try some oil with AS in our winter months to see if it will combined work on broad mites.

Hi FT-Gardner: I wonder the same. I re-read the 1st link: http://www.naturescontrol.com/thripspredatormites.html The above link sells predatory mites but gives zero field studies on roses to back that up: "A. cucumeris is known to eat onion and flower thrips, as well as several mite species (including cyclamen mites, spider mites, & broad mites)." The below link sells 5 sticky blue-traps for $7 .. that's known to be effective in green-house. The problem with coating oil on a cup is it's not sticky enough.. I even tried STP oil, but that wasn't sticky enough to catch a large number of thrips. http://www.naturescontrol.com/stuff.html#bt Sticky Blue Traps Similar to the original Yellow Traps, but work on insects that are attracted to the blue portion of the color spectrum. Customers report success using Sticky Blue Traps against Thrips & Leafminers. Especially recommended for use on roses. **** From Straw: The first link is to sell predator-mites .. only proven effective in citrus thrips. I prefer the below UNBIASED link by University of CA Agricultural Extension, which stated tiny wasp eat 50% of thrips' eggs. I had seen bigger wasps in my garden chasing after flying thrips. Annual marigolds host wasp, an aggressive predator against thrips. I saw green lacewings on my yellow-Calendula (pot-marigold) perennial flowers. http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7429.html "Where thrips are a problem, learn whether that pest has specific natural enemies important in its control. For example, a minute pirate bug, Macrotracheliella nigra, and green lacewing larvae are important predators of Cuban laurel thrips. Euseius species mites are important predators of citrus thrips. With greenhouse thrips in Southern California up to 50% of its eggs are killed by a tiny wasp, Megaphragma mymaripenne. There is little research-based information on the effectiveness of releasing thrips natural enemies in gardens and landscapes. Releasing purchased natural enemies, in most situations, is unlikely to provide satisfactory thrips control." http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7429.html **** From Straw: I agree with the above, there's no point to buy predatory species if there's no plants to feed them. It's like folks buying ladybugs, but have zero perennials for ladybugs to hide and feed. In my 20+ years of growing roses, I never have thrip damage if a marigold is planted next to it. In my last house of acidic clay, I planted at least 2 dozen marigolds around the rose-garden, I meant to keep rabbits away, and never had thrip problems either: lots of light yellow and light pink roses. In my present house of alkaline clay, the years which I planted the most marigolds: zero thrips, even on Frederic Mistral rose (known as Mr. Thrip) .. those are the same years which I found wasp-nesting in every corner, including my out-door lights !!