Thanks so much! Honestly you could probably skip the pollen entirely and just use yeast. For some of the cotton pads I've harvested I've just been stacking them in a plastic container with a few holes (no added water, just keeping them in 65+ humidity in my greenhouse cabinets). I've been throwing yeast in when it seems like they've eaten most of it and that seems to working.

@@gennasplants awesome thanks!

🙏🏻❤️

It should

Yes, it works with any mite that is a generalist predator and/or that eats pollen. You can't keep them together or they will eat each other.

Ohhh what a nice and quick answere ❤ thank you! Do i ned one cotton per plant or will they spread over multiple plants if i keep them together? And i heard some outdoor plants could help too like lavender, catnip and citronella to keep the preditors out. Did you try something like that?

@gjannabananahammock1263 They will spread as long as the plants are touching and the humidity is high enough. I've never tried using lavender etc but there is research out there about using essential oils for pest control.

Thanks so much 🙏🏻

I'm glad! That one is Solanum uleanum and it's fantastic in a terrarium but can grow in lower humidity too. I don't have a fogger, just a misting system that came with a timer (I think I liked it in the description.) I keep a sheet of clear plexiglass on the top to keep the humidity high between mistings. Hopefully that makes sense

@@gennasplants thank you!!

Dainty tree frogs are so cute! I'm sure your tank will turn out amazing 😁

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed 🥰

So glad you enjoyed! Yes I've learned my lesson using plants that are too big haha. I'm always on the hunt for tiny plants!

That's unfortunate! Are there different types of mites available where you live or you can't get beneficials altogether? I'm sure there is a way to collect native mites, I just don't know much about it

@@gennasplants there are no companies who deliver beneficials to where i am. I am like on the other side. But then if there was i would have gladly paid to buy them and would not need to breed them. I could ask a friend coming from abroad but i am not sure how long they can stay in transit without the population dying out. It might take 3 days for the friends to get it to me from the day they receive it. Do you think it is possible that they survive this while?

Glad you found it helpful! They should be separated as they're both generalist predators and will end up eating each other

That's great!

Couple things probably going on here... it's not ideal to have multiple mite species together because they end up eating each other instead of your target pest. Persimilis also don't work with this method since they need to be raised on spider mites. Thrips could be attracted to the pollen, and they make good food for cucumeris and swirskii mites so personally I wouldn't throw them out. But are you 100% sure they're thrips? Could they be something else, like rove beetles? Thrips tend to stay on plant foliage.

@@gennasplants thank you. I figured they would eventually outcompete each other. I got the mixed species because I wanted quick results for my infestation and wasn’t sure if I had spider mites or thrips. To your point, I wouldn’t do mixed species again for the purpose of breeding. I’ll probably allow my mystery cultures to continue since I do see some mite activity in most of the cultures. If my plants show signs of pests again, I’ll start again with species-specific cultures. For now they’re doing a little better :) I’m honestly not sure what the “long bugs” are. They are very small, black, maybe twice the size of a mite. They’re slender and can fly. I will be getting a microscope soon to try and identify all of my little dudes. If they are thrips though, I’ll probably throw them out. I don’t want to keep introducing them to the plants.

Yay! The cotton balls should work just as well 🤞🏻

I'd say just try it and see! The mites just need fibers to lay their eggs on so it depends on the texture of the cotton you have, but I think it would work. The pebbles seem like a good idea too!

You can keep them in sphagnum if you want, although I wouldn't recommend it if you're using a self-watering pot

I really hope you can beat the thrips!

@@gennasplants I feel like this will be successful. I have been using the Mammoth to keep a lid on populations. I didn't expect my mites until next week so last night after finding a few Larve on a plant I resprayed with mammoth. Well...my mites are coming today. I have a 50,000-tube coming and the supplies for my cultures too! I guess I am going to make cultures to save the mites for a week or so and hopefully start my mite farm at the same time. By doing this I can introduce the containers to the plants a few at a time. I have some ideas for a design for the mite tray that will be a 3d print file. it will be sort of like the plastic piece in a pizza box with a small rim around the edge to keep things in the top. Wish me luck on my 95.00 investment! Thanks again for your assistance.

@RonBailey-sw3nl Let me know how the 3D print file goes, I'm sure there are others who would be interested!

Will do on the 3d printer file. Got my bugs today. the box and tube were smashed a bit, and the ice packs were very warm. I dumped container and even with my magnifier I didn't see anything moving. I contacted seller. They say they guarantee live bugs. Hopefully something good will happen.

They are replacing my order, yay! I am using the order I have to make cultures. The tube has a lotta stuff in it. I made 18 Petry dish cultures, 2 shoe box size cultures and a full size tote culture and sprinkled all my wifes plants outside. I dont see mites, but I do see eggs. I may have more than I bargained for, but if I don't have a thrips or spider mite issue again I will show my mites lots a love.