CLOSED: lots of little bugs and eggs on underside of tomato leaves

Good Evening,

I have a basement container garden, I'm growing a bunch of vegetables and herbs. The other day when I was inspecting the tomato plants I found some weird looking eggs - at least, I thought they were eggs - so I pulled off the infected branch and stuck it in a jar. Two days later I shot some more photos and the things I thought where eggs were actually something which is laying massive amounts of round, translucent eggs. I attached the second of the photos; if anyone feels it helpful I'd be glad to upload the other images I've shot of the infestation. I'd appreciate any help; there are a large number of plants growing downstairs and I'd like to nip any sort of a harmful insect infestation in the bud. No puns intended. :)

Brian

Post as many pictures as you think might be helpful - these look awfully small, though. I'm guessing some kind of scale insects.

These also could be mealy bugs (family Pseudococcidae) - see http://207.5.17.151/biobest/images/plagen/pWolluis.jpg for an image. In any case, applications of an insecticidal soap may help.

Looks like two spotted spider mites to me. http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/orn/twospotted_mite.htm
If you can get them out of the basement, I would spray them with water several days in a row. Spider mites don't like wet... Spray up under the leaves.

attached is another photo of the infestation - one more to follow.

Another one.

Still look more like mealy bugs than spider mites to me...

Twospotted spider mites. :-) Even the eggs look like the eggs of twospotted spider mites.
http://ipm.uiuc.edu/fieldcrops/insects/spider_mite/index.html
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef310.asp
http://www.virginiafruit.ento.vt.edu/Strw2Spotted.html

Brian, is there any webbing on your plants?

In that second photo, the insects to the left look very much like white fly nymphs. I wonder if you have more than one problem.... Have you seen any tiny white flying insects - especially when you disturb them by hitting the leaves?

I think this photo will be the one to solve the mystery...

I forgot to mention - there's some sort of a waxy substance on the bottom of the jar where they're living now. I thought it was something I did, maybe squish the eggs when I transferred them, but the patch on the bottom of the jar is getting bigger.

ceejaytown,

No, there aren't any flies which buzz around when I move the leaves - I've been dealing with some fungus gnats, but they're not so bad. They're pretty easily controlled with these yellow sticky mats I picked up, they're attracted to them like magnets. And I can't see any webs of any sort - if these guys were spider mites would they be spinning webs in the jar?

I really appreciate all the help, guys, thanks!!

Brian

Aha!! Psyllids!! http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/Pests/psyllids.htm

Whew......

Good job, ceejaytown! For some reason, I forgot all about psyllids as a possibility.

ceejaytown,

Success!! Thank you very much...I am glad you have identified it but I am not very happy to read: "This insect is very tough to control with anything." I destroyed the plant they were living on - I'll have to watch the other plants like a hawk. I really appreciate your diligence, and so will the plants and my stomach when I eat them. :)

Until we next meet,

Brian

Brian - I used to live in Denver and remember that we picked our tomatoes about September 10 and took them to the basement to ripen. We'd have a freeze soon, and then the weather would get beautiful again, but the garden would be black and mushy. But I never grew them in the basement! You must have quite the light set-up. What else do you grow?

Suunto - I didn't think of them either - I was so durned sure those were spider mites!! Until they started maturing. Just haven't seen much of them here... Thank goodness!

Good luck, Brian!

ceejaytown,

I put in a 1k watt high pressure sodium/metal halide combination - an Eye Hortilux bulb, it puts out more light in the green-blue spectrum. I figured it would do for mostly leaf crops and herbs, a couple of shrubs, but I think I'm going a bit out of control - right now I have planted:

lots of herbs: oreganox3, basilx5, lavender, sagex2, chives, rosemary
2 beefstake tomato plants
a lemon tree/bush,a kumquat tree/bush
8 different kinds of lettuce/salad greens
baby pam pumpkins!
There's stuff growing in the germination chamber too - minuza, some other salad greens (man do I love fresh salad :]) peppers, 2 other tomato plant types, and cuttings from the two tomato plants out front.

My entire basement is empty, so why not put it to some good use? This is week six, no major problems so far except the flaky plants I bought from the nursery. Fungus gnats took over for a bit until I got some sticky mats, now they're not a problem at all. I've even got a worm-r-ator - a big organic composting bin, going in the basement as well. I had started all this out with a big raised bed out front, but now the zucchini is taking over, and it's locked in a battle with two big tomato plants. If I can control the environment well enough, especially the insects and the humidity, then I'll expand it out and fill up the rest (this project is taking up only about 1/4 of the basement. I'm a software engineer; this project really appeals to my technical nature, in my approach to solving the various problems with having a soil garden in your basement.

With all my food allergies and sensitivities it makes good sense to grow all the vegetables I'll ever need. I find it oddly fulfilling taking care of these plants and learning how to properly grow them. My brother has been doing it for years - not growing in the basement, but having at least a container garden and has been trying to get me to do it. I understand where he's coming from now; and cooking with fresh herbs and eating fresh lettuce is downright addicting. You can even taste the vitamins in the lettuce!

Anyways, I've talked too much I get pretty excited about all this I can't shut up once I start. Thanks again for your help, it's another weapon in my arsenal against the bug horde.

Brian

This message was edited Jul 31, 2008 8:15 PM

I'm excited for you! And I hope it all works just like you want. That sounds like one huge basement! I wonder if you'll need a dehumidifier to keep the walls from molding...Maybe not in Fort Collins, if it's anywhere as dry as Denver is.

Thanks, ceejaytown. I'm pretty excited as well. With a little luck and a lot of hard work it will turn out great and really produce. I think I will need a dehumidifier - I have a temp/humidity sensor and the humidity gets up to 51% or so during the day. That's way too high for my tastes - do you know what a good humidity for growing plants is? I was thinking around 30%. Normally it's 19-24% outside.

30 - 50% humidity is normal for indoors. I don't know what plants need, but it seldom gets below 50% relative humidity around here and tomatoes do fine.

claypa,

I'm more concerned about molds and fungi growing in other parts of the basement as a result of the high humidity. The humidity out front is normally 25%, and the tomatoes do fine. Though, I do water them all the time. But, will the high humidity in the basement adversely affect the beams in the ceiling/living room floor? There's not alot of really mature plants down there right now, so the humidity will only increase and will probably be around 70% when everything is big and loaded with fruit. The lemon tree just bloomed, it looks really cool. Only three months...90 short days...then oooh mama...ohhh mama....ooooooh mama (a little Tommy Lee Jones as the psycho assassin dude in Under Siege). More seriously, I'm in the dark with alot of this I don't know many people who have put a garden in their basement. Pretty fun stuff!!

Brian

You have low humidity in your basement as basements go, at 50% - not even close to "high humidity"

50% relative humidity or more is probably what most basements everywhere have, Colorado is exceptionally dry - if the air gets wet enough it will condense somewhere, but probably on the coldest surfaces like the floor and any other masonry surfaces, not the beams or floor joists. It's worth keeping an eye on in the long run, though. You will see moisture on the joists long before anything like damage can occur.

I never saw Under Siege,( I just can't abide that Steven Seagal guy), but I get excited about plants and trees too! You might ask around on the other forums about the kind of intensive indoor setup you have, maybe the hydroponics forum.
ps I had a lot of fun in Ft. Collins, what I remember anyway.