HotShot No Pest Strips work great for spider mite control!

I just had my first bout with spider mites. While watering my beautiful Mango mother I noticed about 6-7 bottom leaves that were about 10-15% infested with mites. I freaked out and called my buddy. He calmly told me to relax, go to Lowe's and buy a $4 Hotshot No Pest Strip, hang it in my garden, and call him in a week to thank him.

6 days after first seeing the mites and hanging a NPS in my garden, ALL MITES ARE DEAD! NO SIGNS OF SURVIVORS!

I feel sorry for all the people that choose to wage an expensive, time consuming war with these little bastards. It's so simple with the no pest strips. To hell with all the hippie crap that just pisses them off.

But, I should also say that you should use this product with caution. I don't think you should use NPS past the 3rd week of flower. If that is your situation then go for the Azamax/Azatrol (supposedly a 100% sure thing that is organic, but expensive). I think it is very important to wash the chemicals off all the leaves after putting a NPS in your garden. You should not keep a NPS in your garden for preventative maintenence IMHO. I think it should be used for one week upon first site of mites (spider mite eggs hatch in 3-4 days), and then placed in a ziplock bag until it is needed again. The one time I went into my mother's room this week without a dust mask, I definitely came out light headed, and I don't think it was the trainwreck I smoked earlier in the day.

By the way, for those that have never heard of this product, these AREN"T the sticky strips that you hang, they look like air fresheners and they emit an odor. Here is a pic of them in the packaging: http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/shop_image/product/0f0818dfa8465ae344d0510a59f12db6.jpg

Yea, they do work well...

guerrilla, have you seen any negative effects on your plants from using this product?

stopcallingmedude said:

guerrilla, have you seen any negative effects on your plants from using this product?

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Nope! They actually look better than ever right now. I hung the strip 12" above my infested mother for 6 days, took the pest strip out, and sealed it in a ziploc bag for later use if ever necessary. Then I took ph'd water and sprayed the leaves very well and wiped them off with a clean hand towel. IMHO this is the way these things should be used. You don't need 5 of them in your room when you first notice the mites and are freaking out, and you don't need one in there 24/7 for preventative. Also, BE SURE TO TURN OFF YOUR VENTILATION! These wont work with your fans on, there needs to be very little air movement so that the odor permeates the room. Try them, respect them, things will be fine.

Keep in mind that these strips are not safe for consumption (It should mention that right on the packaging, to induce vomiting if it ingested), and that it vaporizes and the chemicals DO get on the plants... Whether that makes them grow better or not is irrelevant, what is important is whether or not the end user gets sick.

For spider mites there are a series of options such as ladybugs, sprays like Doktor Doom, etc. that are tested and guaranteed to be safe to use on crops that are intended for human consumption (fruits, vegitables, and in our case flowers).

Additionally, wiping leaves off does not remove any residue from the vapor within the buds... Unless you are able to somehow find time to wipe off every look piece of the bud, inside and out.

Keep in mind, some people are hippies and have a hypersensitive reaction to chemicals. If you are one of these sickly people you should probably avoid Hot Shot No pest strips. However, if you are a normal person and can leave your house without wearing a dust mask, and don't fear breathing city air and auto emissions from cars on a daily basis, then you shouldn't fear this product. Hot shot no pest strips are the #1 way to combat almost any indoor garden pest, especially mites, gnats and thrips. They are the cheapest and work great. Hang 1 NPS for every 200sq ft of garden space for a week or two and all bugs will be dead, guaranteed. Get them, use them, love them, save money, to hell with neem oil, foggers and other annoyers!

GrowTech said:

Keep in mind that these strips are not safe for consumption (It should mention that right on the packaging, to induce vomiting if it ingested), and that it vaporizes and the chemicals DO get on the plants... Whether that makes them grow better or not is irrelevant, what is important is whether or not the end user gets sick.

For spider mites there are a series of options such as ladybugs, sprays like Doktor Doom, etc. that are tested and guaranteed to be safe to use on crops that are intended for human consumption (fruits, vegitables, and in our case flowers).

Additionally, wiping leaves off does not remove any residue from the vapor within the buds... Unless you are able to somehow find time to wipe off every look piece of the bud, inside and out.

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He is right. I think on the package it has some warnings about all this stuff too. I would never use the hot shot strips. Stick to the basic yellow sticky paper. Or use Vaseline and yellow construction paper and make your own.

GrowTech said:

Keep in mind that these strips are not safe for consumption (It should mention that right on the packaging, to induce vomiting if it ingested), and that it vaporizes and the chemicals DO get on the plants... Whether that makes them grow better or not is irrelevant, what is important is whether or not the end user gets sick.

For spider mites there are a series of options such as ladybugs, sprays like Doktor Doom, etc. that are tested and guaranteed to be safe to use on crops that are intended for human consumption (fruits, vegitables, and in our case flowers).

Additionally, wiping leaves off does not remove any residue from the vapor within the buds... Unless you are able to somehow find time to wipe off every look piece of the bud, inside and out.

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He is right. I think on the package it has some warnings about all this stuff too. I would never use the hot shot strips. Stick to the basic yellow sticky paper. Or use Vaseline and yellow construction paper and make your own.


Shit I have a bottle of dr. doom. That shit looks scary!!! Looks like a can of raid to me!! I have used it with no ill effects though.

BasementGuerrilla said:

Keep in mind, some people are hippies and have a hypersensitive reaction to chemicals. If you are one of these sickly people you should probably avoid Hot Shot No pest strips. However, if you are a normal person and can leave your house without wearing a dust mask, and don't fear breathing city air and auto emissions from cars on a daily basis, then you shouldn't fear this product. Hot shot no pest strips are the #1 way to combat almost any indoor garden pest, especially mites, gnats and thrips. They are the cheapest and work great. Hang 1 NPS for every 200sq ft of garden space for a week or two and all bugs will be dead, guaranteed. Get them, use them, love them, save money, to hell with neem oil, foggers and other annoyers!

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how do you know they are the #1 way? you said you had your "first bout with spider mites". you said you called your buddy and he said to get NPS. you said "6 days after seeing the FIRST mites" they were all gone.


you have never tried anything else. you have nothing to compare to. so how can you be sure these are the #1 way?

just wondering.

BasementGuerrilla said:

Keep in mind, some people are hippies and have a hypersensitive reaction to chemicals. If you are one of these sickly people you should probably avoid Hot Shot No pest strips. However, if you are a normal person and can leave your house without wearing a dust mask, and don't fear breathing city air and auto emissions from cars on a daily basis, then you shouldn't fear this product. Hot shot no pest strips are the #1 way to combat almost any indoor garden pest, especially mites, gnats and thrips. They are the cheapest and work great. Hang 1 NPS for every 200sq ft of garden space for a week or two and all bugs will be dead, guaranteed. Get them, use them, love them, save money, to hell with neem oil, foggers and other annoyers!

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do you work for them?

Sounds like it huh.

fdd2blk said:

how do you know they are the #1 way? you said you had your "first bout with spider mites". you said you called your buddy and he said to get NPS. you said "6 days after seeing the FIRST mites" they were all gone.


you have never tried anything else. you have nothing to compare to. so how can you be sure these are the #1 way?

just wondering.

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Hahaha, +1 on that.

Smokey95033 said:

Hahaha, +1 on that.

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I've used these strips too and they do clear out the bugs real quick. Can't comment on mites, but they killed my fungus gnats quick. Damn things dropped right outta the sky soon as they smelled the shit.

Have heard however, that they are not good for your plants. Definetely don't use during flowering, and only put them there if you see bugs around otherwise they might be doing more harm than good. They also carcinogenic, so don't stay in the same room with them emitting their "harmless, odorless vapor" for too long.

Shit works real well, but I wouldn't bask in the scent all day if you catch my drift and value your non-cancerous self.

Generally a mite infestation shows itself in flower.

peteman990 said:

Definetely don't use during flowering, and only put them there if you see bugs around otherwise they might be doing more harm than good. .

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tilemaster said:

Generally a mite infestation shows itself in flower.

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If so, do what you gotta do. Was just saying that cause i'm sure you wouldn't want NPS residue in your buds that you are going to inhale.

Why risk it. There are so many different types of organic pest control.

Sooo what can you use for flowering? that docter doom stuff looks good....

BasementGuerrilla said:

Keep in mind, some people are hippies and have a hypersensitive reaction to chemicals. If you are one of these sickly people you should probably avoid Hot Shot No pest strips. However, if you are a normal person and can leave your house without wearing a dust mask, and don't fear breathing city air and auto emissions from cars on a daily basis, then you shouldn't fear this product. Hot shot no pest strips are the #1 way to combat almost any indoor garden pest, especially mites, gnats and thrips. They are the cheapest and work great. Hang 1 NPS for every 200sq ft of garden space for a week or two and all bugs will be dead, guaranteed. Get them, use them, love them, save money, to hell with neem oil, foggers and other annoyers!

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The Hot Shot No Pest Strip is made with "Dichlorvos." This ingredient is very toxic, and is not recommended for use around pets or humans. I don't know if you've read the toxicological profile for Dichlorvos, but based on the information in it, I am 100% happy that I no longer have these things around my home. Not to mention the vapor that was distributed onto my buds... Fortunately none of it was smoked, otherwise I might consider a check up to make sure I don't have any weird things like whats listed in the profile if you search for the page numbers listed in the screenshot below:





Either way... I don't think I would want any of this stuff on my thread... Hippie or not, people deserve clean smoke - not more crap covered in chemicals... What's so medicinal about the herb if it's covered in deadly chemicals?

Sorry if I did anything to damage the point you're trying to make about how great they work for spider mite control... I just think peoples health is a little bit more important.

Oh yeah, and if that's not bad enough... Just read the toxicological profile to hear about the animal testing they did for this product on rabbits and whatnot. That's some pretty messed up stuff...

Most of the bunnies died before they were given an opportunity to grow long enough to test if this product will cause cancer in the animals