Use of high-pressure water spray to dislodge spider mites, aphids, small caterpillars and other pests from host plants has long been suggested as a “non-chemical” or “organic” method of pest control (Meyer and Stone 1989):
Giving infested plants a good, hard hosing down will dislodge many insect pests, particularly aphids, thrips and various caterpillars. Plants should first be inspected to confirm the target pest (p. 69).
Accomplishing this method of pest suppression, however, is not as easy as it sounds. The water pressure in College Station (pressure of water coming out of the end of a hose) is 90 to 100 pounds per square inch (Water Department, College Station, TX, pers. comm.). Merely using ones’ thumb on the end of the hose to produce a high pressure spray can produce a high pressure spray, but using that method to dislodge arthropods (insects and mites) may or may not work in certain situations. Control of the spray is difficult and too much force can shred or otherwise damage plants.
Several hose-end attachments are commercially available that are promoted to be capable of dislodging arthropods like spider mites from plant foliage such as roses (Fig. 1). However, most hose-end attachments available at retail outlets product sprays are either too low in pressure (i.e., Dramm 30 Inch Rain Wand™ (Dramm, P.O. Box 1960, Manitowoc, WI 54221), too fine (i.e., Dramm Fogg-it Nozzle Model C-610 Fine Volume 1 GPM manufactured by Fogg-it Nozzle Co., P.O. Box 16053, San Francisco, CA 94116), or produce too much pressure and volume (i.e., Twist Nozzle manufactured by Gilmour Manufacturing Co. Somerset, PA 15501) to be useful for dislodging arthropods on herbaceous plants. Most of these attachments do not have the length or 90 degree angle for the nozzle(s) to spray the underside of leaves within a plant’s canopy to reach insect and mite harborage sites.
Close-up
Fig. 1. Water Wand for Spider Mites
(top) and Jet-All Water Wand (bottom).
Two wands that work well to dislodge small insects and mites are as follows:
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- Water Wand for Spider Mites (Fig. 1) manufactured by Cecil Stokes 150 Lowe Drive Mabank, TX 75156-8926 Telephone: 903/451-2027 E-mail (theroseman@gbronline.com) The price is $26.50 and with the T-Handle $31.50. The Wand comes in 50 inch, 42 inch, 36 inch.
This device attaches to your water hose with Gilmore metal on-off valve and has a 1/8 inch diameter galvanize tape-wrapped tube, with rubber handle. The Spraying Systems Co. D7 brass cone-type nozzle is directed at a 90 angle from the tube.Usage notes: This device allows spraying directly upwards from 1 3/8 inches from the ground (the height of the nozzle). The spray is a course, hard spray from a single cone-type nozzle. The device is easily controlled (Fig. 2).
- Water Wand for Spider Mites (Fig. 1) manufactured by Cecil Stokes 150 Lowe Drive Mabank, TX 75156-8926 Telephone: 903/451-2027 E-mail (theroseman@gbronline.com) The price is $26.50 and with the T-Handle $31.50. The Wand comes in 50 inch, 42 inch, 36 inch.
- Jet-All Water Wand (Fig. 1) available from Kimbrew-Walter Roses (Jack Walter, 2001 Van Zandt, Co. Rd. 1219, Grande Saline, TX 75140, 903/829-2415; FAX: 903/829-2415): This device attaches to hose with a Gilmour plastic on-off valve quick coupler (female) adaptor. It has a 1 inch diameter aluminum tube with a molded plastic handle. A Lessco 3/4 inch poly-vinylchloride (PVC) adaptor connects the aluminum tube to a curved piece of PVC pipe, the end of which is fashioned with 3 fan-type plastic nozzles directed 90◦ from the end of the curved PVC pipe. The total length of the Jet-All is 55 inches.Usage notes: Due to the curved PVC pipe at the nozzle end of this device, spraying directly upwards can not be accomplished less that 3.5 inches from the ground. However, holding the device at an angle does allow spraying from close to ground level. The three nozzles put out more spray volume than the Water Wand, but was found to be harder to control and carefully direct the spray (Fig. 2).
- There also is a new wand that is called MITEYFINE that works well. Sprayers can be purchased online at the following website: http://miteyfine.com/home.html.The other two sprayer models may no longer be available for purchase.
Fig. 2. Demonstrating use of Water Wand for Spider Mites on tomato (top and bottom left), and home-made Jet-All Water Wand used to spray roses (bottom right).
In trials conducted to evaluate these “Water Wand” devices (Drees and Leroy 1991, Drees 1991), they were found to effectively reduce small arthropods from plants sprayed. These devices, and perhaps others (see Organic Gardening: 1) May/June issue 1995, p. 15; 2) May/June issue, p. 68; and, 3) June/July 2004 issue, page 13), use nozzle that produce a fine, even spray with enough force to dislodge small soft-bodied arthropods like spider mites and aphids. Home-made version have been constructed using nozzles sold for pesticide application soldered onto copper tubing attached to a hose.
Use of these devices would be compatible with biological control programs to dislodge pests before natural enemies are released. In addition, water spray treatments may be capable of removing the sugary honey dew emitted by sucking insects deposited on leaves and objects before it is colonized by black sooty mold.
Many factors affect the success of using high pressure sprays for arthropod control including water pressure. Control of host-specific arthropod pests in sites where there are no neighboring host plants is optimum. If pests being dislodged are merely “blown” from one host plant to another, the population may not be reduced and can actually be spread. This was observed in one trial where two-spotted spider mites were removed from snap peas in a home garden and later found infesting nearby tomatoes (Drees 1991). When dislodging non-host specific arthropods like spider mites, dislodged mites may land on neighboring plants which are suitable alternate food sources. This did not occur, however, when treating host-specific arthropods like crape myrtle aphids or where care was taken to direct the spray away from other suitable host plants as was the case in a miniature rose trial.
Plant canopy density also affects ability to spray undersides of leaves. They provided maximum suppression on open canopy type plants. For instance, plants such as spinach where leaves grow in a fashion similar to roof shingles can present a serious challenge to spray “coverage”. Similarly, plants with low-hanging leaves and ground vines may be difficult to spray. Finally, multiple sprays, started when pest populations are first detected can provide optimum prevention of high populations using high pressure water sprays.
Acknowledgments
The author is grateful for review of this manuscript by James Reinert and Thomas Leroy.
References:
Drees, B. M. and T. R. LeRoy. 1991. Evaluation of alternative methods for suppression of crape myrtle aphids, p. 21-22. In Upper Coast 1990-1991 Entomological Result Demonstration Handbook, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas A&M University System, 46 p.
Drees, B. M. 1991. Suppression of two-spotted spider mites with high pressure water sprays, p. 23. In Upper Coast 1990-1991 Entomological Result Demonstration Handbook, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas A&M University System, 46 p.
Meyer, A. and P. Stone (Eds.) 1989. The Healthy Garden Handbook. A Fireside Book, Simon & Schuster Inc., New York, 192 p.