Hi Pat,

Thanks for sharing your photos. I also purchased several bulbs from the big W in there 'Exotic' series. This particular one is Gran Cru and it appears to be emerging with similar looking traits to what I see in your photo. I will be so disappointed if it is ruined...

Here it is:

{{gwi:375633}}

If it is infected with mites, must I just pull it out and toss it or try to remedy it with spray? I certainly don't want something spreading around!

-Frank

Frank, the bulb can be rescued by applying a spray with systemic properties. The treatment should be repeated every weeks until the further growth out of the bulb looks uncontaminated.

Houstonpat, I am still unable to perceive the "insects" you mentioned. Of what color are these, did you say?!

Patrick and Frank thank you for the photos. I find them very educational. I also had trouble locating the insects.

Patrick, what are the differences between Charisma and Showmaster. I have Charisma but have only seen photos of Showmaster.

Hans, I use Bayer 3 in 1 systemic as a preventative on newly purchased bulbs. It includes imidacloprid would this work against this type of mites?

Imidacloprid is systemic but it has (officially) NO miticidal properties. It is for example not used against spider mites!

However, one member of my German forum (Exotenforum) succeeded in rescueing her Kalanchoe daigremontianum which were obviously seriously infested by tarsonemids and she attributed that to treatment with Imidacloprid.

Hans-Werner!

Thanks for passing that along. Kalanchoe daigremontianum is hardy here, and every morning and afternoon, I have been watching one of them preparing to bloom. This morning, I spotted the blooms, and what a pretty site they are! They are outside.

They say that they are hardy only to zone 9b, but there they were, in a huge pot and somewhat protected by asparagus ferns and blooming petunias.

I was thrilled to see that the hard freeze of recent days did not kill the plant or the flower buds.

These are attacked by the very same mites?

I did not know that!

Hans-Werner, that is good news. I also have a fungicide- miticide but it is not systemic. With the Bayer product the systemic is effective for 30 days.

The insects I saw were so small they were barely visible to me. I could only identify them as an insect under a high powered hand lens. I do not know what they are. The size is as above, have a general outline of a extremely small ant. Color varied from nearly transluscent to nearly brown or black.
Photo below appears to me to more closely resemble 'Showmaster' than 'Charisma'.

{{gwi:375635}}

Yesterday, I spied an extremely tiny insect crawling down between the stem and a scale, or layer, of a bulb... I killed the thing, but then immediately sprayed with a miticide/insecticide... it was too small to guess at a measurement, but the body was longer length-wise than across, and it was darker in color, and not transparent. I've never seen an insect like it before.

I'm keeping a good eye out for pests, and I've been spraying on a weekly schedule...

It seems that this year's crop from several growers has problems! Lots of mites and rot!

Thanks for sharing all these enlightening photos!