by: Sirius Fourside
Thousands of cannabis growers around the world send us pictures of their cannabis plants. Sometimes they want to show off the health and vigor of their plants, or sometimes they want us to see how impressive their buds are looking. We’re frequently impressed by the abilities of our readers.
The pictures you’ll see today are impressive for a totally different reason. These pictures get up-close and personal with some of a cannabis plant’s most well-known enemies. You’ll get to see creepy crawlies up close (too close?), learn to identify common pests, and gain the ability to know your enemy if they ever show up in your garden. Make sure to click all the photos to see the full-size version. These pics are absolutely stunning, including several pics by cannabis photo professionals (like the one below).
Photo credit: @outer_elements and @gnomegrownorganics
This aphid egg is so smooth and shiny that you can see the reflection of a ring light!
And don’t worry, we told all these growers what pests they were dealing with. ?
If you want a list of safe, all-natural pesticides that can get rid of most of the pests on this list, check out this page: https://www.growweedeasy.com/safe-cannabis-pesticides
Warning: The following photos contain depictions of bugs being bugs. Some viewers may feel compelled to shudder or swipe imaginary bugs off of their skin.
Cannabis Creepy Crawlies!
Grower: JG
Notes from the grower:
- “Hawaii grown, outdoor. This bug/mite/parasite was found nuzzled deep at the base of a bud. Feels rubbery, not moving — almost slug-like.”
Bug: Scale Insect
Notes from Sirius: Scale insects have a look that could be described as otherworldly. At the very least, it looks like it belongs in the ocean.
Grower: Tanya
Notes from the grower: None
Bug: Ladybug (nymph)
Notes from Sirius: This insect looks outright evil, with its black and orange coloring on a spikey alien form. It’s common for growers kill them on sight to protect their plants. But this is actually a good guy/gal! This is what young ladybugs look like before they take their familiar red-with-black-spots form. Ladybugs are a natural enemy of aphids and other common cannabis pests, so if you see one of these, it’s best to leave it alone. It just may pay you back later!
Grower: Kevin
Notes from the grower:
- “These bugs look like rice with whiskers. They don’t seem to be growing into anything. What are they and how do I get rid of them?”
Bug: Russet Mites
Notes from Sirius: These look a bit like immature thrips, but they are too small. These round microscopic worms are actually russet mites.
Fun fact: I showed these pictures to Nebula and said: “Look at how big these trichomes are!” She was impressed for about 2 seconds before she realized she was looking at baby bugs, and was horrified immediately after. ?
Grower: Richard S.
Notes from the grower:
- “I’m curious what this is and how harmful? Only had two on my outdoor grow (1st timer). Thanks.”
Bug: Leafhopper
Notes from Sirius: Leafhoppers were some of the most popular cannabis pests this summer, at least going by how many growers wrote to GrowWeedEasy.com about them. I have my own theory regarding their pervasiveness. I think this specific coloring of leafhopper is so pretty that growers don’t think to kill them. Each time a grower spares a leafhopper (with admittedly cool coloring), we’re all more likely to see more of them. Smart leafhopper…
Grower: Davey J.
Notes from the grower:
- “Pics taken with a 40x – 1000x USB microscope camera”
Bug: Spider Mites
Notes from Sirius: Wow! I’ve never seen a spider mite this magnified and it’s as great as it is horrible. Spider mites are one of the worst cannabis pests you can get infested by, mostly due to their hardiness and resistance to pesticides. The best plan of attack for this type of pest is to hit them hard and repeatedly, even if you don’t see them after the first application of pesticides.
Grower: Pat
Notes from the grower: None
Bug: Aphids
Notes from Sirius: This is one of the worst aphid infestations I’ve ever seen on a cannabis plant. It reminds me of roses, which can get aphids REALLY bad! Although ladybugs are great for killing aphids and keeping them away from your plants, this level of infestation needs a pesticide to kill the current aphids population. Ladybugs could also be introduced afterward, but only if you’re using a pesticide that’s safe for them.
Here’s an alternate version of the picture above. The colors are weird, but it makes it easy to see how many aphids are on this plant.
Grower: Troy M.
Notes from the grower:
- “The picture is not perfect, but these guys are all over our plants and in the soil. The strain is “Future”, we are doing in indoor grown with two plants under UV light with poor/decent air filtration.”
Bug: Fungus Gnat
Notes from Sirius: Fungus gnats love growers who overwater their plants. This common cannabis pest lays eggs in wet topsoil and young fungus gnats thrive in moisture. You’ll soon notice a bunch of fast-flying tiny flies buzzing around your plants and soil. Fungus gnats can seem really gross, but they won’t do massive damage to your plants unless there are tons of them. Make sure not to overwater and they’ll usually die off on their own. However, if you have a huge infestation you may want to take extra measures to cut down their numbers quickly.
Grower: @gnomegrownorganics
Photos by: @outer_elements
Notes from Sirius: The pest pics up until now have been absolutely fantastic in my opinion. However, they’re about to go next-level for this next section. Our friends over at @outer_elements take some most impressive cannabis photos we’ve ever seen, and they teamed up with @gnomegrownorganics to produce the following mind-boggling pest pics. These are going to end up elsewhere on the site, but they’re so good, we felt they needed to be showcased all on their own before that happened. Enjoy!
This is a fruit fly which is an insect we don’t typically see on cannabis.
A Fungus Gnat hanging out with an Aphid (aka two terrible roommates).
Aphid eggs on the tip of a trichome encrusted leaf.
The next four pictures are all aphids in various sizes, shapes, colors, and stages of life.
And finally, a fungus gnat trampling some trichomes on some purple bud. He clearly didn’t see the “Keep off the grass” sign! ?
I hope you enjoyed this too-close tour of cannabis pests. Make sure you check out our page on safe, all-natural pesticides if you need a way to get rid of any of these bugs!
