@Forthefunofit is the other Aussie (I think) and @Leholf was nearby in NZ, if I’m remembering right.
Aussie autos was the first to come to mind since he’s been active here for so long
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I’m drawing a blank on any others that are active still.
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Really appreciate everyone’s help! I might risk using that Yates product with “Spinetoram” spinosad equivalent… from everything I’m reading it appears to be the same as Captain Jacks (which I’ve tried to source but will take too long unfortunately - I know for next season :))… hopefully all goes well!
Thanks all!
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Also… does anyone know what those bugs actually are? Particularly the winged ant looking one with spots on the wings? Haven’t seen that in previous years.
Appreciate all of your help 
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Thanks for the tag @Graysin always keen to help out if i can.
Unfortunately i dont think i can be much help here. I grow indoors and havent had the displeasure of bugs yet. But will keep an eye on how this yates alternative goes. Down under we do not have the Jacks, or other systems so readily available. It is getting better though.
Fyi im in Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Legend, appreciate you stopping by! Did the Yates this evening, also put some sticky traps up, will see how we go
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Lol thank you for tagging and sorry I missed it …
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So the white one is just a plant /leafhopper and most likely the least of your worries …I am failing to see the black winged ones but your damage looks to be consistent with thrips
Also saying from another outdoor growers standpoint your damage is also minimal
Your plants can actually tolerate a bit of snacking
Your plants look great …Mother Nature will do her own house cleaning for sure and you aren’t in full flower yet right?
You can pretty much spray whatever but outdoors you are always at the mercy of eradicating one pest while another is going to show right up …so my advice is to find something safe for the plant even while in flower
Also this may sound silly but fine out some native plants to your area that beneficial predators like and try to plant them on your property to attract them …
Do you have humming birds there? Put up feeders because hummers need insects to survive not just nectar
Outdoors I use a product called safe grow if I need to and it’s made of plant oils and safe to spray on flowers …not sure if there is an equivalent there
However over all your plants are going to be just fine …my guess in the little you have is thrips wish I could see the black winged ones too
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Actually I’ve seen The black one and honestly looks more beneficial than pest to me …however I can’t say what it is exactly …
Looks like some type of hover fly or sawfly which their larve eat pest insects and may be why you don’t have more damage
Download an app called seek by inaturalist it will identify any living organism and no outdoor grower should be without it
It’s free and free of ads
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I second thrips, the black winged one sure looks like an ant with wings.
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I agree and I tried to plug it into my app but knew it wouldnt identify
I almost want to say it’s a sweat bee
I really do not think it is the reason for the cloraphyl suction damage on the leaves …
I’d like to see the undersides of the leaves …I think the black winged one is eating pests possibly …I see a lot of these Northern calligrapher,hover flies sweat bees near my plants all season ping and they don’t harm it at all …thrips is my best guess because there’s minimal damage and thrips don’t really congregate as aphids or mites do where you see hundreds in one spot …thrips are more sporadic and more mobile in my opinion and why they are so hard to completely get rid of …
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hey thanks! all the amazing input is appreciated. this forum never ceases to amaze me. because of it I’ve learned a little bit every year and gotten better and better results. even just the little things you don’t realise/know about can help dramatically.
I’m glad that you all are kinda saying out loud how things seemed to me, makes me feel better about things for sure.
To me the damage is definitely sporadic as you mentioned, those leaf markings aren’t all over the plant, just on leaves here and there… in general they’re looking healthier and happier than I’ve ever had them in past grows. In recent years things have been worse (caterpillars, spider mites UGH) and I’ve still had decent usable harvest (with lots of fighting up until…), but this year I’ve done much better and it’s just been these 2 bugs that don’t seen to be doing much damage, which is a relief.
I checked underside of a ton of leaves today and they all look super clean and healthy - no sign of anything residual or otherwise, even on the leaves with markings, I’m gonna keep an eye out daily and try and see something though. Might just speak to how few of the bugs there are. Which is good.
Definitely not in full flower yet, no sign of actual buds yet, but started getting pistils less than a week after putting outside on Dec 2nd, so I’m counting Dec 2nd as “flip” (for now - to me that would seem early given how they look today) purely for documenting, and seeing how things progress. Still working out outdoor timing here, hence documenting it a little bit this year.
Re extra plants to attract beneficial bugs, that’s one thing I did differently this year, added a few attractors, just not as many as I wanted to, I could use more… it’s a start though and I think I actually notice different bugs around. One being that black flying one which I hadn’t seen at all in previous grows, and they definitely seemed to just be kind of hanging around possibly hunting for other bugs… kinda just gave off that vibe… like you said, maybe they’re helping improve my situation this year. I’ll let them go 
No hummingbirds in the entire country unfortunately. Would be cool if there was! Appreciate the app rec though, tried to find one and they were all paid, will grab that one.
Oh one more thing bug wise… I hardly got anything on my yellow sticky traps in the last 24hrs. I put some at soil level and got maybe 10-15 fungus gnats (right?) total (see pic), should I even worry about that? I’ve seen some gnat infestations that were far worse… with that few and seemingly thriving plants, should I just ignore them?
As long as I don’t have anything that wants to munch on my actual buds when they appear, like in previous years, I’m happy…
I really agree with the thrips thing, will just keep monitoring for now, things seem good I guess. Appreciate the input from everyone here it honestly really does help put your mind at ease to know things are going well Thanks all!
Some pics of one overall plant, one close up of same plant for level of leaf damage, and gnats on the trap:
Thanks again everyone!!!
Sorry for crappy/cropped pics. And the massive wall of text. And my lack of defoliating… these have blown up more than in the past and I’m nervous to cut too much off them… I probably should do a bit before they start buds up though… 
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that app is awesome, even passed it on to a friend for non-growing fun, really cool.
unfortunately those flying bugs went away, woops… will keep an eye out for bugs… things looking nice though! thanks again everyone
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@greenblood Yes I agree with all above Your plants look healthy and I wouldn’t worry about the insects too much My main nemesis ans everyone who read my posts or replies knows I have a terrible Caterpillar problem almost every year some worse than others…Count your lucky stars you ONLY have your invaders…Looks great buddy and keep us posted…I wanna see these puppies in full bloom!!!
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appreciate you! yeah every year it is caterpillars for me, still nervous they will turn up during flower, but seems clear so far, better than every other year I’ve had. will definitely keep updating every now and then. thanks!
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Oh I get the caterpillars too but it seems right before harvest time …and what I get is being laid in the plant by cabbage looper moth or cabbage white …
So I’m always racing against time …seems the earlier I can get vegetive growth established the better and if I can finish by mid September …this season I grew mob boss and 707 kush right next to eachother …the mob boss was losing colas daily to them while the 707 kush never had a single caterpillar…I’m convinced the 707 has terpines to ward them off while the mob boss had Terps that ring the dinner bell.
The previous season same thing …Mob boss and white widow …
Same situation …the white widow had lost 2 colas to them while the mob boss again it seemed like they were abundantly attacking …this year outdoors I’m going to table the mob boss and grow it indoors only if I decide to grow it again …just to see how it works out
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I think you might be onto something yeah… in previous grows I’ve had to remove so many branches toward the end of flower and end up with a really small harvest. But it’s usually one plant that gets it more than the others.
Lots of moths around here too (both brown and white), so this year I’ve grown the entire time under a netting enclosure and have seen only one caterpillar. Usually picked off lots by now. Hoping the success translates into flower, super nervous based on previous seasons.
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@Lacewing Thanks bro…Yeah Ive exchanged Cat info with you before…You are very knowledgeable in entomology…I’m versed a lil but not like you! so thanks for helping! Your assertion on a September harvest actually rings true…cause yes I didn’t notice any signs of Caters until late October when the buds were at their peak (boy was I pissed) well to be honest almost deranged lol 
at first I was so happy because it looked like a Cater free year But then I went to check them and I saw the dreaded brown tip on a few buds and I noticed they were back!! On your 707 point…I did notice that they were far far less on my Bubba Kush the most others…I found very little on that strain…but they decimated my Magic Melon,Afghan Kush,Northern Lights and a few others…If I remember correctly the Bubba said it was semi pest resistance so I may look into more strains that tout that!!
Thanks for your input!!
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