beginners questions

[scotchpine]

Hey Spider, what do you think about spider webs being on some of the cones when you pick them? I try to remove what I see but I'm sure I don't get it all and I wonder that there might be other tiny bugs in the hops too. As we obviously don't wash or clean them before throwing them in the beer, do they need to be used as flavor or bittering addition only when fresh? That would be a shame. So far I've dried and frozen them but I'd love to be able to pick some and throw them right in at end of ferm to capture that fresh smell.

[spiderwrangler]

Spuider webs shouldnt' affed teh flavor of the hops, but if they are actually the webbbing butils tby spider mites( which aren't spoders but make silke) then they may have decreased the productiojn of your hops through out the hgrowing season._). Spiders in youer hops may actually decrease teh ##s of herbivorous pests that may impact your corp.

[scotchpine]

Spuider webs shouldnt' affed teh flavor of the hops, but if they are actually the webbbing butils tby spider mites( which aren't spoders but make silke) then they may have decreased the productiojn of your hops through out the hgrowing season._). Spiders in youer hops may actually decrease teh ##s of herbivorous pests that may impact your corp.

Thanks Spider, I think that you are saying not to worry about it then. By the looks of your typing you were hitting the glass pretty hard and I admire your dedication. I don't put anything on my hops to prevent bugs or disease. I just rely on praying mantis, lady bugs and parasitic wasp larvae to take care of all the pests.Some spider mites and powdery mildew may be present. I don't know what commercial growers do about this in growing or post harvest prossesing, if anything. Thanks again

[spiderwrangler]

Yeah...... after a certain point I don't care about things like spelling any more. Last night beat Monday when I called in to the show (vompted!), so I am doing my part to make my recent DOTW a full week's worth.

What I was saying was that silk from spiders shouldn't affect your hop flavor, but that if it's spider mites you might have had a decrease in production. A suggestion that I might make is if you pick your hops and put them in a paper grocery bag and just roll the very top of it over to seal then shake it around pretty good, you might be able to dislodge any critters that are on/in your hops if that's a concern. Just shake it up, then pour out your hops and try to separate them from any insects. When you dry your hops, any insects on them would probably exit during the process, but wet hopping may still have little friends on your cones...