The beginner with their first crop of weed has the same chance of having their plants become infested with bugs as the experienced grower and this will be a battle that will continue until harvest. There are some ways to avoid bugs, one of these is to use sterilized soil and planters this gives the plants a fighting chance of growing to maturity without bugs. Another rule to follow is do not bring any other plants into the growing area, especially plants that have been outdoors. There is also the pet that might go everywhere with the grower, but should be kept out of the room or area that the cannabis is growing, because they can carry pests to the plants on their fur.

The pot plants should be inspected often for signs of bugs, this can be seen in leaves that have spots or holes, leaves that have browning on the tips or weed plants that have drooping branches.
Should the grower find their plants appear as though they are depressed; their leaves lack luster there is a good chance the crop has been infested with spider mites, which are common pests that are microscopic.  The first sign of the spider mite will be the plants appearing sickly and leaves that have tiny webs on them. What these pests do is to suck the enzymes from the leaves and this will cause the leaves to lose some of the green and some of the glossy look, and the plants will then begin to show spots on their leaves.

To some growers that have plants infested with spider mites, the plants might appear to have a fungus, this is because not only will there be the web, but also there can be black dots on the leaves. The black dots are actually eggs left by the spider mite and these might only be seen with the use of a magnifying glass to inspect both the bottom and top leaves of the cannabis plants.
White flies are also another pest that can infect the marijuana crop and cause problems for the grower, first because of the infestation, and second because while they are not as easy to get rid of, their eggs are also a problem.

When the weed crop does get plagued with bugs, there are some insecticides that can be used and are especially made for plants that can rid them of the damaging parasites. The use of pesticides has better results for spider mites than it does for white flies, and this is because they are more apt to escape and return to lay their eggs.
After an infestation the grower will need to keep a close watch on the plants to ensure there is not a re-infestation, as this can occur easily, since the grower cannot be certain they have killed all of the adult laying pests.

If opposed to using commercial insecticides, there is an organic way to cleanse the pot plants of bugs; this is by using Ivory flakes mixed with warm water and working it into a lather and cleansing the plants. When doing this the soap must be washed off of the plant or after harvest when it is smoked there will be a soap taste.