Good bugs
Good bugs
Also often called "BIO Friends", as shown by searches.
Their supply is huge, well, maybe not in our land yet, but huge. Gypsy has been studying them for a while now, and he has to admit that it does seem quite confusing to begin with. Now that you can appreciate their help, I suggest you get to know them as well. Having learned dearly himself, being not stingy, he shares his experience. Let's agree on the simple things first. We agree and acknowledge that
Plants have never been and cannot be STERILE
Pests can be eradicated, but they cannot be prevented
Growing is a process, and pests and diseases are part of it, like flowering and the expected new leaf.
The villain THRIPS
They are bad. Sucks the life out of our loved ones. Three of their types are common:
(Western Ringed thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis),
Tobacco thrips (Thrips tabaci),
Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis (Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis)
They harm and are cured in practically the same way, so we will not delve too much into their properties this time. Western thrips is the most common problem for houseplants. Thrips pierce the cell wall of a leaf, flower or fruit with their stinging mouthparts and suck the juice. On the leaves of the affected plants, small yellowish or silvery spots appear at first, which increase in number. While they merge, the leaves turn yellow or fade, then turn brown and dry. Optimal conditions for development and reproduction (25-30°C). The development of one generation of evening thrips takes 14-16 days. 10 generations can develop in a year. Females start laying eggs three days after hatching, laying 7-16 eggs per day. Females live for about two months. They lay their eggs in leaf tissues, as the eggs can dry out and die. Larvae cause more damage than adults, because the main purpose of larvae is to feed and build body mass. Larvae can turn into "pupae" both in the plant and in the soil - that's where they spend the winter. In Lithuania, western thrips do not survive the winter in outdoor conditions. So it is important: when taking treatment from them, it is NECESSARY to transplant the plant and change the soil.
Amblyseius cucumeris is a predatory mite
Amblyseius cucumeris is a predatory mite smaller than 1 mm. Despite its small size, it (that beetle) is still quite striking due to its mobility on the underside of the leaf.
An adult Amblyseius cucumeris lives for about 3 weeks.
The adult Amblyseius cucumeris grabs its prey and sucks their guts.
As adult thrips can defend themselves well by displacing their abdomens, Amblyseius prefers first-stage thrips larvae. Which we really like, because the larvae do the most damage.
Usage rate: 100-200 individuals per square, if the pest population has recently been seen, 100 individuals per square can be used, if it is higher - 200.
Replications depend on the pest population.
Product (cucumber ticks) packaging:
ABS-System - 250 bags, 1000 mites each - bags with cucumeris mites and food for them. Ticks crawl out of the bag little by little, there is food in those bags and much more ticks come out than come in the bag. The best option is to use preventively. The rate depends on the plant and whether the leaves of the plant are touching, if the leaves of the plants are touching, it can be applied every 2 months. It is possible to add a smaller distance, for example 1m. if it is known that there will be a large pest population. If the leaves of the plants do not touch, then it is better to use sprinkled mites.
Amblyseius-System - 25,000 individuals - all ticks in one package with the right medium for them, the ticks are already adults and are immediately released to search for prey. The best option is when the thrips is already visible. Scattered.
Amblyseius-System - 125,000 individuals - all ticks in one package, are scattered.
Amblyseius-System - 250,000 individuals - all ticks in one package, are scattered.
Amblyseius-System - 500,000 individuals - all ticks in one package, are sprinkled.
The villain Tirps and the whitewing
About thrips above. Whitewing
Yellowish spots appear on the leaves of the affected plants, which gradually increase, the leaves turn yellow. Plants are heavily contaminated with sticky liquid faeces, on which anthrax pathogens breed. Pests live on the underside of leaves and suck the sap. Shaking the infected whitefly plant sends flocks of tiny white insects into the air. Whitewings are 1.0-1.5 mm long, yellowish, have two pairs of bright white, as if sprinkled with powder, wings. In a state of rest, the wings are folded in a canopy along the body. Eggs are oval, 0.2 mm long, greenish yellow, later black. The larvae are flat, yellowish-green, motionless, have cilia at the edges of the body, and 2 long wax threads at the back of the abdomen. In short, Bruds.
A. Swirskii from Geria
Ambyseius-Swriskii The mite is used when both thrips and whiteflies are present, or one of them. Amblyseius swirskii is polyphagous, attacking thrips and whiteflies. A predatory mite attacks young thrips larvae,
whitefly eggs and larvae, one tick eats 5-10 victims daily. This tick has a wide
feeding spectrum.
It easily gets used to high temperatures, and in order to survive it feeds on pollen.
Spraying product is needed twice less than Cucumeris.
That is, Swirskii-system is used from 50-100 individuals/m2. Depending on the pest population, repetitions also depend on what you see during monotoring (sticky leaves yellow or blue and animals stuck to them during the set time, who they are and how many of them have decreased or increased - this is what monitoring is all about).
The bags are also hung every 2 meters if the leaves of the plants are touching. if not, then it is better to use sprinkled ticks.
A.Swirskii product packaging
Swirskii-Breeding-System - 1 bag, 250 ticks each
Swirskii-Breeding-System - 10 bags, 250 ticks each
Swirskii-Breeding-System - 100 bags, 250 ticks each
Swirskii-Breeding-System - 500 bags, 250 ticks each
Swirskii-System - 25,000 - all ticks in one package, are sprinkled.
Swirskii-System - 125,000 - all ticks in one package, sprinkled.
Who has stretched it to the end - Gypsy's conclusions for you.
Choose Cucumeris sprinkled ticks if the problems are already serious and you need urgent help. They are already hungry and ready to work immediately. Also if the plants are far from each other
Choose mites in bags if the plants touch the leaves, because they do not fly and otherwise will not have the opportunity to get on another plant.
Swirskii mites thrive in these extreme heat conditions, when the pests become more active and the risk of not only thrips but also whiteflies is greatly increased. After all, we make windows and doors, so there are no big obstacles for them to get inside. Great for prevention or for controlling a small influx without too much haste.