The population growth of aphids can be sometimes very fast, leading to great damage in several crops. It is therefore very important to locate the aphids and take necessary measures. Biobest offers a whole series of parasitoids and predators against aphids.

• Introduce 50-100 Adalia-larvae/m² in the immediate neighbourhood of aphid hot spots, as an addition to Aphidius and Aphidoletes.
   

• Introduce Aphelinus abdominalis if Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Potato aphid) or Aulacorthum solani (Glasshouse potato aphid) are occurring.
• Introduce 2 Aphelinus/m² in and around hot spots.

• Preventive: Introduce 0,1 Aphidius colemani/m² per week
• Curative: After detection of aphids: introduce minimum 0,5 Aphidius colemani/m² per week, during 3 weeks; until a sufficient number is parasitized.
• Disperse Aphidius in Bio-Boxes (± 25 boxes/ha).

• Preventive: Introduce 0,1-0,2 Aphidoletes/m²/week
• Curative: When aphids are detected in the crop, introduce 0,5-1 Aphidoletes/m²/week
• Open the bottle and place this bottle under the aphid hot spot, or disperse Aphidoletes, in heaps, on a moist substratum.
• Remark: The gall midges have an excellent ability to search, but they can become disorientated by frequent use of a sulphur steamer.
   

• Introduce Aphidius ervi if Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Potato aphid) or Aulacorthum solani (Glasshouse potato aphid) occur.
• Introduce 2 Aphidius/m² in and around hot spots.

Voracious on several crops
Caterpillar damage usually occurs in late summer and early autumn, but recently some caterpillars have been causing problems throughout the growing season. There are several biological control methods of caterpillar control.

• Hang 2 catch lamps/ha above the crop, to catch as many moths as possible.
• Hang minimum 2 Attract^® pheromone lures per ha.
  • Hang the Attract^® pheromone lures minimum 50 m from each other to prevent a mixture of the pheromones.
  • Replace the pheromone capsules regularly (every 4 weeks).
• Spray with Bacillus thuringiensis at most 7 days after the first moth was catched. Repeat this spraying after 7 to 10 days. Tortrix moths are hard to control. Therefore it is often necessary to spray several times.

• Introduce preventive and immediately after cutting Hypoaspis miles 200 to 300/m².
• When a serious infestation is expected, increase the dose of Hypoaspis to 500-1.000 per m² or spray the soil with insect parasitic nematodes Steinernema feltiae.

Steinernema-System (insect nematodes Steinernema feltiae packed per 50 million or 200 million)

• To support the predatory mite Hypoaspis.
• After a treatment it takes ca. 2 weeks before the population of adult midges decreases (check the sticky traps).
• At an extreme infestation of sciarids it might be necessary to spray a second time.

A population of spider mites can grow very rapidly, especially under dry and warm conditions. Fast action is recommended to keep the spider mite densities as low as possible.

• Introduce preventively 4-6 Amblyseius californicus/m² in the whole greenhouse. Repeat regularly (depending on the spider mite pressure), but at least every 3 weeks. Start with this introduction after waiting period of the last chemical treatment, but certainly before the end of March.
• This predatory mite can survive a few weeks without nourishment and can resist low temperatures in early spring.

• In combination with Phytoseiulus at a spider mite damage.
• Introduce locally 1 pot (250 pupae) during 4-6 weeks in hot spots.
• Remark: The gall midges have an excellent ability to search, but they can become disorientated by frequent use of sulphur steamer.

• Introduce minimum 6 Phytoseiulus/m² as soon as the first spider mites are detected. The exact amount depends on the severeness of the spider mite infestation.
• In and especially around hot spots: 20 Phytoseiulus/m².
• Spread well in the working direction.

Adult thrips are small, elongated insects with typical fringed wings. They measure about 1 mm, and have a greyish or yellow to brown colour. The two most common harmful species are the onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) and the western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis).

Amblyseius-System (A.B.S) (predatory mite - Amblyseius cucumeris in sachets)

• Hang yellow and/or blue sticky traps for the detection of thrips (min. 1 sticky trap/100 m²).
• Introduce 1 sachet/m². Repeat regularly (depending on the thrips pressure and the countings on the sticky traps) e.g. every 6 weeks or every 4 weeks.
• Warning:
  Amblyseius-Breeding-System (ABS), which contains the predatory mite Amblyseius cucumeris delivered in breeding sachets, also contains Mold mites (Tyrophagus putrescentiae) and bran. Under certain circumstances such as a moist greenhouse climate or when using large quantities of breeding sachets, Mold mite population can increase to the point of causing damages in some crops (e.g. cucumbers). When planning to use these products in crops where they have never been used before, we recommend to first perform a small-scale trial or to discuss this with your Biobest advisor or supplier.

Amblyseius-System (predatory mite - Amblyseius cucumeris)

• Disperse 100 Amblyseius cucumeris/m²/week in thrips hot spots or on places which are sensitive to thrips. When no ABS-sachets are used, introduce then 250 predatory mites/m²/week.
• Warning:
  Amblyseius-Breeding-System (ABS), which contains the predatory mite Amblyseius cucumeris delivered in breeding sachets, also contains Mold mites (Tyrophagus putrescentiae) and bran. Under certain circumstances such as a moist greenhouse climate or when using large quantities of breeding sachets, Mold mite population can increase to the point of causing damages in some crops (e.g. cucumbers). When planning to use these products in crops where they have never been used before, we recommend to first perform a small-scale trial or to discuss this with your Biobest advisor or supplier.
   

• After planting introduce preventive minimum 100 Hypoaspis/m² to control the larval and pupal stages of thrips.

• Disperse Orius species in hot spots to control thrips.

Adult weevils feed at night producing telltale notches around the edges of leaves and flowers. The damage is most severe when caused by the voracious larvae, feeding on roots. Heterorhabditis-System provides rapid and effective control of vine weevil.
 

• Use at small damage of black vine weevil larvae 0,5 million nematodes/m².
• At a severe damage the dose has to be increased to 1 million nematodes/m².

• The following quantities must be observed:
  • Preventive: 0,5 million nematodes/m² (5.000 nematodes per liter of pot soil)
  • Curative: 1 million nematodes/m² (10.000 nematodes per liter of pot soil)