Biological Pest Control - the basics
What are predators?
A predator is a beneficial insect that feeds on pest insects on your plant (e.g. Red Spider Mite, Thrips etc.)
Why are predators important?
In a natural environment, there is a balance in the population of pests and predators.
When growing indoors, pests can multiply rapidly because there is no natural eliminator (or predator) present to control the population. Introducing predators into your growing area will help reduce the pest infestation and in turn help prevent the production of future generations of unwanted pests.
How to know which predator to use...
Firstly, you need to know the type of pest that is on your plant! Different pests require specialist predators to eliminate them, the most common ones being:
PEST PREDATOR
Thrips Amblyseius Cucumeris
Red Spider Mite Phytoseiulus Persimilis
Sciarid Fly (Fungus Fly or Gnat) Hypoapsis
We do have a wide range of other predators available for different pests.
Let us know what you are suffereing from and we try and find the appropriate solution. We can get hold of predators to combat aphids, chafer grubs, mealy bugs, scale insects, slugs, vine weevils and whitefly, as well as leaf miners and nematodes. Ask a member of staff for more details.
How to deal with pest infestations...
Ideally, growers can take preventative measures against common pests. Methods such as neem oil or sticky fly traps should be encouraged in your growing area.
Some predators can be used as a preventative measure, such as Thrips predators (Amblyseius Cucumeris) which can survive in the absence of Thrips themselves by feeding on pollen. This means they will be present if any Thrips try to colonise your plants. However, predators are mostly used in the event of an infestation as a cure to the problem.
Red Spider Mite:
• Feed on the underside of leaves leaving white speckles on upper leaf surface
• Multiples Spider Mite cause leaves to look bleached, eventually dying off
• In mass infestations, webs can be seen on the tops of the plants
Thrips:
• Feed on leaves and flowers making leaves look mottles and prone
to dehydration.
• In severe infestations the plant may looked scorched
“Gnat” or Sciarid Fly:
• Begin life in the top few millimetres of the soil and adults can be visible just
above the medium
• Grubs live in the growing medium and feed on roots
• Particularly harmful on young roots and are cause of root rot on fresh cuttings.
How to get the most out of your predators...
Certain conditions will optimise the effectiveness of your predators. Given the right conditions they will thrive, and can protect your plants for weeks:
Spider Mite predators:
20°C or above with high humidity – gently misting your plants can help this.
Thrips predators:
18°C or above with high humidity.
Sciarid Fly predators:
18°C or above with high humidity.
Why use predators?
Predators can be better than other methods of pest control because they are biological, meaning you are not soaking your plants in chemicals whilst dealing with your pest problem. Some chemical pest controls also have the disadvantage of not being safe for use on flowers, whereas predators can be used at any time of the plant’s cycle.
It is important to remember that predators are as susceptible to pest controls as much as the pests themselves – they are living creatures after all. Please be aware that if you have used pesticides in your garden within the last 8 weeks of receiving your predators, some chemicals may still be present, as some pesticides hold chemicals that can stay active for up to 3 months. If you have treated your plant with any pesticides recently, speak to a member of staff for more details about applying predators.
Remember to remove any traps in your growing area before applying your predators.
How do I order Predators from Hollands?
Ordered on a weekly basis...
We order predators on a Tuesday at 2:00pm on Tuesdays, for delivery on Thursdays.
Due to them being live creatures, predators are not available for mail order.
Predators must be ordered and paid for in-store before we can order them for you, because
of their perishable nature.
Predators are available in the following sizes:
Spider Mite predators:
• Box of 200 £12.30
• Box of 1000 £20.45
• Box of 2000 £25.55
Sciarid Fly predators:
• Box of 10,000 predators £20.40
Thrips predators:
• Pack of 25 sachets of predators £25.55
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