Amblyseius cucumeris Bottled - Description
What's in the Bottle
Each bottle holds predatory mites mixed into a light carrier that helps them spread evenly as you shake it over your plants. Choose 25,000 or 50,000 mites per bottle, or 250,000 per bag for large greenhouses and growing operations.
How Cucumeris Works
A. cucumeris is a generalist predatory mite. It hunts the first larval stage of thrips and small mites, and it can live on pollen when prey runs low. Females lay eggs on the fine hairs along leaf veins on the undersides of leaves, right where thrips larvae feed. At 66–80°F, eggs hatch in a few days and young mites reach adulthood in about 10 days. Adults live 4–5 weeks, so new mites keep hatching while the first ones are still hunting.
When to Reach for the Bottle
- Thrips larvae are already on your plants and you want predators everywhere at once.
- You need to cover a lot of plants or a large greenhouse quickly.
- Temperatures are cool, 54–80°F, when many other predators slow down.
For steady protection between bottle releases, hang cucumeris sachets.
Cucumeris or Swirskii?
Pick by temperature. A. cucumeris covers the cooler end, 54–80°F. A. swirskii works from 68°F into the mid-90s and also eats whitefly eggs and young nymphs. As your space warms up, move from cucumeris to swirskii.
Safe, Sustainable Pest Management
- No synthetic pesticides
- Safe around people and pets when used as directed
- Safe for use on edible crops when used as directed
- Fits easily into an existing IPM program