Phytoseiulus persimilis Bottled - Description
What's in the Bottle
Each bottle holds mostly adult persimilis, ready to hunt, mixed into a light carrier that helps them spread evenly as you shake it over your plants. Choose 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 10,000 or 25,000 mites per bottle.
How Persimilis Works
P. persimilis was one of the first predatory mites used in pest management. It's a Type I specialist that eats only spider mites. Adults are about 0.5 mm long, pear-shaped and bright orange to red. Females lay eggs inside spider mite colonies, including in the webbing; eggs hatch in 2–3 days, the larvae don't feed, and the nymphs and adults eat spider mites at every stage. An adult female can eat up to 40 spider mite eggs a day above 68°F. At 70–80°F it goes from egg to adult in about a week, roughly twice as fast as spider mites, and each female lays up to 60 eggs over her lifetime.
When to Reach for the Bottle
- Spider mites are already on your plants, or webbing has started.
- You need predators on a hot spot right away.
- Humidity stays above 60%, which persimilis eggs need to hatch.
Persimilis dies off once it clears the spider mites, so release again if they come back. For steady protection between bottle releases, hang Persimilis sachets.
Where It Works
Vegetables, hemp, strawberries and other soft fruit, and ornamentals, in greenhouses, indoor grow rooms, interior plantscapes and outdoor crops. Thick leaf hairs, such as on some tomato varieties, slow it down.
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