GOOD BUGS VS. BAD BUGS

 

Greenhouse Garden Center is excited to bring a wider variety of beneficial insects to our Spring 2010 inventory.  Chemical pesticides can be bad for us and bad for the environment.  All pests have natural enemies.  What we as gardeners are striving for is a balance of bugs, both good and bad.  The bad bugs provide the food for the good bugs and in this way Mother Nature has been keeping this balance for thousands of years.  We humans by providing a chemical control for insects upset this balance, often decimating beneficial insects so the bad bugs have no natural enemies.  Our goal is to work with Mother Nature instead of against her by allowing the beneficial insects to do their job and then giving a little help when it becomes absolutely necessary.  Traditionally, we have carried Ladybugs, Praying Mantis, and Beneficial Nematodes.   In our quest to provide more organic approaches to battling bad insects in our customers lawns and gardens we are very excited to add the following beneficial insects to our arsenal.

 

MASON BEES:

The Blue Orchard Mason Bee, Osmia lignaria, is an excellent pollinator and will be available to Greenhouse Garden Center on or around March 15, 2010.  Mason Bees are out earlier than honeybees and work better in cooler spring weather. Each Mason Bee is capable of doing the pollinating work of 120 honeybees.  They are a solitary bee which does not have a queen and a hive and do not make honey.  Because they are not a social bee the Mason Bee tends not to sting and are not susceptible to the Varroa mite which has caused so much havoc to honey bees in North America.  

COST:

Mason Bees 6 Pupae In Cocoons                                    Retail:  $14.99

Mason Bee Habitat Tubes -12 (optional)                          Retail:  $14.99

 

ENCARSIA FORMOSA:

Encarsia Formosa is a type of  miniature, nonstinging wasp which is used in Greenhouses to control whiteflies.  They work by parasitizing whiteflies in all stages of development except eggs.  Each Encarsia Formosa wasp can lay 5 eggs per day for a  total of 59 eggs in its life span, host feed on 3 whitefly nymphs per day and kill on average a total of 95 whitefly nymphs over a 12 day life expectancy.  This product is sent on impregnated strips of parasitized white fly scale with over 1000 Encarsia Formosa eggs.  It will be available on April 15, 2010.  Application rates are 5 parasites per plant or 2-4 per sq. ft. with 4 releases occurring at 2 week intervals.

COST:

Encarsia Formosa 1000 eggs/pkg.       Retail:  $38.99

 

TRICHOGAMMA:

Trichogamma wasps are microscopic parasites that attack the eggs of

200 species of moths.  They do this by laying eggs inside the eggs of moths preventing the moth eggs from hatching into caterpillars.  Trichogamma are particularly effective against cabbage worms, tomato hornworms, cabbage loopers, corn borers, coddling moths and cane borers. This product comes on strips of paper impregnated with Trichogamma eggs designed to be hung in plants.  It will be available April 15, 2010.  Application rates for 12000 Trichogramma state it will treat up 500 sq. ft.  For best results use 4-6 releases at 1 week intervals.

COST:

Trichogamma  12,000 eggs/Pkg.                   Retail:  $20.99

 

CRYSOPA CARNEA (GREEN LACEWINGS):

Green Lacewing larvae attack the eggs and immature stages of most soft-bodied pests including aphids, thrips, spider mites, whiteflies, mealybugs, leafhoppers, and the eggs and caterpillars of most pest moths.  This product can be used in conjunction with Trichogamma which doesn’t work effectively beyond the egg stage of moths.  It will be available April 15, 2010.  Each lacewing larvae is capable of devouring 200 or more pests or pest eggs a week during their 2-3 week developmental period.  Each female adult lacewing is capable of laying 200 eggs.  Greenhouse Garden Center will be using this product here in the nursery for 2010 as part of our Integrated Pest Management program.   Application rates for Crysopa Carnea are 2 eggs/ft. with 3 releases occurring every 2 weeks for a 6 week period.

COST:

Crysopa Carnea (Green Lacewing) 1000 eggs/Pkg.           Retail:  $20.99

 

PHYTOSERLIULUS PERSIMILIS (PREDATORY MITES):

Predatory mites consume spider mites at a rate of 5-10 adults or up to 20 eggs per day.  It is recommended to release predatory mites at the earliest onset of spider mite infestation.  They will perform better at higher relative humidity so frequent misting within the first 2-3 weeks of application is recommended.  David Ruf, Owner, Greenhouse Garden Center,  recommends this product is better suited to greenhouses or at Lake Tahoe where humidity rates are higher.  It will be available after April 15, 2010.  Application rates for Phytoserliulus Persimilis are 2-5 live adults/plant on an as needed basis.

COST:

Phytoserliulus Persimilis (Predatory Mites) 2000 adults/Pkg.  Retail:  $58.99

 

BENEFICIAL NEMATODES:

Beneficial Nematodes are microscopic insects that seek out and destroy over 200 kinds of soil dwelling and wood boring insects, including cutworms, weevils, grubs, and fungal gnat larvae.  As with the above mentioned this product is people, pets and the environment safe. Beneficial Nematodes are compatible with other beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, and praying mantids and do not harm earthworms.  This product can be released by spraying with water, mixing with mulch and applying directly to the soil or potting mix, or by injecting into burrows.  Although Beneficial Nematodes can be effective for up to two years annual applications are recommended.  One package is enough to treat 1000 sq. ft.  This product will be available April 15, 2010.

COST:

Beneficial Nematodes 7 Million/Pkg.             Retail:  $ 29.99

 

PRAYING MANTIDS:

Preying Mantids are active predators and consume other insects.  They are good garden predators, but may not be able to keep up with the population growth of some insect populations.  They do not discriminate between beneficial and harmful garden insects.  Preying Mantids egg cases can contain up to 200 juvenile mantids per egg case.  The egg cases will be available on April 15, 2010.

COST:

Praying Mantids Egg Cases-2cases/cup        Retail:  $  10.99

 

COCCINELLIDS (LADYBUGS)

Ladybugs are Greenhouse Garden Centers customer favorite when it comes to using beneficial insects.  They are typically a natural enemy of aphids and scale.  Ladybugs are voracious feeders in both their larval and adult forms.  Each cup contains up 1500 ladybugs.  Recommended release is at dusk and it is helpful to mist the area that they will be released into. For best results use 4 releases at 3 day intervals over 2 weeks.  Ladybugs will be available April 15, 2010.

COST:

Ladybugs 1500/cup                            Retail:  $9.99