All Stages of This Predator Consume Small Pest Insects. Excellent General Predator in Field Crops and Greenhouses.
Ships FREE via Overnight methods on Tuesdays Only. Minimum 7-day processing prior to shipment.
Minute Pirate Bugs, Orius insidiosus, also known as flower bugs, are one of the most common general predators in field crops. Emerging early in the spring, their diet consists of a variety of small pests. They particularly love to eat thrips and are known to attack the adult thrips; you may even see them from time to time with thrips stuck on their rostrum.
Release Orius indoors or out. Minute Pirate Bugs reproduce quickly, completing a total life cycle in just 3-4 weeks, making them effective at handling serious infestations quickly. Adults lay their eggs within available plant tissue. Nymphs emerge after 4-5 days and they become adults in 7-10 days. Minute Pirate Bugs will move efficiently throughout the infested plants, and will continue to kill even when they do not need to eat. Be sure to leave suitable habitat for them to overwinter as they will establish in most locations quite well.
Optimum Conditions: 64-82°F, 60% RH
Release Rates: For maintenance, release 1 to 2 Orius per plant in greenhouses or 1 to 4 Orius per plant in hot spot areas outdoors. When treating a serious whitefly, aphid, thrips or other pest infestation, we recommend releasing up to 500 Orius per 250 sq. ft. area. For field crops, we recommend releasing between 100 and 2,000 Orius per acre, depending on the level of infestation.
Instructions
Minute Pirate Bugs (Orius insidiosus) are aggressive predators of thrips, but will actively feed on mites, aphids and moth eggs. Release instructions are found below. Please call us if you have questions about their use.
General Release Instructions:
- Release Minute Pirate Bugs in cool morning or evening. Avoid applying in bright sunlight.
- Tilt bottle horizontally and gently rotate to mix the predators throughout the medium.
- Open bottle in release area and gently tap the bottle to disperse the predator/medium mixture. Keep horizontal to ensure bugs stay well-mixed in the container.
- Distribute contents as evenly as possible onto leaves throughout crop. Avoid applying directly to flowers.
Environment: Outdoors, Crops, Orchards & Vineyards, Nursery, Greenhouse, Grow Room, Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Pond & Environment, Interiorscapes, Container Plants
Storage: If not using immediately, keep in a cool (42-50°F) dark place out of direct sunlight.
Viability Note: If you plan to check for viability, please do so upon receipt and prior to releasing the beneficial insects. Many predators and parasites are small and can be difficult to spot once released. If you believe there are issues with viability, please contact us.
Technical
What's In The Package: Shipped with corn grit as a medium.
Shelf Life: Use within 18 hours of receipt.
This Product Controls These Pests or Diseases: Alfalfa Weevil (Hypera postica Gyllenhal), Aphids (Mult), Armyworm (Pseudaletia unipuncta), Asparagus Beetles (Crioceris asparagi (common); Crioceris duodecimpunctata (spotted)), Bean Beetles - Mexican Bean Beetle (Epilachna varivestis Mulsant), Bean Thrips (Caliothrips fasciatus), Beet Armyworm (Spodoptera exigua (Hubner)), Beet Leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus), Brown Almond Mite (Bryobia rubrioculus), California Laurel Aphid (Euthoracaphis umbellulariae), Caterpillar Eggs (Mult), Coconut Mealybug (Nipaecoccus nipae), Grape Leafhopper (Erythroneura elegantula), Greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum), Leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus), Leafhopper (Empoasca sp), Mealybug (Planococcus citri), Mealybug (Pseudococcus sp), Mexican Bean Beetle (Epilachna varivestis Mulsant), Mites (Tetranychus sp), Potato Leafhopper (Empoasca fabae), Potato Leafhopper; Bean Jassid (Empoasca fabae), Silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia sp), Spider Mite (Mult), Sweet Potato Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), Sweetpotato Whitefly (Bemisia sp), Thrips (Franklinothrips sp), Two-Spotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae)
