Frequently Asked Questions
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Spider Mite Questions
Will ladybugs treat spider mites?
You may have heard anecdotally from other sources that ladybugs are a good spider mite control; however, ladybugs do not feed primarily on spider mites and we don’t actively recommend them for spider mite control because if there are other food sources available, they will ignore the spider mites and move on.
Stethorus beetle, one of the bugs we do advertise for spider mite control, is actually a relative of ladybugs, and is what should be recommended instead of ladybugs as they are a far more effective predator than ladybugs specifically.
What do you recommend for treating spider mite?
We recommend using a combination of three products: persimilis, fallacis, and stethorus. You can read more about those products here.
Is persimilis better to use than fallacis? What is the difference between those two beneficials?
It depends on where your crop is at, as well as how far along the infestation is.
Do I need to do anything special to my plants to prepare them for the beneficial mites?
The most particular mite that we sell is the persimilis.; This mite does require a humidity of at least 60% because, without it, the eggs will dry out and the second generation of mites will not survive. Fallacis and stethorus are more hardy.
As a general rule with all our products, you want to be very careful with introducing beneficial bugs if you have any sort of pesticide, soap, or essential oils history. Most (if not all) pesticides are incompatible with our bugs. If you've recently applied a commercial soap or oil product (like Neem Oil), we recommend waiting at least a week before introducing any beneficial bugs.
I can’t see any beneficial mites! Am I supposed to be able to see them?
The best way to see the mites is, upon reception, pour a small amount of the mite carrier onto a white piece of paper and look for movement with the naked eye or a light magnifier. Another way to see the mites is to open the bottle and look on the rim and paper filter on the lid, where it should be easier to see them. Persimilis are a bit easier to spot on the plant themselves due to their orange-y colour.
Do you sell or recommend using Californicus?
If you want to try californicus, we can sell it to you, but opposed to the products produced by Applied Bio-nomics, these are produced overseas and likely have been refrigerated rather than produced fresh to ship to you. As well, calfornicus will feed on persimilis mites, and therefore is not compatible with our usual recommended spider mite strategy.
Spider Mite Questions
Will ladybugs treat spider mites?
You may have heard anecdotally from other sources that ladybugs are a good spider mite control; however, ladybugs do not feed primarily on spider mites and we don’t actively recommend them for spider mite control because if there are other food sources available, they will ignore the spider mites and move on.
Stethorus beetle, one of the bugs we do advertise for spider mite control, is actually a relative of ladybugs, and is what should be recommended instead of ladybugs as they are a far more effective predator than ladybugs specifically.
What do you recommend for treating spider mite?
We recommend using a combination of three products: persimilis, fallacis, and stethorus. You can read more about those products here.
Is persimilis better to use than fallacis? What is the difference between those two beneficials?
It depends on where your crop is at, as well as how far along the infestation is.
Do I need to do anything special to my plants to prepare them for the beneficial mites?
The most particular mite that we sell is the persimilis.; This mite does require a humidity of at least 60% because, without it, the eggs will dry out and the second generation of mites will not survive. Fallacis and stethorus are more hardy.
As a general rule with all our products, you want to be very careful with introducing beneficial bugs if you have any sort of pesticide, soap, or essential oils history. Most (if not all) pesticides are incompatible with our bugs. If you've recently applied a commercial soap or oil product (like Neem Oil), we recommend waiting at least a week before introducing any beneficial bugs.
I can’t see any beneficial mites! Am I supposed to be able to see them?
The best way to see the mites is, upon reception, pour a small amount of the mite carrier onto a white piece of paper and look for movement with the naked eye or a light magnifier. Another way to see the mites is to open the bottle and look on the rim and paper filter on the lid, where it should be easier to see them. Persimilis are a bit easier to spot on the plant themselves due to their orange-y colour.
Do you sell or recommend using Californicus?
If you want to try californicus, we can sell it to you, but opposed to the products produced by Applied Bio-nomics, these are produced overseas and likely have been refrigerated rather than produced fresh to ship to you. As well, calfornicus will feed on persimilis mites, and therefore is not compatible with our usual recommended spider mite strategy.
Spider Mite Questions
Will ladybugs treat spider mites?
You may have heard anecdotally from other sources that ladybugs are a good spider mite control; however, ladybugs do not feed primarily on spider mites and we don’t actively recommend them for spider mite control because if there are other food sources available, they will ignore the spider mites and move on.
Stethorus beetle, one of the bugs we do advertise for spider mite control, is actually a relative of ladybugs, and is what should be recommended instead of ladybugs as they are a far more effective predator than ladybugs specifically.
What do you recommend for treating spider mite?
We recommend using a combination of three products: persimilis, fallacis, and stethorus. You can read more about those products here.
Is persimilis better to use than fallacis? What is the difference between those two beneficials?
It depends on where your crop is at, as well as how far along the infestation is.
Do I need to do anything special to my plants to prepare them for the beneficial mites?
The most particular mite that we sell is the persimilis.; This mite does require a humidity of at least 60% because, without it, the eggs will dry out and the second generation of mites will not survive. Fallacis and stethorus are more hardy.
As a general rule with all our products, you want to be very careful with introducing beneficial bugs if you have any sort of pesticide, soap, or essential oils history. Most (if not all) pesticides are incompatible with our bugs. If you've recently applied a commercial soap or oil product (like Neem Oil), we recommend waiting at least a week before introducing any beneficial bugs.
I can’t see any beneficial mites! Am I supposed to be able to see them?
The best way to see the mites is, upon reception, pour a small amount of the mite carrier onto a white piece of paper and look for movement with the naked eye or a light magnifier. Another way to see the mites is to open the bottle and look on the rim and paper filter on the lid, where it should be easier to see them. Persimilis are a bit easier to spot on the plant themselves due to their orange-y colour.
Do you sell or recommend using Californicus?
If you want to try californicus, we can sell it to you, but opposed to the products produced by Applied Bio-nomics, these are produced overseas and likely have been refrigerated rather than produced fresh to ship to you. As well, calfornicus will feed on persimilis mites, and therefore is not compatible with our usual recommended spider mite strategy.