These are live insects and MUST be shipped OVERNIGHT.
No USPS or ground shipping.
RELEASE RATES:
*Note: These rates are for preventative control only, multiple releases and/or higher quantities are necessary for heavier infestations.
| Quantity Package |
Approx. Coverage |
| 500 |
100 sq. ft.
|
| 1,000 |
200 sq. ft. |
| 5,000 |
1,000 sq. ft. |
DESCRIPTION:
Colemani are a parasitic wasp that attacks several species of aphids ie; Green Peach Aphids and Cotton Aphids. Used mostly in greenhouses producing vegetables and ornamentals. Adult wasps are black 2-3 mm long with long antennae and narrow mid drifts. Adult females lay eggs from their abdomen by quickly curling their abdomen and puncturing an aphid simultaneously with their ovipositor. The egg, once inside the aphid, will hatch into a larva and consume the aphid. The larvae then pupates (spins a cocoon) inside the dead aphid. The mummified aphid swells into a characteristic round, golden brown mummy. The emerging adult will cut a symmetrical hole at the bottom end to escape from the mummified aphid.After injecting the aphid with an egg it takes about a week for the mummy to form and then another week for the adult to appear. Each female can lay more than 100 eggs.
LIFESPAN:
Egg to adult takes about 2 weeks. Adults live for 10 days.
For Best Results
A. colemani will reduce aphid infestations from developing into problem areas. When aphids are found, continue to make these releases away from aphid infestations. This will allow Aphidoletes to search out any new infested areas. During fall and winter, the 2nd generation of Aphidoletes will diapause in short day conditions, unless there is supplemental lighting. It has been found that leaving on one 60-watt light bulb all night will prevent diapause in more than half of the larvae within a 20 meter diameter, as long as the night temperatures are above 60°F.
The larvae need to burrow into damp soil, peat moss, sawdust, or other growth media to pupate. In greenhouses with bare plastic or concrete floors, survival will be low unless organic materials are added. Adding a thin layer (1/8 in.) of sand, sawdust, or other organic material under the leaf zones of plants will improve the cycling of Aphidoletes.
For control of cotton/melon aphid (which reproduce very quickly), Aphidoletes should be used along with Aphidius parasitic wasps. It may be necessary to control ants in conservatories and around outdoor trees because they can protect aphid colonies by removing predator larvae.
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