Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 4.18
Amblyseius swirskii
introduced with a bran substrate on peppers
for control of whiteflies using a shaker bottle. (Courtesy of CuisinArt Golf Resort
& Spa, Anguilla.)
is also an effective predator. Vertalec, a parasitic fungus,
Verticillium
lecanii
, may also be used. Several wasps—
Dacnusa sibirica, Diglyphus
isaea,
and
Opius pallipes—
parasitize leaf miners.
Orius tristicolour
and
Hypoaspis miles
feed on thrips. These beneficial insects come in plastic
shake-on bottles or paper strips of pupae that you hang from the leaves of
your plants (Figure 4.18 and Figure 4.19). You may purchase these benefi-
cial insects at your local hydroponic shop or from greenhouse suppliers.
A very useful reference topic on recognizing and determining appropriate
beneficials is
Knowing and Recognizing
. It is listed in the reference section
of Chapter 8.
Other pests may be controlled with various beneficial microorgan-
isms. Caterpillars are very common on lettuce. Control them with Dipel
or Xentari, which is a parasitic bacterium,
Bacillus thuringiensis.
Fungus
gnats may also be kept in check with
Bacillus
bacterium such as Gnatrol.
An insect-parasitizing nematode,
Steinernema carpocapsae
, controls fun-
gus gnats.
Extracts from bacteria and plants assist in controlling numerous pests.
Agrimek and New Mectin control mites. Azatin or Neem-X, a plant
extract from the neem tree, can be used on whiteflies, armyworms, and
mealybugs. Cinnamite, a cinnamon extract, is good on aphids and mites.
Pyganic, a pyrethrin, is good for aphids, caterpillars, leafhoppers, and
whiteflies. Entrust, a spinosad bacteria extract, controls caterpillars,
thrips, and leafminers. Fulfill, a pymetrozine, is effective on aphids and
