Very interesting and amazing channel. Thanks for sharing. I stopped spraying a few years ago with the idea of allowing nature to find its equilibrium of beneficial and harmful bugs. But that is about it. I really appreciate the scientific details you provide to round out my own perspective.
Thank you! That’s so nice to hear. I feel like many people just need that little bit more information to feel more confident in what they are already doing. Happy gardening!
whitefly is an easy one for bio-control: If you are early, you can prevent them with the parasitoid wasps Encarsia formosa. Every few weeks just the smallest amount is needed. If you have a whitefly problem you can use Encarsia (but get more) or the tiny black ladybug Delphastus catalinae. It will absolutely wipe-out the whitefly. But always, it is less expensive to use the parasitoids preventatively. Leaf hoppers are different. Because they haven't been considered a commercial pest, they have never been targeted by finding beneficials specifically for them. But, as soon as people stop spraying soaps and oils or chemicals, natural predators show up and control them.
The solution for fungus gnats is easy: Stratiolaelaps scimitus (predatory mite) in the soil. Inexpensive, lives permanently in most conditions, easy to get, and is the commercial standard. Japanese beetle may be controlled in the early larval stage by Stratiolaelaps scimitus as well (because they eat other beetle larvae like that) but I don’t know if a study proving it.
Very interesting and amazing channel. Thanks for sharing. I stopped spraying a few years ago with the idea of allowing nature to find its equilibrium of beneficial and harmful bugs. But that is about it. I really appreciate the scientific details you provide to round out my own perspective.
Thank you! That’s so nice to hear. I feel like many people just need that little bit more information to feel more confident in what they are already doing. Happy gardening!
What do you recommend for leaf hoppers and also white flies? My climate is dry/hot with a milder winter.
whitefly is an easy one for bio-control: If you are early, you can prevent them with the parasitoid wasps Encarsia formosa. Every few weeks just the smallest amount is needed. If you have a whitefly problem you can use Encarsia (but get more) or the tiny black ladybug Delphastus catalinae. It will absolutely wipe-out the whitefly. But always, it is less expensive to use the parasitoids preventatively.
Leaf hoppers are different. Because they haven't been considered a commercial pest, they have never been targeted by finding beneficials specifically for them. But, as soon as people stop spraying soaps and oils or chemicals, natural predators show up and control them.
@@gardeningwithbugs721 Thank you!
PEst Pest pests !! Fungus gnats and Japanese beetles ! Help !
The solution for fungus gnats is easy: Stratiolaelaps scimitus (predatory mite) in the soil. Inexpensive, lives permanently in most conditions, easy to get, and is the commercial standard.
Japanese beetle may be controlled in the early larval stage by Stratiolaelaps scimitus as well (because they eat other beetle larvae like that) but I don’t know if a study proving it.