Beneficial Insects

Convergent Ladybug Hippodamia convergens

Storage Temperature: Store in refrigerator crisper drawer. 5°C. Up to two weeks.
Target Pests: Aphids
Optimum Release Conditions: Mist plants before releasing lady bugs (they are very thirsty!), and release them in the evening or when your lights are off.
Notes: Convergent lady bugs are not the most common lady bug in Alberta, but they are a native species. Lady bugs may fly away in 4-5 days and heavy aphid infestations may require two applications spaced two weeks apart. Lady bugs may also occasionally eat moistened raisins when aphid populations are low, and offering such things may encourage them to stick around and reproduce, although the best way to keep them around is to use them indoors.

Cucumeris Neoseiulus cucumeris

Appearance: Barely visible to the naked eye, although if you look hard enough you can see them moving around. Under a microscope they are light brown, pear-shaped and rather cute. 
Storage temperature: 10-15°C relative humidity 66-70% Max 5 days.
Target pests: Western flower thrips, onion thrips, two-spotted spider-mites, bamboo and broad mites.
Optimum Release Conditions: are 20-25°C (68-77°F)with relative humidity 66-70%.
Notes: Gardeners are encouraged to use one slow-release pack per plant -- two for heavier infestations. Once they've run out of food, they will eat each other. Cucumeris come packaged with a small number of bran mites as a temporary food source. Bran mites will not infest your plant. 

Persimilis Phytoseiulus persimilis

Appearance: Bright red, pear-shaped and fast-moving arachnid, approximately 0.5mm in size. 
Storage temperature: 10-15°C relative humidity 66-70% Max 5 days.
Target pests: Two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) and bean red spider mite
Optimum Release Conditions: 20-27°C (68-81°F) and relative humidity over 60%.
Notes: Probably one of the best biological spider mite controls. At temperatures of 18-27°C (64-81°F), the predators reproduce faster than spider mites. At warmer or cooler temperatures, however, the spider mites reproduce faster. Larger containers of persimilis may come packaged with actual spider mites as a temporary food source, as they are ravenous little critters and will not last long without food. 

Stethorus (spider mite destroyer) Stethorus punctillum

Storage temperature: 10-16ºC Max 5 days.
Target pests: Two-spotted spider mite,European red mite, Spruce spider mite, Southern red mite
Optimum Release Conditions: moderate to high temperatures of 67-90°F (16-35°C).

Stratiolaelaps Stratiolaelaps scimitus

Storage temperature: Do not refrigerate. If necessary, containers can be held, stored on their side out of direct sunlight, at 16-21oC (60-70oF) for up to 7 days. 
Target pests: Fungus gnats, Western flower thrips, springtails, root mealybug crawler, grain mites, snail mites and reptile mites.
Optimum Release Conditions: 20°C (68°F)
Notes: Stratiolaelaps excels at controlling fungus gnats and other soil-dwelling creatures. It cannot relied on alone for thrips control. It may, however, enhance biological control when used in conjunction with other thrips predators such as cucumeris. 

Fallacis Neoseiulus fallacis

Storage temperature:8-18ºC Max 7 days
Target pests: Two-spotted spider mite,European red mite, Spruce spider mite, Southern red mite
Optimum Release Conditions:[9-32°C (48-85°F)]. relative humidity 50%

Beneficial Nematodes Steinernema feltiae

Notes: Nematodes do not prey on ladybugs, earthworms or most other beneficial insects. They are harmless to plants and humans, as is the bacterium they produce. 

Regular Ordinary Spider