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Sciarid fly control
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The Pest | |
Serious economic damage can be caused on some crops especially during seedling propagation and on fresh cuttings because the sciarid larvae attack the young roots. Large numbers can cause problems to more established plants and the presence of adults on produce during marketing is undesirable.
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Biological Controls | |
» HYPOSURE (m) Hypoaspis miles in units of 25,000
» NEMASYS® Steinernema feltiae in units of 50 million
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| | Hyposure (m)
Hypoaspis miles is a brown coloured predatory mite. It is soil dwelling and naturally inhabits the top layer of the soil/compost to a depth of about 4cm. This recent addition to the controls available for sciarids also attacks other invertebrates present in the soil/compost such as springtails. Trials have shown that Hypoaspis can live for several weeks without the presence of food and with a food source adults remain active for 4 to 5 months. The temperature threshold for mite activity is between 10°C and 12°C. The life cycle from egg to adult takes approximately 34 days at 15°C, 17 days at 20°C, 11 days at 24°C and 9 days at 28°C. Hypoaspis larvae and adults all feed on sciarid larvae but prefer the younger stages, mature larvae being several times larger than the mite. Sciarid fly pupae are not attacked and the eggs only rarely. Hypoaspis should be sprinkled over the compost and introduced as early as possible in the life of the crop. Directions for Use | 
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