Whitefly Parasite Encarsia formosa

Greenhouse Whitefly Control with Encarsia formosa - Whitefly Parasite

Preferred food: Greenhouse Whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) and limited control of sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci).

Life cycle and shipment: Shipped on 3 strips (5 cards on each strip) that contain parasitized whitefly scale and more than 1,000 Encarsia eggs. Encarsia do well in humidity of 50-70% and temperatures between 64º – 84º. Adults will emerge from the pupae over a period of 1-2 weeks. They are active for about 10 days. Encarsia formosa will kill approximately 125 whitefly per week by using them for food or parasitizing them. The next generation of wasp develops inside the whitefly scale and emerges after 20 days.

Release: Release Encarsia at the first sign of whitefly by hanging individual cards on plant foliage. For greenhouse tomatoes and peppers, 1 Encarsia/4 plants weekly for 8-10 weeks; cucumbers, one/2 plants weekly for 8-10 weeks; poinsettias, two/each plant weekly for 8-12 weeks. For acre dosage release 3,000 weekly, for 8-10 weeks.

Release rates vary depending upon crop, infestation and season of the year.

For prevention: Use 500-1,000/15,000 sq. ft. weekly.

For low infestations: (less than 1 adult whitefly per 50-100 plants) release 1,000-2,000 / 5,000-10,000 sq. ft. for a minimum of 3 weeks or until control is achieved.

For higher infestations: Use 3,000 / 3,500 sq. ft. for a minimum of 3 weeks or until control is achieved. Weekly Ship Programs Available

Eggs are shipped on cards that can be hung directly on the plants. Release immediately upon receipt. Suspend the cards below plant tops. Cards can be put on stakes or hung from the edge of a pot. Do not touch the eggs or pupae. Do not hang them in direct sunlight. Place as close to whitefly populations as possible. Leave the cards in place for at least 10 days to allow all eggs to hatch. Look for parasitized whitefly pupae, easily distinguishable from unparasitized pupae.

Use with Delphastus catalinae and/or Eretmocerus eremicus

Availability: year-round. Can be used in conjunction with Green Lacewing and Delphastus.

Please allow 10 days to process order.

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NOTE: If your total order includes other items, UPS 2nd Day shipping charges may be applied to ship the other items. You may wish to place a separate order for other items to avoid being charged 2nd Day prices for those items.

Be aware that your order may arrive in 2 or more shipments depending upon what you have ordered. For example, live nematodes may arrive a few days ahead of other products based upon the shipping method that was selected or required for particular items in your order.

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