Phytoseiulus persimilis

Mite Predator

A great mite predator for spider mites in humid greenhouses and for dense field crops.

Ships via Overnight methods Monday-Thursday only. See Shipping Info for details. These predatory mites are available in our Oro Valley store.

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P. persimilis now available as P. persimilis PLUS.

Ships via Overnight methods Monday-Thursday only. See Shipping Info for details or call us at 1-800-827-2847. These predatory mites are available for pick-up in our Oro Valley store.

Effective control of two spotted spider mites! Release Phytoseiulus persimilis at first sign of mite infestation. Once leaf damage is serious, more than 4 mites per leaf, achieving control is more difficult. For heavy infestations, remove the most affected plants and use a knock-down spray (see Neem Oil). Wait 48 hours after application of a knockdown spray to release predatory mites. P. persimilis are red in color relative to the pest mites they feed on and are best used to combat active mite populations. P. persimilis will leave the area in search of alternative food sources if pest levels drop too low.

P. persimilis consume egg, nymph and adult stages of pest mites. Light infestations can be controlled within 2-3 weeks. Repeat releases every 7-14 days until control is achieved. Call us at 1-800-827-2847 to set up a customized weekly or bi-weekly ship program.

Optimum Temperature and Humidity: 68-90°F (20-27°C) and 60-90% Relative Humidity

The above conditions are optimal and P. persimilis can be successful outside of those ranges; however, reproduction, development and activity levels can all be reduced. Increase humidity by moistening soil or use a cool-mist vaporizer around plants in enclosed areas.

Release Rates: Some crops, including tomatoes & other highly resinous crops, require higher release rates.

Environment	Release Rates
Tomatoes	Preventative: 1-3 P. persimilis per square foot.
	Moderate Infestation/Speckling: 5+ per square foot.
	Webbing/Outbreak: 10+ per square foot after using a knockdown spray and cleaning the growing area.
Greenhouse & Garden Crops	2+ P. persimilis per square foot. Increase release quantity for moderate to severe infestations.
Outdoor Growers	20,000-200,000 P. persimilis per acre depending on infestation level.
Please Note: Release rates vary depending upon crop, infestation level and season of the year.

Additional Information:

This Product Controls These Pests or Diseases: Spider Mite (Mult), Two-Spotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae)

P. persimilis is a fast-feeding spider mite predator and should not be used to control broad, cyclamen or russet mites. Release instructions for P. persimilis are found below. If you are a first time user of beneficial insects or mite predators, please call us at 1-800-827-2847 to walk through application instructions and best practices.

Release immediately for best results. It is helpful to release P. persimilis in late evening on the day you receive them. Before releasing, gently rotate the jar to distribute the mites evenly within the carrier. Next, open the jar in the crop and begin to tap the contents out of the jar as evenly as possible onto the plant foliage. Concentrate releases on or near heavily infested plants. In trees, sprinkle them into Dixie-like cups wedged into, or distribution boxes hung from, the branches. Leave the bottle in the treatment area for 24 hours after release to ensure all P. persimilis have exited.

Due to its high reproduction rate, P. persimilis can exhaust its food supply and die out. Because of this, P. persimilis should be applied as an active control, not as a preventative measure. Repeated releases are recommended until all spider mite infestations have P. persimilis present. Since they are unable to sustain themselves without a mite population to feed on, look to N. fallacis for preventative applications as they can feed on pollen and small arthropods in the absence of mites.

Environment: Outdoors, Crops, Nursery, Greenhouse, Grow Room, Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Pond & Environment, Interiorscapes, Container Plants

Storage: If not releasing immediately, keep in a cool dark place out of direct sunlight. Use within 18 hours of receipt.

Shipping Restrictions:

Ships via Overnight methods Monday - Thursday.
Online orders can take up to 48 hours to process.
For any questions about shipping restrictions, please call us at 1-800-827-2847.

Cannot Be Shipped To: HI,PR,VI,GU,AS,PW

What's In The Package: P. persimilis mite predators are shipped as adults mixed with vermiculite. Release immediately for best results. They are packaged 2,000 mite predators per 4 oz. bottle (i.e. 10,000 ct. includes five 2,000 ct. bottles).

Warning & Toxicities: Do not release P. persimilis in areas where A. cucumeris are being used. A. cucumeris feed on spider mite eggs, limiting the food supply for immature Persimilis. See our Quick Pest Reference Guide for alternative predators suitable to your pest situation.

Shelf Life: Use within 18 hours of receipt.

Life Cycle: The complete P. persimilis life cycle varies based on temperature with higher temperatures accelerating the process and cooler temperatures slowing it down. At 86°F, maturity is reached after 5 days, while maturity is reached in as many as 25 days at 59°F. The sex ratio for P. persimilis is 4:1 female to male with females laying 2-3 eggs per day.

Eggs hatch in 2-3 days, but newly hatched juveniles do not feed. Later immature stages and adults feed on all stages of mites with each predator consuming 5-30 prey per day.

Reviews

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predator mites

Apr 6, 2022 | By RUDY SANTOS

Bought 4000 of them next day air and only a few were alive

Owner Response: In the event of compromised viability, please contact customercare@arbico.com to submit photos to use our Live Delivery Guarantee.

Great hot spot treatment

Mar 10, 2022 | By Stacey Stout

I have released these mite predators on the two spotted spider mite and had great success controlling small populations in the early stages of infestation. If there are already multiple generations of spider mites and a moderate level of infestation, the persimilis is better than nothing but may not keep the population from growing.

Phytoseiulus persimilis A.K.A Mite Assassins'

Mar 9, 2022 | By Richard Castello

These little guys decimated an on going mite issue in days. Tried everything to get rid of them. Nothing seemed to work. Bought these guys and problem solved. Nothing else to say. Get em.

Not sure they worked

Jan 11, 2021 | By Josh

Used them in our 5x9 tent and the spider mites seem to have gotten worse. Will try something else.

Owner Response: Thank you for your feedback Josh. As you know, biological control may need to be applied multiple times for thorough control. If you would like additional suggestions, please call to work with one of our bio-control specialists. We'll work with you to find the right solution!

Phytoseiulus persimilis

Nov 1, 2020 | By Stacy

These little Phytoseiulus persimilis were alive and ready to hunt. The spider mites seemed to know as soon as I sprinkled them on. They started hunting immediately and the spider mites seemed to frantically try to escape. I sprinkled these on about 240 house plants. The spider mites disappeared in days and then came back a tiny bit in about 2 weeks. I did not see any Phytoseiulus persimilis after my initial release, but a month later with also keeping a humidifier on, I see zero signs of spider mites. Customer service and advice was excellent and very helpful. Shipping was very fast. They initially let me know I should do at least 3 releases and I only did the one time. So happy with my purchase! This was my first time releasing any kind of predatory mites. It had amazing results and was so easy.

Amazing project!

Oct 28, 2020 | By Kris

Ordered these when I noticed spider mites on a few of my plants that most likely got in through open windows. I had used insecticidal soap but the warnings made me nervous from a health perspective so I was looking for another optoin. These little guys were great! I don't have loop to watch them in action but I can say that the damage they were causing has stopped completely and I haven't seen any signs of spider mites since I released them. Plan to buy again in about a month just as a precaution!

Always good

Oct 25, 2020 | By Marty White

I have never had a bad or undesirable experience with Arbico they are great to work with

Love our bugs

Oct 6, 2020 | By Brenda Marshall

They have turned our grow around eating up all the russet mites. We still we'll find a few but our crop is not harmed. Thanks so much

Owner Response: Great to hear Brenda. P persimilis are not commonly used for Russet Mites, but glad they have worked for you. Continue to monitor for future outbreaks.

Works great

Aug 8, 2020 | By Terri Chaffman

100% satisfied with this method of organic pest control! The nematodes were packed very well and worked great! I noticed the spider mites were gone within 48 hours! A life saver for sure!

worked great

Jul 30, 2020 | By Emily

I had a spider mite infestation in my apartment and these mites seemed to do the job, which is so great because I was so sick of spraying & treating all my plants constantly. I'm very very happy with my purchase! will probably get another in a week or two just to be safe

mity mites

Jul 21, 2020 | By Linnea Good

The beneficial mites have been busy in our greenhouse.

Pimp my Garden

Jun 20, 2020 | By Ben Sizemore

Have a small scale greenhouse that became infested with spider mites. Ordered the predatory mites and let them do their work. Beyond pleased. Many exotic plants and specimens preserved. Thank you so much. Highly recommend.

Arrived mostly dead

May 22, 2020 | By James Rascon

Timely arrival, good packaging. But only a couple live mites. Now two weeks later and our mite problem just getting worse.

Owner Response: We do guarantee live delivery, so if there are any issues with viability please call us or email a picture/video to customercare@arbico.com. If needed, we will reship or refund you.

Thank You

May 7, 2020 | By Marty White

Always Great service Thank You

Fan of your products!

Apr 27, 2020 | By Holly

I was having an issue with spider mites and could not get rid of them using other products recommended by my local grower and all the information online, until I found this Arbico Organics...their site was very helpful and offered another solutions...and it worked! I ordered my product to ship ovenight and received in the time they said would deliver. I am a fan of this company and their products!!!

Good bugs

Mar 28, 2020 | By Bret Mattox

I have ordered these for probably 7 or so years. They have worked better than any spray or bomb. Just make sure the temp and humidity is good. They keep the spider mites under control without pesticides. I have gotten an order that was dead , I called and the order was replaced quickly with no charge or any type of problem. I recommend this product to any and all. They work awesome and my plants are bug free.

Saviors!

Feb 22, 2020 | By Jared

Fighting fire with fire! Great having your own army without spraying anything on my plants! I was not able to rid the spider mites with neem, diatomaceous earth, safer brands, Growsafe. Ended up vacuuming them off leaves daily but just kept the populations down. They dont just go away. Lady bugs were a waste of money as well. Ive barely used a few tablespoons of the vermiculite and mite mix and have not seen any mite damage whatsoever on my new crop!! Thank you! What a god send!

Green House Spider Mites

Jan 24, 2020 | By Anthony

I had a spider mite infestation in my organic food production greenhouse that I acquired from 2 maypop plants straight from a supplier. I tried several organic sprays, tried cutting and removing the visibly affected plant material, etc. but they kept repopulating. The predator mites I ordered arrived quickly, and hundreds of them survived the trip in the middle of winter. My spider mite problem seems to have been eradicated.

Predator Bugs

Jan 22, 2020 | By Vance

Appears they ate all the spider mites in less than a week.

Free of mites in a week

Dec 11, 2019 | By Noah Luecke

These predatory mites efficiently reduced the spider mite load in my native prairie plants which I am using in an experiment. Worked in about a week.

Spider Mite Annihilators

Sep 6, 2019 | By Donna Everett

These things put a hurtin' on outdoor crops. They saved me for sure!

Spider mites

Jul 21, 2019 | By Manny

Hate those two spotted mites, the predators are doing great, hardly see any webs anymore after only a week , hopefully another round knocks them out for good!!!!!

Persimilis

Jul 17, 2019 | By Greg Marciel

Good service

Fast service, excellent results

Jun 29, 2019 | By Elizabeth

Worked great to eliminate a spider mite infestation in no time. Thank you!

Got rid of mites

Jun 6, 2019 | By Lillian Wallace

These work amazingly well. We used them in our worm composting bin. The mites are gone and the red wigglers, (Eisenia foetida) are thriving. Highly recommended.

Predatory mites

Apr 26, 2019 | By Jason Yeakey

They worked great and it was fun watching them attack the spider mites

Alive

Apr 3, 2019 | By Mike Schum

This was my second order of 2000 predator mites. Overnight shipping. Both orders arrive the next morning with plenty of live hearty predators that eliminated my mite problem. Didn't see another mite for two months which most likely was brought in on clothing.

Pretty good

Mar 5, 2019 | By Tricia

Decent timing, just curious how many are actually alive as I have yet to se any persimillis crawling around any of the bottles I have purchased. Seems to be working as I use for preventative measures and I don't have anything. Fast expensive shipping, just what you pay for.

Not sure what happened.

Feb 24, 2019 | By Jerome Brown

Hi, When I opened the bottle of predatory mites, I don't know what I expected; probably some little legged balls like your photo showed. Instead, all I could see was vermiculite. So I went and conscientiously poured out little heaps of vermiculite wherever i thought I needed predators. Maybe they are too small to see -- my eyes are not as good as they used to be. But right now, I'm disappointed. Let's wait a bit, and see what the mite damage to the plants turns out to be.

Owner Response: Hi Jerome, Sometimes Persimilis cluster in transit, so leaving them at room temperature for 15 minutes prior to checking can be helpful. You can check areas where you released them with a loupe for activity. Persimilis are easily distinguished from spider mites by their quicker movement and different color. If you ever have questions about viability, please call us at 1-800-827-2847.

They handle thinhs proper

Feb 6, 2019 | By Fred Freeland

Ordered persimillis and they came in no life. Sent an email and costomer service got back to me right away and replaced the bad with really good replacement bursting with life. Thanks guys. I think whitefly control is next.

Owner Response: Thanks for getting in touch with us quickly! We've definitely got stuff for whitefly control when you need it!

Good results

Dec 23, 2018 | By Duane

Received the predators promptly, applied them as directed and they knocked the mites down and continue to do so.

Gardener

Dec 13, 2018 | By Richard Moore

I have been fighting 2 spotted spider mites and wanted to stop spraying pesticides for the mites using the Persimilis. I am 90% bad bug free in just a few weeks, reordered this week to finish them off and will go to sachets for maintenance Thank you Arbico

Predator mites (persimilis)

Dec 11, 2018 | By Frank

They helped out a lot on the garden wished it came with storage instructions it looked like after two days of storage I tried re applying and hardly any mite left first time I applied added about 20 then second application they seemed to disappear would recommend reeleasing all at once overall was satisfied with the product.

Owner Response: Thank you for the inputs, Frank! We'll work to get more storage information on the label.

Phytoseiulus Persimilis works!!

Nov 25, 2018 | By E.T.

Got the 4000x batch and was told that I may need a secondary treatment. Saw the bright red beauties when I unscrewed the bottle, that was good. My room's relative humidity, temperature weren't of ideal condition to keep them alive, and they supposedly have only a 10-day cycle. Yet against all odds, they still survive almost a month post releasing them. Needless to say, spidermites are being kept to a minimum since then (but not totally annihilated which is totally fine). They work exactly as seller suggests. But they work BETTER than I expected. Highly recommended.

Spider mites control

Oct 23, 2018 | By Annie

The good mites ordered are working. May have to order more. They are working

Saved my flowers.

Sep 26, 2018 | By Michael Ziegler

I had a beautiful late flower stage crop which was too close to harvest to use pesticides of any sort. These little guys got rid of the spider mite infestation in a couple of days. Everything perked up and harvest went smoothly 10 days later. Thanks!!

The best!

Aug 19, 2018 | By Michael Scherer

A really great group of people. Very courteous on the phone. All in all 100%.

Simply awesome

Aug 16, 2018 | By Richard

An excellent greenhouse mite predator! Took about two weeks to see a drop in two spotted mite population but after that it seemed like everyday there were less and less spider mite. As always thanks again Arbico, from me and my plants.

Beneficial bugs

Jul 23, 2018 | By Irving Banks

Hard to tell if 2000 per bottle, I set them out, hard to tell if around, seems to be working as leaves of the plant don't show signs of mites. Hard to distinguish between good and bad as both are tiny lol.....more time will tell. Thank you

Healthy

Apr 5, 2018 | By Jay

Very healthy and active. Much more activity than the first time I ordered.

Love em

Feb 10, 2018 | By Jeremy

At first i did not like using predator mites as a prevention measure, but after using them for the last year they work great.

Beyond satisfied!!!

Feb 9, 2018 | By Ashlee

Not only did I find more spider mite predators for better price and better shipping they came on time, the pack was still cold, the instructions are clear, they worked wonderfully. You can tell as soon as I opened it that they were all alive and thriving and here we are two maybe three weeks later and all of my plants are showing new growth and no signs webs or spider mites or fungus gnats. I know I'll be ordering again because I have a heavy hand when watering...

Spider mites destroyed!!!

Feb 3, 2018 | By Jarad Trevey

Felt like overnight my pesky friends disappeared. Had a more than average infestation the predatory mites worked amazing. Though the low humidity outside here might make them less effective outdoors. But in a tent they destroyed!

Awesome

Jan 28, 2014 | By Organic Gardener

Within 24 hours I could hardly find a spider mite or any of the eggs