Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoaspis miles)

Fungus Gnat Predator

Use these beneficial mites to control fungus gnat larvae, thrips pupae and springtails in the soil.

Overnight Shipping Required. Orders ship on Tuesdays Only. Minimum 6 day processing time. Order by Wednesday for shipment Tuesday. See Shipping Info for additional information.

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Overnight shipping required. Ships on Tuesdays only. Not available in store. See shipping info for details.

Knockdown and Preventive Control of Soil Dwelling Fungus Gnats, Root Aphids, Thrips and Springtails.

This tiny, translucent brown to tan predatory mite naturally inhabits the top layer of soil where pest insect larvae and pupae dwell. Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoaspis miles) is primarily used for treating and controlling fungus gnat infestations, but can also be released as a control measure for root aphids, spider mites and thrips. Female S. scimitus predatory mites lay their eggs in soil where the nymphs and adults feed on pests. Nymphal feeding focuses on eggs and immature larvae (instars) of fungus gnats in addition to pupal stages of thrips. If the infestation being treated is severe, use S. scimitus along with Sf Beneficial Nematodes and Yellow Sticky Traps. Consider using S. scimitus with A. swirskii or N. cucumeris if you are treating an active thrips infestation.

Life Cycle & Optimal Conditions for Release:

The S. scimitus life cycle lasts around 13 days and can accelerate or lengthen in different environmental conditions. Optimal conditions for S. scimitus performance are temperatures from 60-74° and high relative humidity. These conditions refer to soil conditions more so than atmospheric conditions as the Stratiolaelaps are most active in the growing medium. Cooler temperatures can have a negative impact on reproduction and development.

Release rates: Some crops benefit when higher release rates are used preventatively.

Type of Application	Release Rate
General Releases	5-10 mites per sq. ft. or 5,000-10,000 per 1,000 sq. ft.
Heavy Infestations	30+ mites per sq. ft. or 30,000 per 1000 sq. ft.
Weekly applications are recommended until infestations subside. Please call for more information.

Additional Information:

How To Control Fungus Gnats Indoors

This Product Controls These Pests or Diseases: Bean Thrips (Caliothrips fasciatus), Fungus Gnats (Bradysia impatiens), Root Aphids, Spider Mites, Springtails, Thrips (Franklinothrips spp)

S. scimitus feeds on a range of soil dwelling pests including fungus gnats, root aphids and thrips pupae. They should be applied directly to the growing medium. Release instructions for S. scimitus 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.

General Application Recommendations: Incorporate mites into growing media at potting or sprinkle onto growing media surface. Rotate tube several times before opening to mix contents. To open lid, push the cut-out on the lid where marked. Rotate lid cover to fully open position for application. Shake tube lightly and tap contents out gently to dispense mixture onto the surface of growing media; S. scimitus will quickly distribute through crop.

Environment: Outdoors, Crops, Orchards & Vineyards, Nursery, Greenhouse, Grow Room, Interiorscapes, Container Plants

Storage: If not releasing immediately, keep in a cool dark place out of direct sunlight. Do not refrigerate.

Viability Note: If you plan to check for viability, please do so upon receipt and prior to releasing the beneficial insects. Many predators and parasites are small and can be difficult to spot once released. If you believe there are issues with viability, please contact us at 1-800-827-2847 or customercare@arbico.com.

When Will My Order Ship?

Orders ship Tuesdays only.
Orders placed by Wednesday will ship on Tuesday. There is a minimum 6-day processing time on all S. scimitus orders.
Overnight shipping is required and refers to the delivery time after shipment.
Call us at 1-800-827-2847 to schedule repeated shipments of Fungus Gnat Predators for ongoing control.

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

What's In The Package: S. scimitus fungus gnat and mite predators are shipped as adults mixed with immature stages to account for some mortality in transit. Release immediately for best results.

12,500 ct. – 16 oz. bottle with vermiculite.
25,000 ct. – 1 liter bottle with vermiculite.
50,000 ct. – 1 liter bottle (x2) with vermiculite.
125,000 ct. – 5 liter bag with vermiculite.

Shelf Life: Use within 18 hours of receipt.

Reviews

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Predatory Mites

Mar 24, 2022 | By Michelle

This was my first time buying any type of mite. I had an issue with grain mites in my hermit crab habitat. After contacting customer service to make sure these mites would help with my problem, I decided to give them a try. Excellent customer service by the way! I have now had these mites in my tanks for 2 weeks and they are definitely working! I hardly see any grain mites now. You can tell they are still working because the grain mites are fleeing up the glass and it makes it so much easier to wipe them away to decrease the population even more. Only downside that I can tell is they go after springtails too. So far, I haven't seen a drastic drop in my springtails, but time shall tell. Thank you to the company for offering a remedy for these grain mites!

What Gnats?

Feb 2, 2021 | By David

Stratiolaelaps scimitus are a gardens best friend. A must for any living soil garden or indoor garden. The staff at Arbico is super helpful and knowledgeable. So grateful that they around to keep my breeding bugs that keep my garden clean of destructive bugs. Thank you :)

Hypoaspis miles

Jan 28, 2021 | By Jonah

I ordered 25,000 but due to cold temps most of them didn't make it. I've been searching for them with my scope only finding a few here and there. Finding more fungus gnat larvae then predators. I'll try again soon

Owner Response: Thank you for your feedback Jonah. You may want to consider adding treatments of Sf Nematodes (compatible with Stratiolaelaps) to fight the larval stage of fungus gnats. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss more options, please contact one of our bio-control specialists at 800-827-2847.

Fast, friendly, accurate, and it works!

Jan 22, 2021 | By Randall

I was fighting fungus gnats on an indoor grow. Stratiolaelaps scimitus decimate them. Also requested a specific delivery date because I was traveling, and it worked out wonderfully.

Great service & magical nature

Nov 14, 2020 | By Joe Downey

Very fast delivery and superb box- insulated with a cold pack. Telephone ?s answered by a very knowledgeable and helpful woman. I love the idea of letting natural "products" take care of what ails your plants.

Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoaspis miles) vs Thrips

Nov 1, 2020 | By Stacy

I had thrips for the first time and got Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoaspis miles) to sprinkle on about 240 house plants. It has been a little over a month and I have only found 3 thrips lately. I did see healthy Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoaspis miles) just today so I know they are reproducing and continuing to do their job. They also keep the fungus gnats almost completely gone. The first few weeks I was still seeing thrips and contemplating using more mites or SF nematodes, but I only did one release of Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoaspis miles) and I'm happy with the results. Great customer service and advice and delivery exactly when expected.

Reptile mites...

Apr 29, 2020 | By Autumn

I bought these in hopes of using them as an all natural chemical free reptile mite treatment. Wasn't certain it was going to work, as here in the US, nobody seems to use them for this but I had read a few stories of success on forums based in the UK. So I figured I'd at least give it a try. I'm incredibly happy to say within one week of applying these little guys to my blue tongue's tank there were zero signs of reptile mites! My little guy and I couldn't be happier. Also all hypoaspis were alive and active upon arrival and are continuing to thrive into the second week of being introduced to the tank. Thank you arbico!

Fungus gnat control

Jul 20, 2019 | By Daniel

Ordered nematodes and mites to control bad fungus gnat infestations. Control occurred immediately when using both, gnats have not returned. Would like smaller quantity available as these were used for house plants/10 outdoor potted plants. I was able to use leftovers on my parent's garden as well and their fungus gnat numbers have also diminished significantly. Really appreciate the packaging for these. Came in a cooler with cold pack.

Awesome product

Jun 12, 2019 | By Joanna

I got them on time and put them in right away, I used them to help get rid of my snake mites and they have done a wonderful job! Will definitely order these again if i ever need to. Customer service was great!

These bugs

Feb 25, 2019 | By Heather Heath

This product is working awesome and Arbico is awesome with customer service and timely deliveries.

bugs

Jan 7, 2019 | By Melissa Vaccaro

Very happy with these beneficial insects.

Excellent

Aug 7, 2018 | By Karl McCament

Excellent product and great customer service. Make sure you are home to receive predator beneficials.

Hypoaspis Miles

May 2, 2018 | By MindfulFlora

Fundamental to our living soil methods regarding participation in the soil food web and associated soil pest pressure control

Predator mites

Mar 24, 2018 | By Asif

Not sure if the predator mites were affective for getting rid of mites on snakes, which is why I purchased them, so the result is inconclusive.

Owner Response: Thank you for your feedback. There is some science that indicates predatory mites work in large reptile enclosures but they are not a guaranteed control for snake mites. Next time you have the issue, I suggest you call one of our specialists at 1-800-827-2847 to determine if there is any other product we can recommend for you.

mighty mites

Jan 29, 2018 | By Erick

Had an indoor fungus gnat problem that kept coming back from a hermit crab terrarium, where BTI treatment was difficult. The predatory mites took care of it in pots all over the house. Only used a fraction of the container.

Owner Response: That is fantastic to hear Erick! Fungus gnats seem to find their way in wherever they can.

Love these guys

Jan 23, 2018 | By Tyler

Awesome fungus gnat and thrip eating predator mites!!!