Those who just on the start of using beneficials likely wondered what are the differences between sachet and bottle material and what are the properties of their application in greenhouses. However, advice of how to use different types of the package may be interesting for those who have applied bio method in greenhouses for a long time.
First of all, it should be noted that only some species of predatory mites (Amblyseius swirskii, A. cucumeris, etc.) can be produced in both forms. This is due to a wide nutrition base of beneficials, which allows them to grow on feed mites (for example, flour mite), which are not pests in the greenhouse. Phytoseiulus persimilis which is a highly specialized predator and feeds exclusively on a spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), cannot be produced in sachets.
Bottled material contains adult predatory mites and a substrate (vermiculite, bran or other). The bottle provides at once a high predator population for a short period (1-2 weeks), in comparison with the sachet form.
The sachet material includes a substrate, all stages of a predatory mite and a nutrition mite. In the sachet predators go through all stages of development from egg to imago, feeding on food mites. Packaged material is a mini-laboratory for the production of entomophages. The bags are hung on the stem of the plants near the leaf petiole. The packaged form allows the entomophage population to be kept in the greenhouse for a long time (3-5 weeks), ensuring the gradual emergence of adult individuals from the sachet to the plants. The maximum yield of predators is observed two weeks after hanging on plants.
The economical and efficient use of each form of packaging depends on the conditions in the greenhouse, the stage of development of the crop and other factors. During the crop rotation, both bottle or sachet material can be applied, as well as a combination thereof.
If the pest began to appear at the stage of seedlings or during the transfer of plants to the main part of the greenhouse, it is recommended to use bottle material in pest hotbeds. As long as the plants do not reach the trellis and do not touch each other, the beneficials from the sachets will not be able to provide complete protection coverage. To develop predators in a sachet, it is necessary to maintain a certain humidity and temperature. At extremely high temperatures or low humidity, the yield of beneficials from sachets can be greatly reduced. In such conditions, it is also better to use bottle material. After reaching the trellis, it is better to use the sachet material of predatory mites.