What to Expect When Using Beneficial Insects for Pest Control

• Predatory mites patrol leaves and soil (depending on the type purchased), looking for pests like thrips and spider mites. 

• Parasitic wasps lay their eggs inside or under pests such as aphids or whiteflies, eventually killing them from the inside out. 

• Gall midges are tiny flies whose larvae actively hunt down and feed on pests like aphids and spider mites. 

• Other predators (like lady beetles or lacewings) consume large numbers of soft-bodied insects once they are released. 

• They need time to spread through your crop, locate prey, feed, and start reproducing. 

• In most cases, it takes 3–4 weeks and 2-3 product applications before you notice a visible decline in the pest population, especially if you started with a high amount of pest insects on your plants. 

• During this period, you may still see pests present—it doesn’t mean the beneficials aren’t working, it just means they are steadily catching up. 

Thrips Example – Western Flower Thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis)

1. These thrips prefer pollen in flowers and can cause egg-laying scars on fruit as well as flower damage.
2. They also pupate in the soil, which means part of their life cycle happens off the plant.
3. Because of this, a good program would combine:
   1. Thripor (Orius insidiosus) for flower-dwelling stages,
   2. Swirski (Amblyseius swirskii) for larvae on the plant, and
   3. Entomite (Stratiolaelaps scimitus, also called Hypoaspis miles) or Entonem (Steinernema feltiae) for pupae in the soil. 

Thrips Example – Echinothrips (Echinothrips americanus) 

1. Unlike western flower thrips, Echinothrips prefer feeding on foliage and spend more time hiding in the canopy.
2. They pupate on the leaf, not in the soil, which changes the control strategy.
3. For this species, a good program might include:
   1. Green Horiver sticky cards for monitoring and mass trapping,
   2. Chrysopa (Chrysoperla carnea larvae) for foliage feeding stages,
   3. Swirski (Amblyseius swirskii) for larvae on leaves. 

Nematode Example – Targeting Larvae Only 

1. Beneficial nematodes (like Steinernema or Heterorhabditis species) only infect the larval stage of pests.
2. For insects like weevils, beetles, or pest flies, timing is everything.
3. To use nematodes effectively, you need to know when larvae are present in your region. That way, you’re applying the product at the most opportune moment—when pests are vulnerable underground or in hidden stages. 

1. Fast Pest Reproduction
   1. Many pests, such as thrips, aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites, reproduce incredibly quickly. 
   2. Releasing beneficials weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or yearly (the product page will tell you) ensures the beneficial populations can keep up with the constant new generations of pests.
2. Low Pest Numbers = Starvation
   1. If pests are scarce, some beneficials may run out of food and die off.
   2. Reapplying ensures a continuous presence, so they’re always ready when new pests appear.
   3. You can also add supplementary feeding if it fits your crops' needs at the time. This reduces the chance of beneficial starvation.  
3. Environmental Conditions
   1. Many beneficials are sensitive to humidity and temperature.
   2. For example, predatory mite eggs hatch best above 70% humidity. If conditions are too dry, fewer mites survive, so repeated applications help fill the gap.
   3. You can also choose products like the Ulti-Mite sachets, which help increase hatch rate in low-humidity situations. 
4. Hidden Pest Stages
   1. Thrips lay eggs inside leaf tissue where predators can’t reach them.
   2. As those eggs hatch, new thrips emerge—meaning predatory mites need to be released regularly to catch the freshly hatched larvae.
5. Migration From Outdoors
   1. Pests don’t only come from within your crop—they can move in from the outside.
   2. Thrips, aphids, and whiteflies often enter through window screens, clothing, or ventilation openings.
   3. In outdoor settings, beetles, weevils, and other outdoor pests will migrate from lawns and surrounding areas into gardens, crops, and other lawns in the area.
   4. Since these “new arrivals” continually enter the growing space, ongoing beneficial insect applications are needed to keep populations in check. 

• Beneficial insects are a biological (natural) control method, not a quick chemical knockdown. 

• They need time—usually 3–4 weeks—to show results. 

• Correct pest identification and learning its life cycle is step one 

• Releasing the wrong beneficial at the wrong time leads to wasted effort and poor results. 

• One release isn’t enough—regular introductions and combining species are essential. 

• They’re most effective when used preventively or at the early stages of pest outbreaks.