The advent of predatory mite breeding sachets has revolutionized bio-control in greenhouses, grow rooms and house plant settings and failing to choose the best sachet formulation for your crop can put your harvest at risk.
Acting as individualized breeding systems, sachets slowly release all stages of predatory mites into a crop over a 4 to 10-week time period, depending on the sachet type and climate. Choosing the wrong sachet for your environment can lead to premature expiration of your sachets leaving your crop exposed to pests such as thrips, spider mites, hemp russet mites, broad mites and whiteflies.
Koppert has many different predatory mite breeder sachet options including; Ulti-Mite sachets, Plus sachets and LD sachets. In order to understand which sachet is the best choice for you it is important to first understand what is in a sachet and how they work.
Inside each sachet is a breeding system consisting of bran, a select type of bran yeast, one or more types of bran mites and the predator mite. In this system, the yeast grows on the bran acting as a food source for the bran mites which in turn acts as a food source for the predator mite. After feeding on the bran mites the predator mites then breed inside the sachet leaving through the exit hole to patrol your crops for pests. In order for the sachet to continue producing to sustain this cycle of life, the humidity must be high enough for the yeast to continue to grow on the bran.
But what is the difference between the three types of sachets and which one is the best choice for your crop?
Ulti-Mite sachets are the best choice in low relative humidity conditions, situations where the sachet will be directly exposed to water (overhead watering, rain etc.), or when you need protection from high air flow from circulation fans. Ulti-Mite sachets are also made out of a climate resistant material that protects the breeding system inside from the type of environmental conditions explained above. Each Ulti-Mite sachet comes with one type of feeder mite and one type of predatory mite.
Main uses for Ulti-Mite: cannabis, house plants, and ornamentals with overhead watering and outdoors
Plus sachets are best used in moderate climate conditions such as greenhouse vegetable crops or greenhouse ornamental crops where the sachet will not be exposed to overhead watering. Each Plus sachet is made out of paper and contains one feeder mite and one type predatory mite. The paper can easily be damaged by low humidity conditions, so it is best used in conditions with higher average relative humidity levels.
Main uses for Plus sachets: greenhouse vegetables and greenhouse ornamentals that are not overhead watered
LD sachets are our longer lasting sachets, however just like the Plus sachets are best used when in moderate climate conditions, in greenhouse vegetable crop with drip irrigation and no overhead watering, due to the paper sachet covering. They are considered longer lasting due to the two types of feeder mites that come in the sachets. The extra feeder mite allows the sachet to last 60% longer than our other sachets and will produce 35% more predatory mites over this time, however initially they come with less predatory mites, so these sachets are not the greatest to use if you are already starting with pest pressure.
Main uses for LD sachets: greenhouse vegetables or greenhouse ornamental that are not overhead watered where a higher number of predatory mites over a longer period of time are required.
For more information on our predatory mite sachets available in Canada please visit the links below:
Swirski Sachet Options: Amblyseius swirskii – Retail Koppert Canada
Spical Sachet Options: Neoseiulus californicus – Retail Koppert Canada
Thripex Sachet Options: Neoseiulus cucumeris – Retail Koppert Canada
Spidex Vital Options: Spidex Vital Plus 250 Sachets – Retail Koppert Canada
Spidex Red Options: Spidex Boost 250 Sachets – Retail Koppert Canada
Anso-Mite Options: Anso-Mite Plus – Retail Koppert Canada