Product Information

Galendromus occidentalis

Scientific Name:

Family: Acarina: Phytoseiidae
Genus: Galendromus (Metaseiulus)
Species: occidentalis

Common Name: Western Predatory Mite

Host Mites: Spider mites, Eriophyid mites.

Host plants: Deciduous fruit trees, grapes, corn, cotton, ornamental plants

Life Stages: Egg, Larvae, Protonymph, Deutonymph, Adult

Development: Completes a generation in one to two weeks depending on temperature.

Environment:

Does best in warm weather; 60 – 120 ºF
Tolerates low humidity of inland valleys
Goes into diapause with less than 11 hours of daylight.

Pesticides: It is not recommended to release predators before or after pesticide applications. A detailed list of the pesticide resistance of the Sterling strain of predatory mites is available here.

Augmentation: Release rates on tree and vine crops range from 2,500 – 5,000 western predatory mites per acre at the first sign of spider mites. Later releases will require much higher rates to be effective. Field crops generally require higher application rates on average of 5,000 to 10,000 per acre.

Release: Predators are extremely perishable! Bags contain a minimum of 10,000 predators on  bean plants. The average number of bean plants per bag ranges from 200 to 300 depending on the number of predators per plant. To release, spread the bean plants throughout the crop at the desired rate of predators per acre. 

To release predators from bottles gently rotate the bottle to evenly mix the contents. Do not shake! Sprinkle predators and carrier material onto foliage of infested plants.

Storage: Immediate release of predator into your infested crop is most desirable. If predators must be stored, they can be stored at 50-55 ºF for 1 to 2 days.