Which biological pest control do I use?

Table of Contents

What is biological pest control?

It is the use of natural predators, parasites, fungi, pheromone lures etc to control unwanted pests without the use of harmful chemicals or pesticides. Each pest has its own specific control which is generally microscopic in size and unlike chemical pesticides is perfectly harmless to humans, pets or the environment.

What conditions are suitable?

The general rule is that the natural predators and parasites do best in temperatures above 15°C/60°F. They will not die until nearly freezing, but they will not be able to gain control of the pests in low temperatures and low light levels. Chemical sprays should not be used for at least 4weeks before introducing beneficial insects as most pesticides have long lasting residual effects.

How will I know which pests I have?

Because each biological pest control is very specific, correct identification of the pests is essential. Read carefully the symptoms described below and check your plants regularly to ensure that you are aware of any problems and can order the appropriate control(s) as soon as possible.

How much do I need?

This will vary depending on the pest to be controlled. See our price list for details.

Is there anything to be done before the biological pest control materials arrive?

Reducing pest numbers will decrease the time needed to eradicate the problem. Squashing them or spraying them with soft soap where possible will leave lower numbers of remaining pests to be dealt with. The soft soap spray will kill insects on contact and are therefore equally harmful to beneficial insects and pests alike. However they do not have any lingering, residual harmful effects once dry.

What happens after the control has eradicated the pest?

Given satisfactory conditions the beneficial controls will continue to grow as long as there re pests to feed on. As they are generally highly selective in their diet, once they have cleared up the problem they will either die or fly off to search for food elsewhere.

The following pages give more information on the various biological controls we supply and the crops on which they are most effective as well as the best time to use.

Choose the pest you wish to control from the list on the right.