FALLACISforce™ for Spider Mites

FALLACISforce™ (Neoseiulus fallacis), the All-Purpose predatory mite, is used for the prevention, control, and management of various spider mites. These mites are voracious predators of several pestiferous spider mite species.

FALLACISforce™ can prevent and control a number pest mites in a multitude of conditions. Some of the species they can impact include: the two-spotted mite (Tetranychus urticae); the carmine red mite (T. cinnabarinus); a two-spotted mite relative (T. evansi); the European red mite (Panonychus ulmi); the citrus red mite (P. citri); the southern red mite (Oligonychus ilicis); the six-spotted mite (Eotetranychus sexmaculatus); the Pacific mite (T. pacificus). Moreover, these predators may offer some control of the privet mite (B. obovatus), cyclamen mites (Phtyodromus pallidus), broad mites (Polyphagotarsenomus latus) and tomato russet mites (Aculops lycopersici), and other species.

The tiny 0.5 mm. clear-white to clear-pink adult female mites lay eggs amongst spider mite concentrations and their webbing (which is produced by the two-spotted mite), if present. They can lay up to 100 of them! The eggs hatch into super small larvae which develop into nymphal forms before reaching adulthood. These, too, are fierce predators, consuming many spider mites eggs and young.

The life-span of these predators is roughly 8 days in their immature stages, then around 1 month as adults. The conditions for optimum performance will be between 70-100°F with a relative humidity of between 40-90%. But these are optimum conditions, and not necessarily a prerequisite of successful implementation. Please note, however, considerably cooler and warmer temperatures will hamper reproduction and development a certain degree (see Benefits, next).

These mites will feed at temperatures as low as 35°F and as high as 100°F. However, at the low-end of the scale (less than 50°F), they won’t reproduce, and at the high-end they need very humid conditions to work with any efficiency (see Advisories).

These predators can live off of pollen alone. (See Advisories) This makes them an excellent preventive agent as well as a curative one.

Lastly, one more benefit: these mites can easily overwinter and establish themselves just about everywhere, in minor numbers that is until some pests show up.

Un-infested and damage/webbing-free new growth is a good sign. So is empty webbing, in interiorscapes and some greenhouses, or missing webbing, outdoors (if it was there to begin with). Unless your scouting is really top-notch, you’ll probably miss most of the predators present on the leaves. However, if you see some agile-looking mites running quickly across the leaf’s undersurface, they are probably predators.

Flowering, pollen producing plants are a big plus, since, as mentioned previously, these predators might stay on-site if there is a supplemental food source.

Preventive releases are very cost-effective and useful, especially when pollen and sheltering groundcover are present. Spring release are the obvious time that preventive releases can be made. However, under many circumstances, fall releases will also work well with this mite in the name of prevention. This is especially true on strawberries.

Where can’t they be used would a more appropriate question. We’ve seen the successful implementation of these species in just about every conceivable situation. Especially in greenhouse and outdoor straw- and cane-berries, and interiorscape plantings and palms. These mites also work great on ornamentals, bedding plants, hedges, in trees, orchards, fields and more.

Release Rates for Neoseiulus fallacis

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