Our Top DALOTIAforce™ for Fungus Gnat, Shore Fly & Thrips Control
DALOTIAforce™ for Fungus Gnat, Shore Fly & Thrips Control
Predatory rove beetle for fungus gnat and shore fly control — Dalotia coriaria
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What it targets
DALOTIAforce™ delivers Dalotia coriaria (formerly Atheta coriaria) — the predatory rove beetle growers use for biological fungus gnat control, shore fly suppression, and thrips-pupae cleanup in greenhouse media. The vendor lists fungus gnats (Sciaridae — Bradysia, Sciara), shore flies (Ephydridae — Scatella spp.), and certain thrips species that pupate in the soil or on the ground as accepted prey. The beetle hunts and consumes both larval and adult Sciarids and the larval stages of shore flies, which is unusual for a soil predator — most soil-resident agents only hit one stage of the host.
Adult Dalotia rove beetles are highly mobile. They crawl and fly from pot to pot and from one greenhouse bay to another, eating pests as they range, and they remain effective even in hydroponic greenhouses where there's no soil substrate to anchor a population. Layer DALOTIAforce with Stratiolaelaps scimitus — the two work different niches: Stratiolaelaps stays in the top half-inch and cleans up pupae and small larvae, while Dalotia coriaria ranges further and handles larger fungus gnat and shore fly larvae. On the foliage side of a thrips program, pair with Amblyseius cucumeris; DALOTIAforce closes the loop on the pupae dropping into the media.
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How it works
Dalotia coriaria rove beetles live mostly in the top half-inch of soil, but their working range is much wider than the mite-sized soil predators they pair with. Adults walk pot to pot, fly across an open span of greenhouse to follow prey cues, and climb the walls of facilities when populations are dense. Both larvae and adults are predatory. The yellow, six-legged larvae feed in the soil; the black, slender adults hunt the soil surface and any zone where fungus gnat, shore fly, or thrips immatures gather.
Females lay eggs directly in the media. At 26°C eggs hatch in just over two days. The larval stage lasts about a week, the pupa about eight days, and adult females live roughly 48 days while adult males live closer to 60 days. The long resident lifespan and the willingness to move across the crop are what make DALOTIAforce a season-long resident control for greenhouse fungus gnat biological control, rather than a knock-down release. Their high mobility also makes them effective in hydroponic systems where soil-bound predators struggle.
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Crops, environments, and climate
Crops it supports
Ornamentals
Hemp / Cannabis
Covered crops
Mushrooms
Environments
Greenhouses
Indoor facilities
Fields
Gardens
Hydroponic systems
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Storage
Do not store DALOTIAforce for more than two days. Hold the bottles or bags at 45–55°F in high humidity. Keep the bottle or bag on its side — that gives the beetles more surface area while you wait to release.
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Instructions of use
Timing the release — sundown is the window
Release Dalotia rove beetles at sundown — they're primarily nocturnal and dispersal happens in the dark. Water the media no sooner than ten minutes before release, and wait at least a couple of hours after release before watering again. Wet conditions at the moment of release reduce establishment.
Bottle / shaker tube
Gently rotate the shaker tube to distribute the beetles evenly within the carrier. Open the bottle in the crop area and gently tap the contents out across the target area. Concentrate the bulk of the release at the most active fungus gnat or shore fly hot spots.
Bulk bag — large blocks
Open the bag in the crop area and use the included scoop to distribute the beetles throughout the target zone. DALOTIAforce can also be released onto dirt, gravel floors, around greenhouse weeds, under benches and ground covers, or anywhere fungus gnat / shore fly larvae or thrips pupae and pre-pupae may develop. Leave the bottle or bag in the treatment area for 24 hours after release so any slow-emergers can exit on their own.
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Monitoring & advisories
Monitor for
- The potato-slice test: drop a thin slice of raw potato cut-side-down on the media. Fungus gnat larvae burrow in to feed, and Dalotia can sometimes be found on or near the slice after a few days — a working indicator that the rove beetle population is active.
- Dalotia rove beetles running across the soil surface, on rockwool, or even climbing the walls of the facility. They're primarily nocturnal but show up in daylight when populations are high.
- If populations are exceptionally dense, beetles will also turn up on sticky cards — useful for population estimates but not for control.
- Falling fungus gnat and shore fly counts on yellow sticky cards placed just above the soil — the outcome metric for biological fungus gnat control.
Advisories
- Cannabis growers — respect the rate. Overpopulation of Dalotia coriaria can result in beetles climbing the plants and getting stuck on flowering buds. This is one of the only situations where there can be too many biocontrol agents in a crop. Don't exceed the recommended rate during flower.
- Pair with Stratiolaelaps scimitus for tighter coverage on the pupal stage — the mite stays in the top half-inch where Dalotia ranges further.
- Insecticide compatibility matters — broad-spectrum soil drenches that suppress fungus gnats will also suppress your predator. Avoid them in the media for at least two weeks before and after release.
- Effective even without a true soil substrate; performs in hydroponic greenhouses where soil-bound mites struggle.
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Release rates — for conventional crops
| Scenario | Rate | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Prevention / light infestations routine | 0.2 Dalotia per sq. ft. (soil/media surface area only) | Bottle or bulk bag |
| Hot spots step up | Up to 1 Dalotia per sq. ft. | Bulk bag (peat/coir/vermiculite) |
| After transplant refresh | Release again at half the prevention rate | Bottle |
| Only the soil / media surface area counts toward sizing — Dalotia rove beetles live and hunt in the top half-inch, not in pot volume. DALOTIAforce™ ships in 500 / 1,000 / 3,000 / 5,000 counts across bottle and tub formats. | ||
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Cannabis Alert
Conventional release rates are usually not sufficient for cannabis growers, but DALOTIAforce™ is the rare case where overshooting can backfire — adult beetles can climb plants and get stuck on flowering buds. Stick to the recommended rate during flower, or contact us for personalized help on a cannabis-specific schedule.
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Life cycle
Dalotia coriaria runs egg → larva → pupa → adult, all in the soil. Both larva and adult are predatory. Adult females live roughly 48 days; adult males a little longer, around 60 days.
1
Egg
2
Larva
3
Pupa
4
Adult
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See it in action
Disclosures
Live-product policy. Beneficial Insectary works to guarantee live delivery of fresh organisms. Replacements or credits are offered for compromised shipments when issues are reported within 24 hours of receipt — and before any organisms suspected of viability issues are released. Don't discard the product; you may be asked to return the shipment for analysis.
Establishment of biocontrol agents. Many variables — pesticide applications, watering practices, storage, cultural and physical controls — affect BCA and pest populations across crops. Dalotia coriaria establishes most reliably when the media stays moist at the surface and broad-spectrum insecticides are avoided. Because of these variables, long- or short-term establishment of BCAs cannot be guaranteed after release, and refunds, discounts, or credits are not offered on products that have already been released.