NEMAforce™ SC – (50/250 million)
50 mill
$81.22
Sale price
$81.22
Regular price
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NEMAforce™ SC – (50/250 million)
$81.22
Sale price
$81.22
Regular price
- Buy 5+: $62.65
SKU: C50
Order by Thursday at 11AM PST to receive the following week.
Product Description
NEMAforce™ SC is the beneficial nematode Steinernema carpocapsae, an “ambush” hunter that lives on the media surface and waits to attack passing pests. It is best matched to surface-active and shallow pests, and works in a wide range of crops. The microscopic nematodes are harmless to people, pets, and plants.
What it targets
- Shore Fly larvae
- Many beetle larvae, including white grubs
- Many caterpillar species
- Leafminer larvae
- Chinch Bugs and Mole Crickets
- Cat Fleas and Dog Fleas
Crops it supports
Ornamentals, vegetables, orchards, soft fruit, and tree nurseries — in greenhouses, indoor facilities, fields, and gardens.
How the nematodes work
Infective juvenile nematodes penetrate the host through its natural openings. Once inside the body cavity, they release a symbiotic bacterium that kills the host insect within 24–48 hours. The nematodes grow and multiply inside the dead host, and a new generation of infective juveniles then leaves it in search of more pests. Because S. carpocapsae is an ambush hunter, air temperature matters — warm, calm conditions suit it best.
Release Rates
| Crop / Pest | Rate | Special instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Cranberries & Mint — Cranberry Girdler | 2–3 billion per acre | Rate based on thatch depth. Apply 2 weeks after egg laying, when larvae are present. |
| Cranberries & Mint — Mint Root Borer | 1–1.5 billion per acre | Apply in August and September, with soil temperatures between 55–86°F (13–30°C) at application and for at least 2 weeks afterward. |
| Cranberries & Mint — Root Weevils and Mint Flea Beetle | 3 billion per acre | Apply in August and September, with soil temperatures between 55–86°F (13–30°C) at application and for at least 2 weeks afterward. |
| Fruit, Nut & Vine — Navel Orangeworm, Codling Moth | 0.4–1.0 billion per acre | Apply to the over-wintering larval generation. Time the application to favorable weather conditions. |
| Greenhouse — Shore Flies | 250 million per 2,750–5,400 ft² | Three applications at 7-day intervals. Spray the surface of the pots, and the top, sides, and undersides of benches and other areas where algae is growing. |
| Containerized Nursery & Ornamentals — Strawberry Root Weevil | 250 million per 3,625 ft²; 1 billion per 14,500 ft² | Apply when larvae are active, before damage occurs. |
| Containerized Nursery & Ornamentals — Black Vine Weevil | 1 billion per acre | Apply in spring, when larvae and pupae are present in the soil or media. |
| Containerized Nursery & Ornamentals — Dogwood Borer, Peachtree Borer, Clearwing Borer | 250 million in 250 gal. of water treats 250 trees, or 2.5 acres at 100 trees per acre | Apply as a coarse, low-pressure spray to the point of runoff, on bark from ground level to the scaffold limbs. Apply May through September when signs of larvae are apparent, and before the entry hole has plugged with pitch or other debris. |
| Containerized Nursery & Ornamentals — Banana Moth, Giant Palmetto Weevil, Rotten Sugarcane Borer (field-grown) | 1 billion per 500 plants | Apply as a crown drench to the point of runoff. Make 3 applications at 6–8 week intervals. |
| Containerized Nursery & Ornamentals — Banana Moth, Giant Palmetto Weevil, Rotten Sugarcane Borer (containerized) | 1 billion per acre (2.5 billion per hectare) | Apply as a soil drench. Make 3 applications at 6–8 week intervals. |
| Turf — Flea larvae and pupae | 50 million per 2,000 ft²; 250 million per 10,000 ft²; or 1 billion per acre | Controls outdoor flea larvae and pupae. Apply to areas frequented by pets. A compatible adulticide may be added to the spray mix if desired. Re-apply in 4 weeks if needed. |
| Turf — Billbugs, Annual Bluegrass Weevils | 50 million per 2,000 ft²; 250 million per 10,000 ft²; or 1 billion per acre | Apply when larvae are small or damage is first detected. Billbug adults and pupae are also controlled. For Hyperodes, make 2 applications — the first against early instars, the second 2–3 weeks later. |
| Turf — Cutworms, Armyworms, Sod Webworms, Tropical Sod Webworms | 50 million per 2,000 ft²; 250 million per 10,000 ft²; or 1 billion per acre | Apply when larvae are small or damage is first detected. For cutworms, apply 1 week before an insecticide would normally be applied. Repeat on a 14–21 day schedule as needed. Controls pests within 3–7 days of application, and feeding should stop within 3 days. |
| Turf — Chinch Bugs | 50 million per 2,000 ft²; 250 million per 10,000 ft²; or 1 billion per acre | Suppresses chinch bugs when tank-mixed with a silicone-type surfactant. |
Rates are pest- and site-specific — always follow the product label for your crop and target pest.
Application & Storage
Application: Read and follow all label instructions before applying. Because these pests cluster, sample all areas for the pest before spot-treating; if thorough sampling isn’t feasible, broadcast NEMAforce™ SC over the entire infested area. It can be applied with common spray equipment, including tank and backpack sprayers — remove any filters, keep the mix agitated, and apply out of direct sunlight.
Mixing and applying: Fully irrigate the media first, without nematodes. Fill the spray vessel or stock tank with half the required cool, clean water, start agitation, and add the required number of nematode trays. Continue agitating while mixing and filling to the final spray volume. Lightly mist the nematodes onto the media surface — this species lives there, so it does not need to be watered in — and maintain agitation throughout the application so the nematodes stay uniformly dispersed.
Applying to foliage: Apply on an overcast day. Use as little water volume as possible while still covering the leaf surfaces, and add a wetting agent. Humidity must be kept high for the nematodes to survive on foliage — lightly misting the plants with water about half an hour after application helps.
Storage & disposal: On receipt, remove the product from the shipping packaging and use it immediately, or store it in a refrigerator at 40°F (5°C) — do not freeze. Ensure good air circulation around each tray, and do not use the product past its expiration date or if it was stored incorrectly. Dispose of product and packaging in accordance with federal and local regulations.
Meet the Beneficial Nematode
Steinernema carpocapsae is an entomopathogenic nematode — a microscopic roundworm that kills insects. It does not chew or pierce its prey. It gets inside and lets a bacterial partner do the work.
The partnership that does the killing
Each infective juvenile carries a symbiotic bacterium, Xenorhabdus sp., in its gut. The nematode enters a host through its natural openings and releases the bacteria into the body cavity, where they multiply and kill the host within 24 to 48 hours. Neither partner works alone: the bacterium cannot reach a host without the nematode carrying it there, and the nematode cannot feed until the bacterium has converted the host into a food source.
The infection cycle
Almost the entire life of this nematode is spent inside a host. Only one stage lives free — and that is the stage you are buying and applying.
| Stage | Where it lives |
|---|---|
| Stages 1–3 | In-vivo, inside the host insect, feeding and developing on the bacteria-converted tissue |
| Stage 4 — the infective juvenile | Free-living. Exits the dead host and waits on the surface for a new one. This is the stage in the tray you apply |
| Adult | In-vivo again, inside the newly infected host, where it reproduces and restarts the cycle |
A pure ambusher — and why that decides everything
Nematode species differ in how they search, and it determines which pests they can reach. "Cruisers" roam through the media hunting sedentary hosts. S. carpocapsae is at the opposite extreme: a pure ambusher that lives exclusively on the media surface, holds position, and attacks insects that come to it. That is why its target list is full of mobile, surface-active pests — caterpillars, chinch bugs, mole crickets, fleas, borers moving on bark — and why it is applied as a light mist onto the surface rather than watered down into the root zone. Drive these nematodes deep and you have moved them out of the only place they hunt.
Conditions it wants
Optimal soil temperature is 57–84°F. Because this species sits on the surface rather than sheltering in the media, air temperature has to be considered as well as soil temperature — an exposed surface swings with the air far more than the root zone does. Warm, calm, humid conditions suit it; hot dry sun and wind do not.
SC or SF? They are not interchangeable
These two nematodes are easy to confuse and are matched to different problems. SC is the surface ambusher above. NEMAforce™ SF (Steinernema feltiae) is an intermediate forager that lives 1 to 2 inches down in the media and mixes cruising with ambushing — which is why SF, not SC, is the nematode for fungus gnat larvae and soil-stage thrips. Both control shore flies. If your problem is fungus gnats, reach for SF.
Monitoring
Unlike nematodes that burrow into the media, Steinernema carpocapsae stays on the surface — so it is actually possible to see them with a hand lens shortly after application. That is a useful check that the batch was viable and the equipment did not damage it. Beyond that, judge the application by its result: watch for a drop in pest numbers a few days after treatment.
Advisories
This product contains living organisms that require special handling and application procedures. Most nematode failures in the field are equipment or handling problems, not product problems.
- Do not subdivide. Once a tray is opened, use the entire tray immediately.
- Use cool water for mixing and keep the tank out of direct sunlight.
- Remove filters of 50 mesh or finer from application equipment and nozzles — a fine filter strains the nematodes out of the spray.
- Do not exceed 300 psi pump pressure.
- Do not use application systems with a nozzle aperture smaller than 0.5 mm.
- Agitate constantly during application, not just while mixing. Nematodes settle out of suspension quickly, and an unagitated tank delivers most of the product in the last few gallons.
Disclosures
Live product
Beneficial Insectary strives to guarantee the live delivery of the freshest organisms to our customers. We offer replacements or credits for any compromised shipments to customers who report issues or concerns within 24 hours. These issues or concerns must be relayed before releasing any organisms suspected of having viability issues. Please do not discard the product — you may be asked to return the shipment for further analysis.
Establishment of beneficials in crop settings
Many variables can affect biological control agent (BCA) and pest populations in the crops we work with — pesticide applications, watering practices, improper storage, and cultural, physical, or mechanical controls among them. Some beneficial organisms need a steady pest presence as a food source to build their population; others need alternate food such as pollen or nectar; still others have specific photoperiod requirements. Because of these variables, we cannot guarantee the short- or long-term establishment of the BCAs we sell once the organisms have been released. We do not offer refunds, discounts, or other credits on products that have already been released. Please refer to our live-product disclosure above.