{"product_id":"cryptolaemus-montrouzieri-adult-beetles","title":"CRYPTOforce™ – mealybug destroyer (100\/ 250\/ 500)","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"gm-content-products\"\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eProduct Description\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eCRYPTOforce™ is the mealybug destroyer, \u003cem\u003eCryptolaemus montrouzieri\u003c\/em\u003e — a lady beetle used mainly for mealybug control, with appetite for certain scale insects too. Both the adults and their shaggy, mealybug-mimicking larvae are fierce predators that can eat 30 to 70 prey a day, and females lay up to 400 eggs right in mealybug hot spots. It works in fruit, ornamental, and vegetable crops, and growers have used it successfully in just about every setting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat it targets\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eCitrus Mealybug (\u003cem\u003ePlanococcus citri\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eComstock Mealybug (\u003cem\u003ePseudococcus comstocki\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eObscure Mealybug (\u003cem\u003ePseudococcus obscurus\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eSolenopsis Mealybug (\u003cem\u003ePhenacoccus solenopsis\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eMexican Mealybug (\u003cem\u003ePhenacoccus gossypii\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eLong-Tailed Mealybug (\u003cem\u003ePseudococcus longispinus\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eCrawling and immature stages of some scale insects\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCrops it supports\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eFruit crops, ornamental crops, and vegetable crops.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow Cryptolaemus montrouzieri controls mealybugs\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eFemales lay up to 400 eggs in mealybug hot spots. Young larvae prefer eggs and early-instar mealybugs, while older larvae and the adults feed on every stage, consuming 30 to 70 prey a day. Both the adults and the older larvae eat far more than the early stages, so a release builds quickly into pressure on the whole colony.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eRelease Rates\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gm-table-wrap\"\u003e\n\u003ctable class=\"gm-release-table\"\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eClassification\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eRelease Information\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLight Infestation\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2 to 4 per 10 sq. ft., repeat as needed\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHeavy Infestation\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e10 to 12 per 10 sq. ft., repeat as needed\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOrchards\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1,000 to 2,000 per acre\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eRelease Instructions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease timing:\u003c\/strong\u003e Do not release in the heat of the day. Mist the foliage of the plants just before treatment, and let the beetles warm up first.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eApplication:\u003c\/strong\u003e Open the container in the crop and gently tap the beetles directly onto the foliage of infested plants, or evenly throughout the crop if the infestation is widespread. If possible, release them next to or on the “cottony egg masses,” and use the container cap to control dispersal. Concentrate the bulk of the predators at release points on or near the most heavily infested plants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHelping them find prey:\u003c\/strong\u003e The beetles may be attracted to you if you wear white or light-colored clothing during release. Experimentally, placing white 3×5 cards near a mealybug hot spot can help them locate prey. For the long-tailed mealybug and other species that don’t lay eggs in cottony masses, placing pea-size amounts of synthetic batting (from craft stores) near colonies may encourage egg-laying — do not substitute cotton balls, which can carry pesticide residues. Flowering, pollen-producing plants near the release site can also boost egg-laying.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStorage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Do not store \u003cem\u003eCryptolaemus\u003c\/em\u003e adults for more than 18 hours. Hold at a moderately humid 50–55°F until ready to release.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMonitoring:\u003c\/strong\u003e The beetles are conspicuous, so diligent scouting will usually spot them in the crop. Also look for shrinking pest numbers and “exploded” mealybug egg masses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdvisories:\u003c\/strong\u003e CRYPTOforce™ needs to lay its eggs in the cottony egg masses of its prey. Because long-tailed mealybugs lay individual eggs that hatch almost immediately rather than in cottony masses, establishment on them is difficult or impossible — the beetles will eat immature long-tailed mealybugs but can’t reproduce on them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Beneficial-Insectary","offers":[{"title":"Bottle of 100","offer_id":46950176489628,"sku":"CR1","price":44.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Bottle of 250","offer_id":46950176522396,"sku":"CR25","price":105.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Bottle of 500","offer_id":46950176555164,"sku":"CR50","price":210.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0744\/0403\/6764\/files\/CRYPTOforce_mealybug_destroyer_100__250__500_bottle_of_100.webp?v=1779303242","url":"https:\/\/greenmethods.com\/products\/cryptolaemus-montrouzieri-adult-beetles","provider":"Green Methods","version":"1.0","type":"link"}