Green Lacewings

Sunday, January 10, 2016

I noticed that my avocado tree was developing brown spots on the leaves, which were almost certainly the result of Persea mites.

Leaf Symptoms

So I looked up some possible cures, and it seemed like introducing a predator would be the best option and the least hassle. I’d had good luck with introduced ladybugs a few years back, which formed a stable population that survived for many years after introduction. For this pest, green lacewings are recommended. I found a nearby insectary that could provide larvae on cards and they shipped them overnight.

Green Lacewing egg cards

The little guys look cute just waiting to hatch…

Green Lacewing Eggs

I hung he cards on the leaves of the tree after incubating them overnight in a warm room, and they should hatch sometime in the next day or two, as long as the ants don’t find them first…

Card in tree


Update 8 Sept 2016:

The green lacewings seem to have eaten all the mites. It has been 9 months and there aren’t any signs of damage to this spring’s leaves. Yay!

No mite bites

The new leaves that grew seem to be developing without any bites at all. The old leaves that were too damaged have fallen off, but the surviving older leaves still show the scars of the mites. Green lacewings seem to have done the trick.

Summary
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Author Rating
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Aggregate Rating
2.5 based on 6 votes
Brand Name
Rincon Vitova
Product Name
LACEWING EGGS ON CARDS
Price
USD 17.00
Product Availability
Available in Stock
Posted at 14:40:47 GMT-0700

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