Sick of thrips and fungus gnats? Breed Rove beetles!

[Nervous]

@2Fat2EatThat I think the link he sent me was for j f c monroe. £45 for 500 predators all in. 

Edit: actually scratch that, they just got here! 
 

Edited April 21, 2020 by Nervous

[Nervous]

Made my breeding container and added a few (probably too many) and splashed them around my indoor plants, greenhouse etc. 

Tiny little buggers aren't they? 

Arsehole thoroughly unclenched now that some mites and rove beetles are on side. 
 

[thatman]

On 13/04/2020 at 10:32 AM, FarmerPalmersNT said:

Seen a few of these and been meaning to share for a while. Was going to include in my megabed thread but figured it'd be useful as a standalone. 

 

Dalotia or Atheta coriaria are Rove beetles. Look like storm bugs you see in the summer or miniature devil's coach horse beetles. About 4mm long as an adult and 2mm as a juvenile. They mostly live in the top 2 inches of subsoil and will eat most larval stage bugs but love thrips and fungus gnats. They are voracious and aggressive and breed well if fed. Commercially they are available as staphyline and are expensive. 

 

 

To breed your own:

 

Shopping list:

2litre plus tupperware box

Mesh/rosinbag/cheesecloth type material 

Layers crumb chicken feed (not pellets) 

Vermiculite 

Coco coir

Duct tape

 

1. Cut a hole in the lid of the box around 20% of the lid size, stick a section of mesh on it with duct tape to prevent escapes and provide fresh air

2. Mix vermiculite and coir 50/50 with enough water to make it moist/damp but not wet

3. Add a layer to about 1/4 depth and then sprinkle with a couple teaspoons chicken crumb (not too much) this is necessary to get them feeding on it, not a long term supply, add a layer of coir/vermi mix to about 1/3 full

4. Then place another section of mesh on top of the substrate (around 1/3 of the surface) and cover with a pile of feed

5. Add 10 or so adult beetles 

6. Every couple of days spray around the edges avoiding feed to give them some water

7. Remove and replace the feed every few days to a week by lifting out the mesh, it will have bugs in it and you will get a lot of mites and mould on it, don't worry. You can dump it on a saucer in the grow room and let them disperse if you want or put them back in the pot. 

8. After about a month it'll be crawling with them. Empty half the tub into the grow, and replace with fresh substrate. Repeat monthly and cackle wildly as they destroy pests. Dressing as a witch and shouting 'fly my pretties' tends to help. 

 

Breeding boxes:

 

I've made it sound a hassle but it's really not. This method is my own, the only other one involves mixing the food in the substrate. If you do that you'll get tons of mould and dead bugs. 

 

I've got an endless supply of these, so I can saturate my beds any time I like. No more fungus gnats or thrips, at all, ever. 

 

You can thank me later 

 

 

Great bit of info, cheers.

Give it 6 months or so and the price of Staphyline will plummet as everyone breeds their own.

In a few weeks, I've learnt to make my own nutrients, cal/mag additives , and now pest control, this growing lark is getting cheaper all the time.

Wonder if I could make my own lights, lol.

A really useful post, well done.

Smart pics aswell.

[InTheSystem]

Amazing post mate, been off the forum a while due to various reasons.. I think I will be giving this a bash if I can find somewhere cool this season! Thanks for sharing.

[theolderguy]

Thanks @FarmerPalmersNT just ordered some of the adults and I'm gonna try breeding them myself. 

 

I'm at my fucking wits end with Thrips.

[Goohfy]

Hydrogen peroxide oxygen with another oxygen molecule.

[thatman]

Just now, Goohfy said:

Hydrogen peroxide oxygen with another oxygen molecule.

 

 

 

What would the other oxygen molecule be, and what concentration is the mixture?

[Goohfy]

Depends on the ratio but my rule is 4 to 1 it’s cheap as chips around £1 a bottle from chemist or buy a stronger form.I had em a few years ago dosed them with hydrogen peroxide then put a Nat trap on top of each pot for the adults job done.goohfy

[thatman]

Goohfy A ratio of 4-1 with what? …. plain water?

How did you administer the dosage ?

[thatman]

Does anyone have a tried and tested method for getting rid of thrip with hydrogen peroxide?

 

[buddy13]

8 hours ago, thatman said:

Does anyone have a tried and tested method for getting rid of thrip with hydrogen peroxide?

 

Bleach? fuck no.

this thread is about breeding predator beetles 

[thatman]

Just now, buddy13 said:

 

Bleach? fuck no.

this thread is about breeding predator beetles 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I am a few weeks away from starting my own beetle culture, was just looking for a quick fix remedy and Goohfy's post  mentioned it.

[FarmerPalmersNT]

9 hours ago, Goohfy said:

Hydrogen peroxide oxygen with another oxygen molecule.

 

Not for living soils/no tillers. 

[FarmerPalmersNT]

Seems you can actually buy what I assume to be basically the same thing, method a bit different and involves mixing feed directly into the medium:

https://www.fargro.co.uk/products/id-1973.html?page=392

 

Dunno what the feed is, or if/how it avoids mould in the medium. Can't find an actual price here either.

[catweazle1]

There's a parasitic fungus that kills thrips in five days. It is contained in this product: Botanigard 22 Wp. More info:

 

https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/botanigard-22wp-beauveria-bassiana-mycoinsecticide/pest-solver-guide-beetles