Biological Weapons are a safe way to eradicate Fungus Gnats Boston, MA

PDI PLANTS inc. has knowledge of and access to predators and parasites for combating insects and pest on your Boston office plants.

Biological Controls really work!

Fungus Gnats problems?

Small black Fungus Gnats flying in front of your computer screen like the specimen to the left ? Those annoying little pests! We can solve your problem with parasitic nematodes microscopic worms.

Yes, beneficial nematodes really do exist! These minuscule beneficials are barely visible to the naked eye as tiny threads. They attack only insects in moist soils or borer tunnels. Plants, earthworms and vertebrates are completely unaffected by these tiny beasts.

Please consult Plantscape Designs Inc Boston, MA

with your particular interior office plant needs.

PDI unlimited plant care uses P.persimilis mites as biological weapons against Twospotted mites pest.

Phytoseiulus persimilis, orange critters, feeding on an immature two spotted spider.Plantscape Designs Inc uses biological controlls on your indoor office plants.

This predacious mite was accidentally introduced into Germany from Chili in 1958 (Dosse, 1958). From Germany, it was subsequently shipped to other parts of the world, including California (McMurtry et al., 1978) and Florida (Hamlen, 1980). These critters can keep your Boston plants healthy.

During the early 1960's, research on this species was conducted in Great Britain, Holland, Canada, and the United States. Since these initial studies, the ability of this predator to control twospotted spider mites has been demonstrated on many plants, including cucumber (Gould, 1970, 1971), tomato (French et al., 1976), ornamental ivy (Gould and Light, 1971), rose (Simmonds, 1972; Boys and Burbutis, 1972), lima bean (Force, 1967), dahlia (Harris, 1971), strawberry (Laing and Huffaker, 1969), and dieffenbachia and schefflera (Hamlen and Linquist, 1981).

Although these studies were conducted under greenhouse conditions (or in growth chambers) , there is evidence that P. persimilis can be an effective natural enemy in commercial strawberry plantings (McMurtry et al., 1978) and on ornamentals in commercial interior plantings (Lindquist, 1981). Whether the effectiveness of this predator in these environments will be comparable to its performance under greenhouse conditions remains to be seen.

At PDIPlants we use these critters to eradicate pests like the twospotted mites that feed on your Boston office plants in the Boston, MA area.

Plantscape Designs Inc uses IPM Labs biological control against Thrips in your office plants.

Combating thrips with biological controls:

Predator: Neoseiulus cucumeris or Amblyseius cucumeris

This is a tan-orange predatory mite. Adult females consume up to 10 thrips per day and have a 30 day life span. They can survive on pollen and spider mites in the absence of thrips. PDI uses these critters to eradicate thrips from your Boston indoor office plants.

Optimal Environment: 70°F min.; moderate RH.

Predatory mites are distributed over the crop weekly or biweekly, or released in convenient breeding units in which several hundred mites reproduce several thousand predatory mites over a six-week period.

Predator: Amblyseius degenerans (Neoseiulus degenerans)

These predatory mites work very well on greenhouse peppers, or other crops with ample pollen. They are able to multiply rapidly and are good searchers of prey. They do not enter a resting phase until December, and survive drier conditions than N. cucumeris.

Optimal Environment: 65-85°F ; 60-85% RH, Presence of pollen

Predator: Orius insidiosus Minute Pirate Bug, Orius sp.

Minute pirate bugs (MPB) are small, predaceous bugs that kill their prey by attacking with their piercing mouthparts and sucking out the body contents. Both adults and nymphs are predaceous. Adults lay eggs beneath the surface of plant tissue, often on stems or near leaf veins. The eggs hatch into small, yellow nymphs that develop into adults in 9-25 days, depending on temperature. Adult Orius can eat 5-20 thrips per day. They can survive on pollen in the absence of prey.

Optimal Environment: 70-90°F, day length 11+ hrs

Predator: Hypoaspis miles

This predatory mite is a scavenger that eats thrips pupae and fungus gnat larvae in the soil. Adults lay eggs in the soil, which hatch in 1-2 days. The nymphs develop into adults in 5-6 days. The mites reproduce quickly, and few are needed to establish an effective population.

IPM Laboratories, Inc. warrants that the biological controls you receive will be alive and healthy when received and will contain the correct number of the species you ordered. However, as with any pest control measure, success cannot be guaranteed. IPM Laboratories, Inc. makes no guarantee, express or implied, as to the effectiveness of these products.

PDIPlants has been a long time user of the above predator mites that biological and safely eradicate Thrips pest in your office plants.

Checking for insect pests on your office plants Boston, Ma.

Insects can come from outdoors or other plants. Flying stages, airborne eggs or brushing an infected plant exposes other plants. The best defense against insects is to keep your plants healthy.

Check your plants often to find insects early; pay particular attention to the backs of leaves, and internodes. If an insect population is found, wash thoroughly with warm water and a mild dish washing liquid and rinse foliage thoroughly, twice a week for 2-3 weeks.

If insecticide is necessary, call your local garden center for recommendations. Make sure that plants are moist before application. Always read the instructions before applying any chemical. You may wish to take a pro-active approach and thoroughly wash your plants regularly as well as washing any new plants.

At Plantscape Designs Inc Boston, Ma we always either replace the infected plants with a new one or use harmless biological predators or parasites to totally and safely irradiate your indoor office plants or insect pests.

Why and how to use phytoseivlus persimilis on your indoor office plants?

This photo depicts a Phytoseivlus persimilis (orange) devouring a Two Spotted spider mite (white).

Opening remarks: persimilis is the most commonly used beneficial mite in the world. It works well on low-growing plants. Adults are bright orange and slightly larger than spider mites. Persimilis is noted for its quick knockdown of spider mites. Persimilis reproduces faster than spider mites and thus can quickly gain control of a spider mite outbreak. Persimilis does not work well on tomato because tomato's sticky hairs interfere with its movement.

1. Release at first sign of mite infestation. Once leaf damage is serious, (more than 4 mites per leaf) control is more difficult. For heavy infestations, remove the most affected plants and use knock-down spray (see SucraShield) or use safer organic canola oil spray.

2. Release predatory mites after 48 hours. Predators will consume egg, nymph and adult stages of pest mites. Light infestations can be controlled within 2-3 weeks.

3.Roll bottle gently to mix mites and carrier. Sprinkle the predatory mites onto plant leaves where they can quickly find their prey.

4. Repeat releases every 7-14 days until control is achieved.

5. Predatory mites thrive in humid environments, whereas pest mites enjoy dry surroundings. Increase humidity by moistening soil or use a cool-mist vaporizer around plants in enclosed areas. Mites are shipped as adults. Release immediately or refrigerate( 45-50° F) for 2-3 days only.

6. Preferred Food: Two-spotted spider mites and many others.

7. Shipment, biology and release: These beneficial mites consume 5-10 pest adults or up to 20 pest eggs/day. Low infestations can be controlled within 2-3 weeks. They require a relative humidity greater than 60% in order to survive, especially in the egg stage and thrive best in temperatures between 60° and 80° F.

Plantscape Designs Inc currently applies these predators to all our phyllostachys bamboo plants in Cambridge and Boston, Ma interior offices.

When do you use Mesoseiulus longipeson your interior office plants?

Mesoseiulus longipes

1. These predators are similar to P. persimilis but can tolerate lower humidity (40% at 70 degrees F). Longipes are effective in temperatures up to 100 degrees F, although a comparable increase in humidity is required. Apply these predators in warm greenhouses and interiorscapes with artificial lighting. The lifespan of the adults, the form in which they are shipped, is 34 days.

2. Longipes is similar in appearance and activity to Persimlis; however, Longipes can tolerate drier conditions and higher temperatures. Longipes does well on taller plants.

Plantscape Designs Inc uses these critters to devour Two Spotted Spider mites on our tall Phyllostachys bamboos within your indoor atrium gardens in downtown Cambridge and Boston Ma business communities.

Why clean and steilize your scissors after trimming your indoor office plants?

Any one trimming their indoor office plants must always clean and sterilize with alcohol their scissors.

1.When trimming what appears to be brown or yellow spots or tips of leaves could be fungus or even viruses.

Fungus spores or virus vectors could adhere to your scissors or pruners and infect the next plant you intend to trim.

2. Like wise when trimming leaves microscopic insect eggs can also stick to your pruners or scissors, further causing contagion of insect larvae with other plants in your interior officescapes.

3.The easiest and safest method to sterilize your trimming scissors is dipping them in a 70% solution of isopropyl alcohol or soaking a clean cloth with this solution thoroughly wiping your tools of these live organisms.

4. By doing this simply procedure you and your company can save hundreds of dollars in plant replacements.

At Plantscape Designs Inc. Boston, MA we always sterilize our tools on a daily basis to eliminate costly interior office plant loss.

What are fungus gnats?

Fungus gnats are tiny flies that don’t bite or spread human pathogens/diseases. The only way they can harm us is through frustration as they invade our houseplants or spring seedlings.

What do fungus gnats look like?

They are small, grayish to black flies that are 2 ½ millimeters long and resemble tiny mosquitoes (minus the bloodsucking). Their legs are long and slender, and their skinny antennae are usually longer than their heads. Their wings are shades of gray. Fungus gnats are relatively weak fliers and generally remain near potted plants, often running or resting on soil or leaves.

What kind of damage do fungus gnats do?

They may not threaten human health, but with fungus gnats you get a triple whammy: Not only do people hate to see them in general, the pests can be vectors for plant diseases – not good! “What’s a vector,” you ask? It’s an organism that transmits a pathogen, so if you have a sick plant, fungus gnats can spread it to all your healthy neighboring plant friends. They can also vector several different fungal root rots, including ones called Fusarium and Pythium, and even foliage pathogens like Botrytis. And as if that’s not bad enough, fungus gnat larvae make breakfast, lunch and dinner out of your plant roots.

So there’s good news, and there’s bad news: The good news is adult fungus gnats only live about one week. The bad news is that in this short time, the female will deposit 100-150 eggs on your plant’s soil surface. These eggs are laid in strings of three to 40 and can hatch within four days of being laid!

The emerging larvae are clear to creamy-white and can grow to about 5 ½ millimeters long. They have shiny black head capsules. The larvae feed on tasty root hairs in the upper 1 centimeter of the soil, then work their way up into the plant stem. (They also love to feed on the roots of your newly planted seed, so watch those seed-starting trays in spring!) The larvae feed on highly organic soils, too. After feeding for approximately 14 days, the larva pupates. In about three and a half days, an adult will emerge from the case. The total life cycle takes two to four weeks.

At Plantscape Designs Inc. ,we combat the infestation of fungus gnats with bological control such as the use of parasitic nematodes in our N.E. plantscape clients.

How can scale insects hurt your interior office plants?

Scale insects can hurt your interior office plants by sucking their life juices out of them.

Most scale insects are parasites of plants, feeding on sap drawn directly from the plant's vascular system. A few species feed on fungal mats and fungi, e.g., some species in the genus Newsteadia in the family Ortheziidae. Scale insects vary dramatically in their appearance from very small organisms (1–2 mm) that occur under wax covers (some look like oyster shells), to shiny pearl-like objects (about 5 mm), to creatures covered with mealy wax. Adult female scales are almost always immobile (aside from mealybugs) and permanently attached to the plant they have parasitized. They secrete a waxy coating for defense; this coating causes them to resemble reptilian scales or fish scales, hence the name.

Scale insects feed on a wide variety of plants, and many scale species are considered pests.

Plantscape Designs Inc. can eradicate these insect parasites by injecting a chemical systemic into your plants soil.

The way these chemicals work is as follows:

1.inject the systemic into your plant soil

2.water your plant

3. the water and liquid systemic will be absorbed by your indoor office plants through their root hairs and primary root systems

4.the water and systemic will be transpired up the xyleum vascular tissue of your green plants

5. once the upward flow of these lethal liquids assents the leaves and small upper portions of your plants' stems where the scale reside, these liquids are ingested by the scale insects poisoning them.

Plantscape Designs Inc has been using this systemic chemical solution when biological solutions are not feasible in our interior office plants in the Boston, MA area.