Soil mite questions hypoaspis (Stratiolaelaps scimitus)

[JustBlazin]

Just a couple questions regarding soil mites hypoaspis (Stratiolaelaps scimitus)
If i put them in my potted plants and reuse my soil will they stay and live in the soil long term? Even if there's no fungus gnat larvae too feed on?
also could i just put them in my bin of amended pro mix that I haven't used yet? I guess it's kind of the same question from above will they survive in soil with no that's yet?
also if i use lost coast plant therapy as a soil drench would it also kill off my soil mites?
I just found a place to buy all the good bugs you want online the bug lady i think it's called its $20-3000 mites or $45-25000 mites, shipping is expensive($20-60 depending what part of canada) but it's still cheaper than if i bought the ones off Amazon($30-500 mites)
I'm thinking i might just buy the bigger one just to make sure i have enough for all my pots and the rest can go iin my unused or used soil that's not in use, this sound like a good idea?
any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated
thanks

 

[JustBlazin]

was just reading on the website thebuglady.ca and it says"Stratiolaelaps (Hypoaspis) should be used only once, on new areas as an inoculation as they will stay in the soil for the life of the crop. They are primarily purchased as fungus gnat egg and larvae predators, but they also help with thrips control by going after immature thrips pupae that live in the soil. This generalist mite will also go after diapausing pest mites when they leave the crop, and are a great treatment for immature stages of weevils that also live in the soil." Think that means they are only good for one cycle?

 

[Northwood]

Stratiolaelaps scimitus are generalists, so as long as you have alternative food available for them and don't disturb the top layer of the soil too much where they live, they should thrive and multiply cycle-after-cycle. Other popular predatory mites like Phytoseiulus persimilis on the other hand are specialists in that they eat only spider mites. Once the pests are gone, so are they. Plus persimilis are pretty picky about their environment.

If you have a healthy permanent population of springtails in your grow, their larvae is fine cuisine to scimitus mites and you shouldn't have any issues with them. Never let the soil dry out between grow cycles. Stratiolaelaps often just "appear" like magic in worm bins all on their own because of the springtails and other little creatures that live in there.

 

[JustBlazin]

thanks for the reply, well i dont think i have springtales but i have a healthy population of gnat larvae unfortunatly wich is why i want to get the mites. so would it be ok to take break up the soil and root balls after each cycle or would that kill off the mite population. i just use dry amendments mixed in promix with a small amount of worm castings as my soil would they be able to survive on whats in my soil if they take out most of the gnat larvae?

 

[Northwood]

thanks for the reply, well i dont think i have springtales but i have a healthy population of gnat larvae unfortunatly wich is why i want to get the mites. so would it be ok to take break up the soil and root balls after each cycle or would that kill off the mite population. i just use dry amendments mixed in promix with a small amount of worm castings as my soil would they be able to survive on whats in my soil if they take out most of the gnat larvae?

No, they really don't like their home destroyed and displaced 10" deep in the soil if you remix. They'll likely die. If you use them to take out the gnat larvae without an alternative menu once they're gone, they'll die for sure. For dry amended grows like yours where you remix, I'd consider a different approach. For the adults, hang and place lots of yellow sticky cards, including some in the lower branches of your plants where lollipopped, and a card on the soil surface with only one sticky side uncovered. For the larvae, I'd soil drench with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). It could take several applications because you probably won't get all the adults with the cards, but you'll break the cycle.

The mites are best used when things haven't yet gotten as out-of-hand as what you describe, even if you do plan on sacrificing them in them in the end. With an established infestation like you have, you need to get out the "big guns"

 

[JustBlazin]

thanks again for the reply, i use the sticky traps and ive soil drenched with the dunks for about 8 months...but the gnats always present , ive also used einstien oil spray and soil drench now i am using lost coast plant therapy spray and soil drench if you spray the top few inches of soil with the lost coast and wait a few seconds you can see all the larvae come to the top of the soil i guess cause they hate the peppermint? seems to be keeping the population down but havent eradicated them yet, was hoping if i put those mites in they mite stay in the soil and keep a handle on the larvae. i also use blumats now and they keep only a portion of the top of the soil wet so i was hoping that would reduce the population as well wich i think it did to some degree

 

[Northwood]

Have you tried a hydrogen peroxide or neem oil drench? You should also consider starting a worm bin to get a wide variety of predators for free. Plus free EWCs are a bonus. But with your grow method, I'm not sure if you'll ever get a somewhat balanced population between predators and prey naturally because that takes time. Using no-till, it wasn't until the 3rd grow cycle that I started to notice something was completely missing - the fugus gnats!

If you've already tried everything else without luck and the grow is important to you, then you could have some luck with the mites if you use a lot of them, perhaps along with an application of nematodes. But it's likely one-grow deal in your case and this issue will happen on your next grow if you don't take preventative measures after nuking your room or tent clean and starting with new grow medium.

 

[TaoRich]

You should also consider starting a worm bin to get a wide variety of predators for free.

+1

I prepped all of my living soil with all of my compostable food waste going through my worm bins.

I also collected fresh horse shit and bedding straw from the local race track stables, and put the manure in an outside concrete trough to age mellow and mature with the straw on top, and a cover.

Between the two of those, I've got chunks of mycelium to seed my pots, and a host of composting and predator bugs for free.

I just finished prepping my living soil organic pots a week ago, while I wait for my seedlings/plants to show pre-flowers for sexing.

My rich rich organic soil always attracts fruit flies.

When I checked my prepped pots yesterday, and lifted the temporary mulch cloth covers, the soil surface is teeming with hundreds of soil mites, and the inside of each pot has hundreds of eggs.

Get yerself a worm bin or two.

If you build it, they will come.