Aphid Predatory Midges
This week, Kyle spotted some Aphid Predatory Midge (Aphidoletes aphidimyza) larvae in the experimental rose tunnel. Did I mention how amazing it’s been to have someone on staff who is trained to look for both the good and the bad guys?
Kyle helped us identify these tiny beneficial insects, who in larvae form, consume over 60 different kinds of aphids! The larvae are tiny yellow maggots and they attach quickly to their aphid prey. The optimum conditions are 64-70F and a relative humidity of about 70% for these predators. This is a great find. These are naturally occurring on our farm right now. Or night time temps are in the 50s F and our daytime temps are in the 70s F.
If you’d like to bring some of these aphid predators to your farm, you can order them in from Arbico Organics. The application is just 1 predator per every 10 square feet or 2-3 predators for heavier infestations. You can also buy them and spread them weekly on your farm for aphid control. 10,000 pupae will cover a little over 2 acres of land. A weekly regimen can help you keep aphids in check as long as the environmental conditions are ok for these predators. (We will soon be too cold for them here.)
Each larvae requires at least 8 aphids in order to survive and propagate. But, if given the opportunity, they can eat up to 80 aphids each.
Aphid predatory midges are shipped as pupae. They hatch in less than two weeks and then the females get right to work laying eggs amongst the aphids populations. The eggs hatch, and the many new larvae get to work. They’re aggressive predators. Here’s how Arbico describes their behavior:
“After the eggs develop into larvae, they seek out adult aphids, injecting a toxin through their legs to paralyze them. Then they suck out body contents through a hole bitten in their thorax and aphids die.”
You can learn more about this great biological control for aphids here on the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences website. And there are some nice photos and more info here on the University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources site.
Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
