Voracious ladybird to tackle large whitefly hot spots

What is Delphastus-System?

• The small black ladybird Delphastus catalinae
• Both the larvae and the adults are efficient against whitefly
• Biological control of both the tobacco whitefly Bemisia tabaci and the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum
• Curative biological control agent of large whitefly hot spots 

What are the benefits of Delphastus-System?

• Active during the entire season because D. catalinae is not diapause sensitive
• Whitefly larvae that have already been parasitized by parasitic wasps will be avoided
• Can survive a short cold period 

How does biological control with Delphastus-System work?

• D. catalinae traces prey through touching
• They prefer the early stages but feed on all whitefly stages
• Females eat 100 to 150 whitefly eggs a day to ensure reproduction  
• Both the larvae and the adults need a large food supply to survive, more than 1000 whitefly eggs or 700 larvae
• They need to be introduced in large whitefly populations 

In which crops you can introduce Delphastus-System?

Ornamental crops such as gerbera 

Want to know more? Please contact your Biobest advisor for tailored advice.

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