New Products to Help You Up Your Mite Control Game
June 5, 2021 
Twospotted spider mites are one of the most consistent pest problems for greenhouse growers with their wide host range. The twospotted spider mite pictured is coated with BASF’s new Velifer Fungal Contact Insecticide/Miticide. Photo: BASF
Mites are such pernicious pests of ornamentals, vegetables, and cannabis/hemp crops that rare is the grower who hasn’t fought the battle to control them in the greenhouse. Regular implementation of preventive integrated pest management (IPM) measures and consistent scouting efforts, along with several great product options, remain as some of the best tools for stopping small mite concerns from escalating into bigger problems. With new products now available for managing mites, growers have a few more possibilities to choose from for their IPM arsenal.
BioBee’s Groundbreaking Rearing Method Fine-Tunes Predatory Mite Production
The predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis) in BioBee’s BioPersi+ product arrive physiologically strong and ready to search and destroy. They start laying eggs on the same day of application in the field for quick establishment, and the product includes a mix of eggs, juveniles, and adults for longer-lasting control.
The mites in BioPersi+ are a unique white color upon arrival. They turn to their traditional orange-red color once they start feeding on spider mites, providing visual proof for growers of predation. This new technology also opens the way for mite slow-release products, which BioBee hopes to launch later in the year.
New Biological Product From BASF With Enhanced Safety Profile
Velifer Fungal Contact Insecticide/Miticide from BASF is a new biological insecticide/miticide that controls tough greenhouse pests such as twospotted spider mites, aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, and thrips through direct contact and application. It is an oil-based formulation of Beauveria bassiana Strain PPRI 5339 that is proprietary to BASF and is a direct-contact insecticide containing fungal spores.
Velifer provides rapid feeding cessation and insect death results 24 to 48 hours after application. It is compatible with beneficial insects with an enhanced plant safety profile. Spider mite populations are not just suppressed with this new product, they are controlled at all stages of lifecycle development.
Three New Products and an Improved Formulation from OHP
Pycana is an OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute)-listed insecticide/miticide that combines pyrethrins (safer botanical versions of pyrethroids) and canola oil, which acts as a natural synergist, quick activity, broad-spectrum control with short-lived action (no residual activity).
Pradia and Sarisa, also new from OHP, are very selective on insects and do not disrupt biological mite control programs. They can be used to clean plants in production before predatory mite releases and/or shipping plants. Finally, the improved formulation of Ancora consists of the same effective microbial strain in a less bulky, easier to mix formulation that works particularly well on spider mite eggs without disrupting biological control programs with predatory mites.
Revised SuffOil-X label with Cannabis Section for Canada from BioWorks
SuffOil-X from BioWorks has a new revised label for Canada that includes an ornamentals dip and section specific to cannabis. For the U.S., the new label is currently at the EPA under review and will hopefully be updated by the end of 2021.
SuffOil-X includes an 80% pre-emulsified formulation with a small particle size that stays in solution longer (compared to 90+% oil products), easily penetrates plant canopies, and spreads thinly and evenly on plant foliage, smothering insects, mites, and diseases.
Control Option from NuFarm Is Tough on Mite Pests, Friendly to Beneficials
New Engulf GHN from Nufarm delivers powerful mite control with an advanced, higher concentration formula. Labeled at low use rates, Engulf GHN offers mixing convenience and reduced residue potential without sacrificing efficacy. Its novel mode of action works with quick knockdown and lasting 28-day power on 18 common mite pests. Engulf GHN may be used in greenhouse and shadehouse ornamental crops and greenhouse-grown tomatoes.
Vestaron Updates Spear-T Label
Vestaron released an updated Spear-T label in April 2020 that broadens its use patterns for mites in both greenhouse and open field situations. This is the EPA’s first insecticide derived from a naturally occurring peptide, and it carries all the benefits of a bioinsecticide: 4-hour re-entry interval, 0-day pre-harvest interval, and maximum-residue-limit exempt.
Spear-T also matches the demand of growers for new modes of action (IRAC group 32) and for versatility to control not just mites, but aphids, thrips, and whiteflies. Broad mite, Lewis mite, and twospotted spider mite are specified on the label, but given its contact activity, Spear-T will be a valuable tool for all plant-feeding mites. With its short residual, predator mites and other biological control agents (BCAs) can be safely released as soon as the product dries.
Biobest Offering New Scouting App
Maintaining beneficials populations when they aren’t feeding is important, which is why Biobest Group added Nutrimite to its program. Nutrimite is small enough to get in plant cracks, helping to establish predatory mite populations.
Biobest also launched the new Crop-Scanner app, which allows for fast and accurate scouting, enabling growers to follow pest outbreaks and make quick adjustments.
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