What Delphastus Pusillus Eats, and What It Leaves Alone
Delphastus pusillus is a whitefly predator with one very specific appetite. The beetle takes whitefly eggs and larvae, and it does not take adult whiteflies. A room already full of flying adults will keep producing damage for a while after a release, because the adults on the wing are untouched. Release at the first sign of whitefly rather than as a rescue. It feeds on greenhouse, sweetpotato or silverleaf, and avocado whitefly. Where no whitefly is present it will take spider mites instead, so it does not starve immediately in a clean room. Both the adult beetle and its larvae are predators. A larva eats between one and two hundred whitefly eggs a day. An adult accounts for several hundred eggs and larvae in the same period. The adult is shiny black and about a quarter the size of a ladybird, with brown heads on the males. Adults live between sixty-nine and ninety days. A female lays clusters of eight to twelve eggs, up to fifty clusters every two days where food allows it. Larvae pupate after two to three weeks and emerge about six days later.
Releasing Them, and Pairing Them With Other Whitefly Work
Timing the release matters more than the count does. Put them out in the cool of the evening, just after sundown, and shake them gently from the vial across the infested area. Hold some back on the first shake so the whole vial does not land in one spot. Cool insects move slowly at release and pick up as the room warms. Adults tolerate anywhere from 45 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. If they cannot go out immediately, keep them somewhere cool but never in a refrigerator. Prune the worst affected growth before a release and the beetles start from a lower population. A wipe down with a food grade mineral or summer oil helps, and soapy water works as an alternative. That can be repeated after thirty days. Coverage runs at one beetle per ten to twenty-five square feet of planted area, or up to fifty square feet outdoors. Twenty-five adults therefore cover roughly two hundred and fifty to five hundred square feet. This species works alongside Encarsia formosa and green lacewings rather than against them. Damage concentrates near the top of a plant and the beetles head that way instinctively.
Key Features
- What ships: Five pre-paid certificates, redeemed online for live insects
- Per certificate: Twenty-five live adult beetles, so a hundred and twenty-five in all
- Target: Whitefly eggs and larvae, including silverleaf and avocado species
- Not a target: Adult whiteflies on the wing are left alone entirely
- Alternative prey: Spider mites, where no whitefly is present in the room
- Feeding rate: A larva takes one to two hundred whitefly eggs a day
- Coverage: One beetle per ten to twenty-five square feet of planted area
- Release: After sundown, shaken gently across the infested area
- Temperature: Adults tolerate roughly forty-five to a hundred Fahrenheit
- Compatibility: Runs alongside Encarsia formosa and green lacewings
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| SKU | ORDP |
| Brand | Orcon, from Organic Control |
| Species | Delphastus pusillus |
| Format | Pre-paid mail-back certificates, not live insects in the box |
| Pack | 5 certificates |
| Per certificate | 25 live adults |
| Total | 125 live adults once all five are redeemed |
| Redemption | Codes are redeemed on the Organic Control website |
| Prey | Whitefly eggs and larvae; spider mites in the absence of whitefly |
| Not effective on | Adult whiteflies |
| Adult lifespan | 69 to 90 days |
| Egg laying | Clusters of 8 to 12, up to 50 clusters every 2 days |
| Larval feeding | 100 to 200 whitefly eggs per day |
| Development | 2 to 3 weeks to pupation, emerging about 6 days later |
| Coverage | 1 per 10 to 25 sq ft indoors, up to 50 sq ft outdoors |
| Temperature range | 45 to 100 F |
| Storage | Cool but never refrigerated, and released as soon as possible |
| Barcode | 045501063116 |