Spring is here and Orcon Ladybugs and Lacewings are ready to fly your way. We have plenty of live beneficial bugs, packaged and ready to ship – praying mantis, ladybugs, earthworm (red wigglers), grub control, flea destroyer, and beneficial nematodes, to name a few. Plus we have specialty beneficial insects you can offer without having to stock live bugs, available as pre-paid certificates (formerly known as mailbacks).
Recently the city of Irvine CA, population 236,000, voted to use organic pesticides as the first line of defense fighting bugs. It is a trend that is growing, especially with homeowners. As more and more people look to natural and organic solutions, beneficial insects can fill that need.
While Orcon/Organic Control, Inc. offers 10 live bugs, they also have a complete line of beneficial insects that you can carry without having to stock live bugs. Their Pre-Paid Certificates (Certs) are like gift cards, redeemable for live bugs. Your customer purchases the Cert from you, then contacts Orcon and Orcon sends the live bugs directly to your customers’ door. From favorites like beneficial nematodes to specialty insects like aphytis for scale control, to predatory mites for spider mite control, Orcon has 14 Pre-Paid Certificates to choose from. They also offer a free counter display, with the purchase of four or more cases.
Here are a few of the specialty beneficial insects available; see their catalog for a complete listing:
- Predatory mites aggressively go after spider mites, other mites, and thrips, and eat them right up. They can be used indoors or out and are a popular control for cash crops. The Predatory Mite Cert has been the fastest growing Pre-Paid Certificate for the past two years.
- Trichogramma, for caterpillar control, works on webworms, tomato horn worms, and budworms – 230 in all. An egg parasite, it is best to release when you see the moth or the first sign of damage.
- Aphytis melinus controls scale by laying an egg under a young scale, thus killing it. Cryptolaemus is a small beetle, only about 5 mm, with a black body and an orange head. They dine on mealybug and the Cryptolaemus larvae look just like a mealybug-a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
- Delphastus is another small beetle with a large appetite for whitefly.
Whether you choose live or Pre-Paid Certificates Orcon has the right bug for your store and your customer.
