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Nemastar - Steinernema carpocapsae

Nemastar - Steinernema carpocapsae

Entomopathogenic nematode, species Steinernema carpocapsae

Infective juveniles of a threadworm that parasitises a large variety of insect prey, especially beetles, fleas, cutworms (Agrotis spp.), and other moths. 100% safe to humans and pets.

Products: nemastar®

  • Primarily used for the control of beetles, fleas, cutworms and other moths in soil and turfbtn order

  • Powdered formulation

nemastar® contains "infective juveniles".

The infective juveniles of nemastar® are ambush predators, and are most effective against mobile prey. Once caught, they crawl inside the prey through breathing spiracles or other orifices, release a beneficial bacteria to break down the pests internal organs, and feeds on the bacterial slurry. The nematodes then breed in the cadaver, which eventually breaks apart releasing more nematodes into the soil.

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The pest: whitefly (left) & the solution: Encarsia (right)

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Normal whitefly pupa (white) and parasitized pupa (black). An adult Encarsia will emerge from the black scale(right)

The Pest: Greasy Cutworms

The caterpillars of the greasy cutworm cause damage to the emerging shoot by clipping it off at the ground, killing the developing plant. Greasy cutworms attack crops including pasture, brassicas, cereals and maize.

The Pest: Fleas

Fleas can torment your pets year round causing skin irritations and in serious cases anemia. There are 4 main species of fleas in New Zealand, each with a specific host target but all have the ability to bite non target hosts.

Life Cycle

Enforce lays its eggs within the whitefly larvae developing on the leaves. Enforce can eat whitefly eggs and young larvae, the preference is to lay eggs in the third and fourth larvae instars.

A wasp life cycle will take between 10 and 30 days, depending on temperature.

Environmental Conditions

Enforce works best at temperatures of 20-28 C, below 18 C the wasp's activity decreases, and temperatures above 38 C are lethal. Temperature is required to be above 10.3C for the Enforce larvae to develop.

Packaging

Enforce is supplied as black parasitized greenhouse whitefly nymphs or black 'scale' on cardboard tags, and the adult wasp emerges from this 'scale'.

Two tag sizes are available:

Application Rates

Greasy Cutworms - Agrotis ipsilon

  • 2.5 billion to 5 billion nematodes per hectare

  • Use a minimum of 1,200 litres of water per hectare

  • Can be applied with conventional spraying equipment

Apply in the evening or during cloudy weather, the nematodes are very susceptible to UV and drying out. For optimum results, the soil should retain some moisture for several weeks.

The cutworms will begin to die around 4 days after application.

Please seek the assistance of a crop scout or phone or email us directly for guidance. The advice above is indicative only, and more specific advice may be beneficial.

The nematodes are most infective when the media temperature is between 15 to 30°C. At higher and lower temperatures, nematode efficacy decreases.

The media should be moist but not sodden. Nematodes cannot swim and cannot move effectively in water-saturated potting mix.

Release and Storage Instructions

  • nemastar should be used as soon as possible upon delivery.

  • The package may be stored at 4 to 10C, such as in the fridge, for several weeks (see expiry date on package).

  • NOT FREEZE or exposed to more than 30C.

  • Nematodes can be applied with watering cans or through more commercial methods

  • Remove all sieves and meshes

  • Uses nozzles with a minimum of 0.8mm diameter

  • Do not exceed pressures of 5 bar