Nesidiocoris or nesi is a predatory insect that feeds on pests such as whitefly, tuta absolute (tomato moth), thrips, spider mites and eggs of various species. This bug is used in cultures of the family of black nightshade like eggplants and tomatoes. let’s get to know him a little and how he can help us in the orchard.pos
Nesidiocoris is currently found in the Mediterranean basin of natural form although their sale by various traders for the control of crop pests means that they are present in most of Europe and even in America, in particular for the cultivation of tomatoes and the control of Tuta Absolute.
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Life cycle of Nesidiocoris tenuis
As with most insects, temperature is always a key factor in the life cycle, if it is cold it will take longer and if it is warmer insects will grow faster.
In the case of Nesidiocoris, its life cycle can take a month to complete if the temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius. This is important because more quick to reproduce the more insects we will have in the crop and the sooner we can control the plague of absolute tuta or whiteflies for example.
The female lay the eggs in the leaves of the crop and as they grow they may shed their skin up to 5 timesto finally emerge the adult individual which differs in that it has wings like the rest of the insects.
It’s green and the wings are transparent. This insect does not tolerate temperatures below 15 degrees centigrade but temperatures around 35 degrees.
Like the Orius, the Nesidiocoris or nesi also has a biting sucking apparatus, that is to say, it bites and sucks the contents of its prey.
DEVELOPMENT STAGES OF NESIDIOCORIS TENUIS
(A) 1st instar larva
(B) 2nd instar larva
(C) 3rd stage
(D) 4th step
(E) 5th stage
( F ) Adult
(G) Female laying eggs
(H) Nesidiocoris tenuis egg inserted into pepper stem
Food
The Nesidiocoris feeds on many pests such as aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, thrips, moth eggs or butterflies such as tomato moth or tuta absolute. Although we must be careful in the use of this predator because if we apply it to the crop and there are no pests on which it can feed, it can damage the plant, especially if it is are small plants.
Nesidiocoris damage is brown circles on leaves, stems or flowers causing them to dry up and fall to the ground.
how to fight
If the Nesidiocoris population skyrockets and does not cause crop damage, we will need to give treatment to control the population. Always leaving a few plants untreated so that there is still a population and we don’t have to make the purchase again. Treatment is only recommended in the summer, as at other times of the year the population will be regulated by ambient temperature. Paraffin oil will be applied with the dose recommended by the manufacturer and we must never give the treatment if we have already applied sulfur.
How to attract Nesidiocoris tenuis
Nesidiocoris is attracted to sticky plants such as:
- Altabaca
- Albaida
- sea parsley
- white ball
- cambron
- Lavender
- Myrtle
- cornish
- wild olive tree
- Matagallo
- beaver
- blackthorn
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Durillo
- oval
It is also advisable to leave the weeds because they will serve as a reservoir in case the crop lacks pests, the nesidiocoris will go to feed the weeds or previous plants that we have near the crop.
Buy Nesidiocoris from Koppert
There are several traders who sell predators for crops and in our garden we have had good experiences with Koppert. It is recommended to release it in the morning or at sunset.
Crops where Nesidiocoris is used
Nesi is mainly used in crops at the level of organic production, it is really very effective in fighting against this type of pest in the garden in crops such as tomatoes or eggplant and in greenhouse crops.
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