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LADYBUGS

Always keep the ladybugs out of direct sunlight and as cool as possible. They may even be refrigerated down to 35 degree F. (they hibernate at 35 – 40 degrees).

The ladybugs should be watered once a day (unless refrigerated) along with your plants. Two or three shots of a fine mist, depending on temperature, is about right. You want to moisten the wood shavings but not allow puddles at the bottom of the cups.

Tell your customers to: 1) water their garden before releasing the bugs; 2) release the ladybugs after sundown since ladybugs do not fly at night (if released during the day they will immediately fly away); 3) shake them out of the box in groups at the base of the plants that have aphids. (ladybugs always crawl up) Top

PRAYING MANTIDS

Keep the boxes of egg cases out of direct sunlight. They will hatch in about 3 – 8 weeks from the time you receive them, possibly sooner if it is very warm.

Tell you customers to: 1) place the egg cases in or near plants that have pest problems; 2) hang the egg cases according to the directions if there are birds or squirrels in the area ; 3) if they wish to observe the mantids hatch, place them in a bowl or terrarium and keep in a warm area - then release immediately on hatching since they will begin to attack each other. Top

BENEFICIAL NEMATODES & FLEA DESTROYER

Shelf life of the nematodes is about 2 TO 3 months at 70 degrees and about 20 months in a normal refrigerator (35 degrees). They do not need any special care while on the shelf.

Tell your customers to: 1) keep them refrigerated until ready for use; 2) use the entire contents since the nematodes may migrate to one part of the container; 3) apply them out of direct sunlight; 4) keep the area moist for a few weeks after application to allow the nematodes to travel farther. Top

DECOLLATE SNAILS

Decollate Snails come packed in damp bedding material. This gives them food, water, and something to crawl on. Moisten the bedding through the screen twice a week with a water mister.

Tell your customer to: 1) wait 30 days after snail bait use to allow the bait to decompose (watering will speed this up). 2) put them in groups of 3 or 4 where they will be likely to find brown snails or their eggs. 3) Thoroughly water the area after release. Top

MASON BEES (Pollinating Pals)

Enclosed are tubes that contain Mason Bee cocoons, and a Mason Bee information sheet for each tube.

Be sure to keep the tubes refrigerated until sold. The Orcon bug cooler is a good place or a regular refrigerator that runs at 35 to 40 degrees is okay.

We recommend the tubes be used with an Orcon Pollinating Pals nester kit. Tell your customer to remove an empty tube from their kit and insert the tube with live bees following the directions enclosed.

The tubes can also be used without a nester kit, just follow the directions enclosed.

These tubes can be sold through May if kept refrigerated. The best time to put them out is early Spring, before plants begin to blossom. Top

EARTHWORMS

Earthworms need to be kept cool and out of direct sunlight. They can be refrigerated, but only to 50°. (a normal refrigerator is 35° to 40°).

These are “bed run” worms, which means there is a variety of ages and sizes of worms in each cup. This helps ensure that they will adapt to their new environment.

The 200 – 250 worms in each of these cups are enough to get them started in 40 - 50 square feet. Once they get established, they will begin breeding and laying eggs and increase their population.

Shelf life is normally 2-3 weeks. This can be doubled if you add 2 or 3 slices of lemon or orange after a few days. This is because the worms eat the peat moss and the pH turns basic. The acid from the citrus brings the pH back and gives the worms a bite.

Tell your customers to: 1) dig quart sized holes in the ground, put in a bunch of worms, add any organic matter (grass cuttings, coffee grounds, etc), and cover with dirt; 2) water the area thoroughly.

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