Macrolophus pygmaeus

Exterior

Macrolophus pygmaeus is a small insect (2-11 mm) with elongated body. There are a pair of eyes on the head. Adult Macrolophus species are green and have a dark lateral bar between each of the eyes. The first antennal segment is also dark.

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Life cycle

The development cycle has 4 stages: egg – larvae (the first and the second instar) – a nymph (the third, the fourth and the fifth instar) – an imago (female or male). Period of embryonic growth of bug is 14-35 days (on average 21)

Eggs Macrolophus pygmaeus

The eggs are elongated, slightly curved, and are deeply embedded in the stem or stem of the plant leaves, so they are not visible.

Larvae Macrolophus pygmaeus

The larvae have no wings; their length is 0.49-0.52 mm, the length of the antennae is 0.3-0.4 mm.

Nymphs Macrolophus pygmaeus

Nymphs have the beginnings of wings. Their body size increases from 1.2 to 3.1 mm with time, the length of the antennae also increases from 0.6 to 1.9 mm. The beginnings of the wings grow from 0.27 to 1.11 mm. with each lining.

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Feeding

Its animal prey comprises a variety of small invertebrates including aphids, whitefly, leaf miners, moth eggs and spider mites, caterpillars. The fourth and fifth instars are the most voracious. One adult kills about 30 young whitefly’s larvae or up to 40 aphids. One individual can eat 3,500 eggs or 2,500 whitefly larvae during all its life.

Influence of temperature

The nymphs begin hunting at a temperature above 13°C, regardless of the air humidity. The predator population can withstand an increase in temperature up to 42°C, but the hunting period is postponed to cooler hours (evening, night, morning). The rate of nymph development depends on the temperature of the air and lasts from 18 to 25 days. The maximum life span for females is 71 days (30 days on average) and for males 27-30 days (depending on the temperature and kind of food). The potential fecundity of the females is 140 eggs, the actual one is 70-80 eggs and reduces at a temperature above 30°C. One generation development duration is 37-43 days.

t°C	10 °С	15 °С	20 °С	25 °С	30 °С	Crop	Prey
The development time (days)
Egg		36,9	18,3	11,4	10,6	Тоmato	Whiteflies
Nymphs		57,8	29,4	18,9	18,7	Тоmato
Total	257	94,7	47,7	30,3	29,3
Mortality (%)
Nymphs	41,4	13,8	15,4	11,8	46,4	Тоmato	Whiteflies
Egg-laying
Female/eggs	23	151	268	122	87	Geranium	Pyralidae eggs
Life span (days)
Female	94	111	85	40	40	Geranium	Pyralidae eggs
Male	210	123	116	79	53

The main target objects for Macrolophus pygmaeus are aphids, whiteflies, south American tomato miner mole in glasshouses. The predator is effective on tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. You should apply the biomaterial immediately after receiving when the greenhouse windows are closed, as described below:

• each container should be opened before use at once on the crop where the application will be carried out;
• gently raise a part of the sawdust near the bottle opening, turn it over, and with a light tapping release the bugs passing through the rows of the crop. Application can be carried out directly on the substrate cube near the tomato stems or the plant leaves;
• repeat these actions with each container, spreading the predators across the rows, and scatter a part of the food with Macrolophus pygmaeus immediately. The rest of the food must be kept in the refrigerator chamber;
• food should be poured in a small amount of 1-2 gr per plant at the places of Macrolophus pygmaeus application. It is better to spread it on the upper layers of leaves so that Macrolofus pygmaeus lays eggs near the food source (pest outbreak or feeding). Feeding should be carried out weekly to fix the Macrolophus pygmaeus population and reinforce its development;
• leave the container and sawdust on the crop for several hours to allow any remaining insects to reach the plants.

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Recommended standards for Macrofaus pygmaeus applying

Crop	Prevention	Doses of the application depending on the object complexity and region
		Small	Average	High
Artificially lightened crop	3	3	5	10
With out lightning	2	2	3	5
Frequency of application	1-2 releases	3 releases	4-6 releases	5-10 releases

Package Macrolophus pygmaeus:

• Plastic bottle (250 ml) contains 250 or 500 adults or nymphs.

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Conditions and duration of storage

• Short-term storage: biomaterial (imago and nymphs) can be stored at a temperature between 8 – 10°C in a cooling chamber. Maximum storage time of 5 -7 days, keep the bottles horizontally.
• Long-term storage: predatory mites are kept in the refrigerator at a temperature of 15-17 °C for up to 2-3 months, with required feeding on Ephestia kuehniella eggs.

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