Orius laevigatus

Exterior

Brown-black imago with gray spots is very small (2.5- 3 mm long), somewhat flattened teardrop-shaped. The head is tiny with expressive eyes and a piercing-sucking mouth apparatus (proboscis). During development, the larva darkens and becomes pale orange to light brown. At the same time, the body shape remains unchanged during all the ontogenesis. With each subsequent molt, the wing rudiments become larger after the molt and the larva turns out into a winged imago. The beneficial insects can fly. Wings extend beyond the tip of the body.

The front pair of wings are partially hardened and they are folded on the back above the body, covering the back pair of wings. The wings are colorful, dark at the base, pale or transparent at the end, and extend beyond the tip of the body, thus forming the exterior characteristic of adult predators. Orius laevigatus color varies depending on the species. Males have a curved abdomen.

Life span

Orius laevigatus has 7 instars of ontogenesis: egg, 5 instars, adult. Do not enter diapause. Before the predator becomes an adult, it passes through 5 larval stages, and at 20 ° C, development from egg to adult takes about 25 days, at 24 ° C it decreases to 15 days, and at 28 ° C it takes only 9 days.

Eggs

Females lay tiny eggs into plant tissues underneath leaves. The egg is almost entirely embedded in the tissues of plants, with only the top visible on the surface. After depositing the egg is colorless, then it becomes milky-white. Its size 0.4mm by 0.13 mm. Females lay an average of 120 -150 eggs during their life spans (approximately 1-3 eggs per day). Most eggs are laid in the first two weeks of life. Eggs are laid separately (individually) and after about 4 days at 25 °C, the first nymphs appear.

Larvae Orius laevigatus.

The 1st instar nymphs are shiny and colorless. In a few hours, the nymph becomes a yellowish in color, which is preserved throughout the 2d and 3d instars of the nymph. In the 4th and 5th stages, the coloration becomes dark brown and their bodies look like adults. Nymphs and imago have a flattened body that allows them to penetrate flower buds and between petals.

Influence of temperature on beneficial insects’ development rate

Feeding

The female can consume 60-70 thrips per day and the nymph can consume 25 -30 ones. With an excess of food, Orius laevigatus kills more victims than it can eat. The beneficial insects are omnivorous, they can feed on pollen and plant sap, as well as various types of thrips, aphids, whiteflies, mites, and moth eggs.

Orius laevigatus is a polyphage, but it prefers to hunt thrips of any stage including imago. It can be used to reduce the high population of thrips. Due to the abundance of flowering pollen in the pepper crop, orius can colonize this crop before infecting it with thrips, thus providing a good level of protection. Orius laevigatus can also be used on cucumbers, but the survival rate is slow.

Application in ornamental crops depends on the pollen presence on them. If pollen is available, the О.laevigatus colonizes and provides protection. On cut flower crops the predator tendency to lay eggs in the flowers or stay in them overnight can result in a significant portion of the population being carried out with the crop, thus leading to poor survival.

Beneficial insects should be applied at closed greenhouse windows, preferably in the early morning or evening. Avoid direct sunlight. Spread the contents all over the crop by lightly tapping and rolling the bottle or in any other way that your consultant advises. During preventive release into biological rows, it is necessary to feed the beneficial insects with mixtures additionally.

Recommended standards for Orius laevigatus applying

The recommended applying standards and their number depend on the crop, conditions in the glasshouse, and the presence of pests. For more information, please contact the specialists.

Conditions and duration of storage:

• transport and keep at 5 – 10 ° C;
• use within 18 hours after receiving;
• keep away from direct sunlight.

Package:

• 250 ml bottle – contains 500 adults/nymphs;
• 270 ml bottle – contains 1000 adults/nymphs;
• 500 ml bottle – contains – 2,000 nymphs, 1st and 2nd larval instars, on vermiculite and buckwheat husk.