"kay" wrote in message
...

Phil Gurr;948596 Wrote:

It looks as if this is Amblysieus californicus. I tried this last year
from
'Ladybird Plantcare - online shop for Biological Controls'
(http://www.ladybirdplantcare.co.uk) as I had previously tried
Phytoseilus, and up
here in the far north, the temperature is too low for Pytoseilus to be
effective. It takes a little time to get going but worked very well on
my
peaches and apricots under glass. I spoke to Ladybird Plant Care and
they
told me that there is evidence that Amblysieus can overwinter. Because
of
this, I have not sprayed with 'tar oil winter wash' this year so will
wait
to see what happens. It is a bit pricey at £49 per tub but this will
last
all summer in a 16x12 greenhouse. The 'dragonfli' mites are cheaper, but

there is no indication as to how many you get or the coverage - in fact
very
little information at all. One major advantage with Amblysieus is that
it
will feed on other food sources (even pollen) if it eats all the red
spider
mite.


How far north are you?

Pretty far north, 40 miles north of Inverness

Please keep us informed on how you get on with Amblysieus - if it does
overwinter, it's worth considering, but £49 is a bit too expensive for a
season's growth.

Yup, it's a bit of a luxury but the apricots and peaches are out of this
world, twice the size of the ones you get in a supermarket and so sweet and
juicy!