We offer an effective nematode treatment to get rid of ants in your garden.

These nematodes deter ants, driving them out of their nests and making them go elsewhere. Do not purchase until soil temperatures are above 10°C.  The species of nematode contained in the pack is steinernema feltiae.

Biological controls are not always kept in stock, they are ordered in fresh.  This can sometimes lead to a time lag between when you place the order and when it is despatched.  Order by 10am Monday for same week despatch.

Indoors this nasty pest can be present all year round, as temperatures and hours of daylight rise you may find bigger infestations and problems outdoors.

You can treat scale with nematodes, solution is sprayed on to the leaves of affected plants.  The nematodes 'swim' on the film of water allowing them to enter the scale insect and kill them. 

The temperature must be above 14°C for treatment to work and you must follow the steps below carefully but this provides a really great way of controlling scale.  You can red the full instructions for the nematodes HERE.

Hypoaspis (also known as  Stratiolaelaps scimitus) are mobile predatory mites that feed on sciarid fly larvae and other 'soil' pests including springtails, thrips pupae, root weevils, root aphids and root mealybug. They will also control overwintering spider mites. 

The mites are small, barely visible to the naked eye, and have a light brown to tan colour. They are beneficial because they feed on a variety of harmful pests, including fungus gnats, thrips larvae, root aphids, and other small insects and mites that reside in the soil. These predatory mites are particularly effective in controlling pests in the early stages of their life cycle. 

When introduced into the soil or growing media of plants, the mites actively search for prey, consuming the pest larvae and eggs, thus helping to reduce their populations and prevent potential damage to crops. They are considered a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides, making them a valuable tool in integrated pest management strategies.  

Sold in 2 sizes, place your order by 10am Monday for delivery later in the week.  

Aphid Midge (Aphidoletes aphidimyza) will tackle a wide range of aphid species and are particularly useful for controlling aphids in early and late season. 

Biological controls are not always kept in stock, they are ordered in fresh.  This can sometimes lead to a time lag between when you place the order and when it is despatched.  Order by 10am Monday for same week despatch.

Adults actively hunt for aphid colonies - Once an adult female (around 2mm long) finds a colony she will lay her eggs next to it - The eggs hatch into highly visible orange larvae which feed on the colonies of all types of aphids. Up to 60 different species of aphid.  Larvae inject a poison into the aphid to paralyse it and dissolve the body contents.

The larvae take 7-16 days to mature before pupating in soil or compost and adults emerge after 10-14 days.  You can read the instructions for this product HERE.

Orders placed by 10am Monday will be despatched later in the week.  The smaller size packs, 250 cocoons are only available March - September.

Orius laevigatus is the final frontier for fighting a Thrips infestation.  We sell a mixture of 500 adults and nymphs to attack all stages of Thrips, one of the only biological control agents that is able to kill adult thrips.

Orius bugs will also feed on aphids, mites, whiteflies and moth eggs.

Orius laevigatus performs well on the majority of plants, particularly those with pollen producing flowers.  Orius predators work better when contained/confined.  This can be done by isolating the plants you are treating to one room and closing them in or covering the plants with netting.  More about netting here

Products should be ordered by Monday 10am for despatch the same week, get in touch if you would like a different despatch day.

Trap adult Vine Weevil - These brilliant traps are simple wooden tiles with grooves cut in the underside filled with nematodes.

We are so pleased to be able to offer these traps, Vine Weevil plague so many of our customers and, up til now, we have only be able to offer nematodes for the young larval stage see those here.

Two weeks after putting the traps down you could see a 80 -100% reduction in Vine Weevil! 

These mites are one of the most effective killers of sciarid fly larvae.

Mobile predatory mites that feed on sciarid fly larvae and other 'soil' pests including springtails, thrips pupae and root mealybug. Adults are reported to live for several months and survive up to 50 days without food, making them ideal in situations of very low pest populations. At night they move a short distance up, on to the plant foliage and will feed on mealybug and other soft bodied prey. Mites are very mobile and soon distribute themselves throughout the crop.

Sold in 2 sizes.  Orders placed by 10am Monday will be despatched later in the week.

The best predator to attack mealybug is the brown Australian Ladybird "Cryptolaemus montrouzieri".  These predators work best when temperatures are above 20°C with good light 

This product is sent directly from the breeder.

These predators work better when you can keep them in place, either in a closed off room or by using a physical barrier like Insectonet.

Chafer larvae can cause devastating damage to lawns.  We supply microscopic beneficial nematodes (eel worms) which are watered into the lawn.  The ground needs to be above 12°C for this product to work.  This product is not sold during the colder months.

The best time to apply chafer grub control is at the end of the summer, when the newly hatched grubs will be at their most vulnerable. However if you find after a warm spring that the grubs are a problem even before they have pupated in May, then you may want to treat them at the beginning of the season. The treatment may be more effective in Autumn than in spring, but if your lawn is suffering then some treatment is better than none. 

Some of the Chafer damage is caused by the grubs chewing at the roots of the grass, but much of it is caused by birds and animals scratching away at the soil searching for the juicy grubs. 

Biological controls are not always kept in stock, they are ordered in fresh.  This can sometimes lead to a time lag between when you place the order and when it is despatched.  Order by 10am Monday for same week despatch.

The box tree moth has now become an important pest on box (Buxus spp.), especially across the South of England. The larvae (caterpillars) feed on the foliage and within days can cause severe levels of defoliation and dieback.  The Caterpillar can be controlled with nematodes.  You can read the instructions for the nematodes HERE.

Spotting the pest

You may notice webbing or the caterpillars, you will also see their yellow eggs on the underside of leaves.  The adult moth is brown.

Control

Remove as many caterpillars as feasible by hand along with leave that have extensive webbing.

We have been recommending nematodes for a couple of years, a recent study by the RHS has confirmed that they considerably reduce larvae numbers, therefore reducing pest numbers by affecting this life stage.

There are 2 generations of Box tree moth per year so nematodes treatments in spring and mid summer are a good idea, the air temperature should be 12°C or above.

Stephanie Bird, RHS Entomologist said ‘Nematodes can be a useful addition to the gardener’s armoury for control of box moth caterpillar’

Ideally you do 3 applications 2 weeks apart at each treatment time, the packs will last in your fridge for 2-3 weeks so only buy the first 2 doses.

The RHS would like to know if you have made a sighting of this pest, please fill out the survey here

This is our most effective control for aphids in enclosed spaces and greenhouses and is favoured by commercial growers.

Aphidius are the most popular, and least expensive way of controlling common aphids, which is why they are the first choice for the commercial grower. Aphidius colemani tend to tackle the smaller aphids such as Myzus persicae and Aphis gossypii - for larger aphids there are Aphidius ervi. 

Sold in tubes of 500.  Orders placed by 10am Monday will be despatched later in the week.  You can read the instructions for this product HERE.

Finally, you can net off your fruits and veg in an eco-friendly way that doesn't generate harmful plastic waste.

Plastic-free, biodegradable insect netting. Made from plants, not petroleum.

Looks like plastic, feels like plastic, but is not plastic.

Protect your fruit and vegetables from common garden pests such as flies, butterflies and birds. The fine mesh ensures protection against even the smaller pests whilst allowing a high amount of light penetration to ensure good growth.

Shipped in recyclable packaging. InsectoNet comes as a single piece of fabric 2.1 by 5.0 metres in size that can easily be cut to size. The high quality fabric means it won't fray on the edges when cut. It lasts at least 3 years.

Use from planting until harvest, approximately April - September.

Do not use during flowering period for plants which require pollination.

Flies, butterflies and moths are often attracted to fruit and vegetable plants to lay eggs which hatch into devastating pests. If adults are kept away from plants, they cannot lay eggs. Using a fine net prevents egg laying and therefore the need to control feeding pests.

The 0.85mm fine mesh provides excellent protection against many pests including;

Cabbage Root Fly

Carrot Root Fly

Onion Fly

Cabbage White Butterfly

Pea Moth

Leek Moth

Cutworm

Thrips

Whitefly

Leaf Miners

Many common aphid species

Finally, you can effectively net your fruit and vegetables without plastic! Biodegradable, this netting is revolutionary. It looks and feels just like a plastic net, but is made from plants.

And as an added bonus you can use it as a plastic free frost fleece!  It will protect from a light frost down to 2°C

The world’s only liquid fertiliser to contain every essential plant nutrient.  For use on all indoor plants including edible crops.  Perfect for houseplants, in greenhouses and polytunnels.

Liquid Gold Leaf is a revolutionary and innovative liquid fertiliser for all indoor plants. The technical advance is the inclusion of fully soluble calcium, formerly too difficult and expensive for liquid fertiliser. The current best selling liquid fertilisers do not have calcium on their list of ingredients, yet it is essential for healthy plant growth.

 The formulation of Liquid Gold Leaf includes plant biostimulants, which have many roles in plant health and vigour. Biostimulants: reduces fertiliser requirements; help to make immobile nutrients, e.g. calcium, to flow around the plant for optimum nutrition.  

LGL is perfect for indoorplants growing in all substrates including hydroponics. 

Liquid Gold Leaf contains Biorational ingredients, i.e. materials that only have a positive effect on the environment. There is no message of “Less harmful” or “Reduced risk of environmental damage”. Liquid Gold Leaf has only positive benefits when used according to instructions.

• Application Rates

  • Compost based Substrates 2ml Per Litre, weekly.
  • Hydroponics 0.5ml Per Litre
  • Propagation 0.5ml Per Litre
  • Foliar Spray 0.5ml Per Litre 

How about ditching the bucket and maths involved in applying nematodes?

This great bit of kit allows you to apply nematodes using your hose, a measuring jug and a stirrer.  It's also a timesaver and great for applying nematodes to large or high up areas.

Opening and closing the sprayer

Bend the plastic tab so that the round sprayer button can be turned 90 degrees. The sprayer is now ready to use.

Full Instructions

1. Mix the entire contents of the nematode sachet with 1 litre of lukewarm water and stir until the product is completely dissolved. This will leave you with the nematode concentrate.
2. Use a funnel, or measuring cup, and pour the required amount of concentrate into the Nema Super Sprayer. Top this up with tap water. Correct application amounts are detailed below in Table 1.
3. Attach the sprayer head to the bottle.
4. Shake the Nema Super Sprayer to mix the nematodes in the liquid.
5. Connect a garden hose to the Nema Super Sprayer.
6. Open the water tap and start spraying, moving the sprayer gently back and forth. Start with the most damaged areas and continue spraying all the areas where you suspect the presence of pests.

• After 3 - 5 minutes (depending on the water pressure) all of the nematodes will have been applied to the soil, or plants, and the Nema Super Sprayer will be empty.
• Repeat the application steps as often as indicated in the refill table below.
• Clean all parts of the Nema Super Sprayer thoroughly with water after use.

Table 1

Thrips Prevention - Thrips are very difficult to reach with chemical sprays but Amblyseius predator mites are small enough to find and eat them, release early as they control the first stages of the Thrips lifecycle.

Use indoors, all year round.

Use outside, introduce the Amblyseius in mid-May, or earlier where temperatures are constantly warm. Amblyseius will survive on pollen from flowers until the young thrips start to appear and provide them with a preferred diet, thus preventing an infestation from taking hold.

This product should be used in prevention of an outbreak so either around the time that you normally see Thrips or at the very first sign that they are present. If you already have a Thrips problem then please check out our other products for Thrips as you will need something that also controls the adult stage.

Biological controls are not always kept in stock, they are ordered in fresh.  This can sometimes lead to a time lag between when you place the order and when it is despatched.  Order by 10am Monday for same week despatch.

Citrus trees work hard to produce flowers and then grow the fruit, as well as keeping the foliage green and growing. If short of essential minerals they may abort their fruits or concentrate on growing the fruits at the expense of the leaves. To help them stay healthy, they need regular feeding with a finely-tuned fertiliser which will give them the nutrients they need to perform all these tasks. Light green or yellow leaves on the new growth is a sign of lack of nutrients.

A new pest control solution designed for preventative control of fungus gnat larvae and other soil-dwelling pests. This innovative formulation contains nematodes encapsulated within an organic, biodegradable, residue-free coating that release nematodes gradually into the growing media, providing long-term control. 

• Novel formulation: Encapsulated in pearl-like, biodegradable capsules for controlled release

• Preventative control: Effective against fungus gnat and thrips larvae and some other soil pests

• Extended storage life: Maintained for more than 8 weeks.

• Environmentally friendly: Made from organic, food-grade materials with zero microplastics, meaning it dissolves without residues.

• Water-efficient: Uses significantly less water than traditional nematode applications   

Formulation

Capsule structure: The capsule is made up of a liquid core containing active nematodes which are surrounded by an alginate coating. This shell maintains the internal moisture of the capsule which ensures nematode survivability. 

Slow release: The coating gradually becomes permeable after approximately one-week post-application, allowing the nematodes to migrate into the surrounding soil and actively seek out the pests. 

Extended action: Slow release of nematode into the soil allows for almost double the duration of control compared to traditional nematode applications. 

How to apply

Insert capsules into the planting hole after sowing. Capsules can be applied using fertiliser dosing equipment on a potting machine. 

Rate: One package of 200 capsules is enough for 20 pots with 12cm diameter or 8 pots with 20 cm diameter.  The product can be kept in the fridge, check the pack for use by date.