[440mag]

Beneficial Nematodes:

Anyone else using them? (Last June was my first and results were good with treated areas absolutely devoid of the particular subterranean, root destroying insect pest I am battling.*)

Anyone raising your own? If so, care to share any tips - either for success or failure paths to avoid?

(Last year I ordered the "Guardian / Lawn Patrol" mix from Hydro-Gardens ( https://hydro-gardens.com/product/guardian-lawn-patrol-mix-1-million-5p385a/ ) at a cost of $12.60 / 1 million before shipping however;

this year, I am considering ordering from Arbico-Organics ( https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/omri-NemAttack-Pro-Sc-Beneficial-Nematodes/click-beetles-wireworms ) at a cost of $90 / 50 million

"Technically, "Guardian" is a sub strain of the Steinernematidae family, and "Lawn Patrol" is a sub strain of the Heterorhabditatid family."

"ARBICO Organics' NemAttack packs contain a strain of Steinernema carpocapsae beneficial nematodes"

*The Pest: what brought me to research beneficial nematodes were these little fellows:

WIREWORMS

In this instance, more than likely larvae of the click beetle although the larvae of a host of other insects look similar and they all feed on the roots of plants. Quite destructively.

Because the larvae move through the soil and root zone so rapidly, chemical controls are dismally INeffective. And, this is where beneficial nematodes really shine.

I first encohnterd these pests after taking a rather large delivery of top soil from a local farmer / supplier recommended to me by professional landscapers in my area. Of course, "correlation does not always equal causation" and today I found this fellow under a goose grass bunch I hand pulled and I am left wondering if the wild turkeys regularly foraging through our yard might not be bringing the larvae or their eggs into our yard, from elsewhere.

Doesn't really matter where they came from this year; they gots to Go!





This link is to an excellent depiction of how beneficial nematodes "work" on root destroying Pest larvae (although the strain of nematode in this video is different from the two mentioned above, their MO's are all pretty much the same in their "search and destroy" of the enemy and target pests): Biological control of Root-worm with entomopathogenic nematodes:

 

[Colonel K0rn]

Wow, I've never seen that type of worm, nor the biological warfare that can be waged against them. Either way you go, I'd like to see your application, and what the container looks like when you get it. I'd get the heebie jeebies looking at a can full of dirt, knowing there's 50M squirmies in there that you need a magnifying glass to see.

 

[440mag]

'Morning, Colonel!

And, ha-ha, in the pursuit of "the perfect lawn" we often find satisfaction in "standing alone"; however; when dealing with lawn pests I never like the feeling I am "the only one" :lol:

The container they are delivered in (or rather, "on") is typically a small sponge that arrives wet (and hopefully still cold!) which the end user transfers into a bucket of water. (Personally, I then use a funnel to transfer the invisible squirmies into an old, cleaned out, milk jug. Then, I use that milk jug to conveniently transfer the "squirming herd" into my hose end sprayer. (Whatever one uses to apply the nematodes, you'll want to remove any fine filters and I simply pop the filter out of the female end of my hose end sprayer.)

Here are some videos I found helpful while I was waiting for my first time ever order to arrive, last June:

Proper Storage and Handling of Beneficial Nematodes | Becker Underwood:

THIS VIDEO SHOWS THE PACKAGE I RECEIVED AND THE MANNER IN WHICH I APPLY THEM: How to apply Beneficial Nematodes - March Biological:

Nematodes for Lawn Grubs - NIC's How to Apply:

And, there are dozens of other informative videos.

The biggest thing, for me, is having my schedule kinda "cleared" so that I am "ready" to apply the nems the evening of the day they arrive (they don't survive direct sunlight too well and I try to time my orders before daytime temps get too broiling hot or (never!) freezing.

The operative word is "wet" and therefore I will even run my sprinkler just before and immediately after I spray my nems across my lawn - it's the only time I ever irrigate other than at dawn but, the wetter the grass and soil are the easier it is for the nems to travel - straight down - into the root zone and soil before the sun comes up the next morn +/or daytime temps get too hot or dry the soil surface out.

(Much like many pre-emergs, if I am lucky enough to get a good soaking rain after application well, that would be cause for the snoopy dance! . Heck, I would be thrilled to be able to stand out in the rain and go through my spraying when it comes to nems!

Anyway, being raised by a Navy pilot, I tend to have everything I will need set out, ready and "staged," in order to save time once my "squirming herd" arrives.

Oh yeah, one other thing I do is I add blue food coloring to the milk jug full of water with the nems in it - that dark coloring makes it easier for me to keep an idea of how much "nem-solution" I have in the hose end sprayer, while I'm concentrating on spraying evenly and consistently across any given turf area. (This year I will also be pouring some nem solution directly from the jug and around the base of a large Japanese Maple (sp. "Tamukeyama") specimen I container planted by our front entrance as I want to protect its root system at all costs!)

 

[iowa jim]

Have you ever heard of army worms. We went to Canada bear hunting and fishing about 10 years ago, they could eat all the leaves off a tree in two or three days. We left our boat tied up to the dock and the next morning the boat had probably a thousand army worms in it. It took us a hour to get them all out, they all climbed in the boat just from the two ropes that tied the boat to the dock. They where so bad in some areas that you had to slow down driving ,because it was like driving on ice. You would be doing along and the trees would be completely bare for miles and then suddenly stop for a few miles, then start in bare again.

 

[440mag]

'Morning, Jim!

I have "heard" of them; however; (thankfully) I've never encountered them. And, I hope I never do! Wow, that is amazing!