About this product
Full description
The properly considered biological control for fungus gnats and other soil-dwelling pests — a soil-living predatory mite that sits in the top layer of your compost and quietly eats the larvae of everything you don't want there. Hypoaspis mites (Stratiolaelaps scimitus, formerly known as Hypoaspis miles) are properly the gold-standard biological control for fungus gnats in houseplants, greenhouses, polytunnels, propagation areas and any indoor growing environment where the small flies are driving you to distraction.
Despatched directly from Ladybird Plant Care as a live biological product. Properly fast turnaround — order by 10am Monday for delivery later in the same week.
What they are
Hypoaspis mites are tiny soil-dwelling predators — less than 1mm long, tan to light brown in colour, properly invisible to the naked eye in most conditions. They live in the top centimetre or two of soil where they actively hunt the eggs and young larvae of soil pests. They've been the cornerstone of professional biological pest control for over 25 years.
You won't see them once they're applied. They don't bite people or pets, don't damage plants, don't crawl onto leaves or furniture — they live exclusively in the soil, doing their work invisibly. Properly the most discreet pest control you can buy.
What they control
- Fungus gnat larvae (sciarid flies) — properly the primary target. The small black flies that emerge from houseplant compost in clouds. Hypoaspis eat the larvae before they hatch into adults
- Thrips pupae — thrips spend part of their lifecycle in soil before emerging as adults; Hypoaspis intercept them there
- Springtails — small soil-dwelling jumpers that can become problematic in damp conditions
- Root aphids — particularly on lettuce, brassicas, and ornamental plants
- Root mealybug (crawler stage) — the soil-dwelling cousin of foliar mealybug
- Root weevils — including some stages of vine weevil and strawberry root weevil
- Overwintering spider mites — the soil-dwelling overwintering stages
What they don't control
Worth being properly honest about limitations:
- Adult fungus gnats — once flying, the flies themselves are not affected. The control breaks the lifecycle at the larval stage
- Shore flies and moth flies — sometimes mistaken for fungus gnats, but Hypoaspis don't control them
- Above-ground pests — aphids on leaves, whitefly, spider mites on foliage need different controls. Use Horticultural Soap for sap-suckers
- Caterpillars — need biological caterpillar controls instead
- Heavy established infestations — Hypoaspis work best preventatively or on early infestations. For severe outbreaks, combine with nematodes (which target larger larvae) and yellow sticky traps (which catch adults)
How to apply them
- Apply immediately on arrival — live biological products are at their best fresh. If you must delay, store at 10–15°C for up to a day or two
- Gently shake or turn the container to distribute mites through the carrier material (typically vermiculite or peat/bran)
- Sprinkle the contents directly onto moist compost — pot surface, growing media, propagation trays, greenhouse benches
- Don't bury or mix in — the mites work in the top 1–2cm; deep mixing reduces effectiveness
- Don't apply to dry soil — water beforehand if conditions are dry; the mites need moisture to survive
- Apply early — preventative use is properly more effective than waiting until infestations are severe
Application rates — rough guidance
Standard professional rates are 100–500 mites per square metre of growing area, depending on whether you're working preventatively or against an established problem:
- Preventative use: ~100–200 per m²
- Light infestation: ~200–300 per m²
- Active infestation: ~300–500 per m²
For pot-by-pot houseplant use, a small handful of the carrier mix per medium pot is properly the right scale. For propagation trays, sprinkle lightly across the surface.
Pack size guidance
- Small (10,000 mites) — covers approximately 50–100m² preventatively, or 20–40m² against an active infestation. Properly suitable for: a houseplant collection (20–40 average pots), a domestic greenhouse, a polytunnel propagation area, or treating a fungus gnat outbreak in a flat or conservatory
- Medium (25,000 mites) — covers approximately 125–250m² preventatively. Properly suitable for: a larger greenhouse, serious indoor growing operation, multiple polytunnels, or a serious house-wide houseplant collection. Better value per mite (£1.60 per 1,000 vs £2.20 per 1,000 for the small pack — 27% better value at scale)
For most home gardeners and houseplant collectors, the Small pack is properly the right starting point.
Optimal conditions
- Temperature: 15–30°C; mites become inactive below 15°C (°F 59) and are damaged by frost
- Soil moisture: consistently moist but not waterlogged or flooded; the mites can't survive standing water
- Soil structure: open, organic-rich growing media works best; very compacted or sterile growing media is less suitable
- Light: any conditions; Hypoaspis live below the surface
- Compatible plants: properly all houseplants, vegetables, ornamentals, propagation cuttings, seedlings
Self-sustaining population
Properly different from chemical insecticides — Hypoaspis can establish a small permanent population in your growing media. When prey is scarce they survive on algae, decaying organic matter, and small soil debris. When pest populations rise, the mite population responds by reproducing more rapidly. This means a properly successful application can give months of background control without re-application.
That said, populations fluctuate with conditions. Many growers re-apply 2–3 weeks after the first application to ensure good establishment, then top up annually or when problems return.
Integrated pest management — combining controls
For best results, Hypoaspis work properly alongside other biological controls in our range:
- For severe fungus gnat infestations — combine Hypoaspis (larvae) with beneficial nematodes (also target larvae but reach deeper) and yellow sticky traps (catch adults)
- For above-ground pest issues — use Ladybird Plant Care Horticultural Soap for aphids, whitefly, mealybug on foliage
- For thrips control — Hypoaspis target soil-stage pupae (giving up to 30% of overall thrips control); combine with foliar predators for the adult stage
- For vine weevil — Hypoaspis only address some early larval stages; vine weevil nematodes (also from Ladybird Plant Care) are the primary tool
Together these biological approaches give a chemical-free pest management programme that works with rather than against the rest of your garden ecosystem.
Specifications
- Scientific name: Stratiolaelaps scimitus (formerly Hypoaspis miles)
- Brand: Ladybird Plant Care
- Type: Live biological predatory mite
- Action: Hunt and consume soil-dwelling pest larvae, eggs, pupae
- Pack sizes: Small (10,000 mites £22) or Medium (25,000 mites £40)
- Carrier: Vermiculite or peat/bran mixture (varies by supplier batch)
- Dispatch: Order by 10am Monday for delivery later the same week
- Storage: Apply on arrival; can hold briefly at 10–15°C if delayed
- Safety: No risk to humans, pets, plants or pollinators; doesn't bite
- Edible crop use: Suitable; no harvest interval restriction
- Active temperature range: 15–30°C optimal
About Ladybird Plant Care
Ladybird Plant Care are UK specialists in biological and organic pest control, supplying live nematodes, predatory insects and naturally-derived sprays directly to gardeners. We're proud to stock their range as one of our trusted collective partners. Products dispatch directly from Ladybird at peak freshness — properly the right approach for live biological materials.
A small thought: the most satisfying gardening discoveries are the quiet ones. Hypoaspis mites are properly the perfect example — a tiny invisible army living in your compost, hunting the larvae of the small flies that ruin houseplant collections, without you having to do a single thing once they're sprinkled in. No sprays, no chemicals, no time spent applying treatment after treatment. Properly the kind of pest control that gets on with itself.
What's included
material
- Quantity varies by pack: 10,000 (Small) or 25,000 (Medium)
Care and use
- Hold briefly at 10-15°C if delay essential
- Don't refrigerate or freeze
- Apply to moist soil only
- Don't bury or mix in - surface application only
- Soil temperature 15°C minimum