About this product
One application, a broad range of pests. This mix combines two nematode species with complementary strengths, which is what lets it cover a kitchen garden rather than a single crop.
Steinernema feltiae works from 5°C and handles the smaller soil-surface pests: sciarid fly, shore fly, root fly larvae, leaf miners and small caterpillars. Steinernema carpocapsae needs 10°C or above but moves fast through soil and onto plants after larger, more mobile targets: codling moth larvae, caterpillars, sawfly, asparagus beetle and wireworm. For the mix as a whole, aim for soil at 10°C or above, which usually means late March or early April in the south and a little later further north.
Between them they deal with codling moth, cabbage white and other brassica caterpillars, cabbage and carrot root fly, onion fly, gooseberry sawfly, asparagus beetle larvae, wireworm in potatoes and root crops, viburnum beetle, sciarid fly, shore fly, leatherjackets and cutworms.
Two honest limits. It has only limited effect on vine weevil, so if that is your actual problem use a dedicated product rather than this. And for lawn pests, chafer grubs and lawn leatherjackets, the Chafer Bug Nematodes are the right tool. This is a fruit and vegetable treatment, not a universal one.
The mechanism is worth understanding because it explains the handling. The nematodes seek out larvae and grubs, enter through natural body openings and release symbiotic bacteria that kill the pest within 24 to 48 hours. They then reproduce inside it and emerge to find the next one. When the pest population drops, they die back to a natural background level, leaving no residue behind.
Water the ground thoroughly the day before, mix the powder as instructed, and apply to the soil around the target plants with a can or hose attachment rather than onto foliage. Water in immediately, because direct UV light kills nematodes, and apply in the evening or on an overcast day. Repeat every two to three weeks while pest pressure is high.
There is no withdrawal period. You can harvest and eat the same day. Safe for bees, ladybirds, hoverflies, pets, children and every beneficial insect in the garden. Three coverage sizes are available. This is a live product, despatched fresh rather than held in stock, and cannot be returned.