What Are Beneficial Nematodes and How Do They Work?
Beneficial Nematodes are microscopic round worms that seek out and destroy over 200 kinds of soil dwelling insects. They attack pests in their larval and pupa stage in the soil, but have been known to attack pests above ground in all stages as well! Nematodes hunt for insects, entering through natural body openings. Once inside the larvae, the nematode excretes a bacteria and then starts to feed and multiply. Within a few days, the pest will change color and die. The nematodes multiply and develop within the dying insect before leaving the old host to hunt for more pests. As the number of pests decrease, so will the nematode population. For this reason, seasonal releases are recommended. Each species of nematodes prefer specific prey, although, they will attack other soil dwelling insects as well.
Which Nematodes work best?
There are a variety of nematodes that work for different types of pests. See the chart below to determine the best Beneficial Nematodes.
