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• What is Aphidius ervi?
• How does Aphidius ervi work?
• What types of pests does Aphidius ervi control?

The parasitic wasp ervi has the Latin name Aphidius ervi. The natural enemy is approximately two millimeters in size. The little creature can be recognized by the brown legs attached to a black, slender body with long antennae. Two mm is quite large for a natural enemy, this has everything to do with the larger size of the pest it parasitizes. The natural control agent on average lives two to three weeks and can produce up to 350 eggs in favorable conditions. Characteristic of ervi is the possibility to use them both preventively and curatively.

Ervi displays very good search behavior. This allows the parasitic wasp to smell and detect aphid colonies from long distances. After finding her prey, ervi inserts her ovipositor into the aphid and then lays an egg in it. The first days after insertion of the egg, the aphid feeds further from the leaf and secretes honeydew. Then the larva hatches inside the aphid and eats the aphids from within. This mummifies the prey, after which the new parasitic wasp comes out.

The parasitic wasp is the biological control agent of different types of aphids:
•    Potato Aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae) 
•    Foxglove Aphid(Aulacorthum solani)
•    Rose Aphid (Macrosiphum rosea) 

You can see if aphidius ervi is actually doing its work when you see one of the follow points between crops:
1. A golden-brown mummy on the leaf
2. A silk cocoon on the leaf
3. An empty cocoon of which the ‘lid’ is still hanging from the leaf

Ervi can be used on almost all crops. The parasitic wasp performs best at lower temperatures. However, at a temperature above 30 degrees, the biological control agent becomes significantly less active.

Ervi comes in bottles. Only open the packaging on the surface to be treated. Sprinkle the mummies in a dry, shady place or in the intro boxes that are provided. If you scatter the mummies in a moist place, they may be affected by fungi.

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Foxglove aphid | How to control?
The 'Aulacorthum solani' foxglove aphid is an aphid species. The foxglove aphid affects various vegetable and ornamental crops such as eggplant, zucchini, lettuce, tomato, chrysanthemum, gerbera and roses.

Aphid types
Aphids are insects which causes big problems in horticulture. This insect appears all year and causes infestation on the growth of young shoots in a crop, but it can also spread viruses. Combating aphids is of great importance to prevent damage, but how?

Potato Aphid control
The 'Macrosiphum Euphorbiae' potato aphid originates from North America and, since its introduction to Dutch (glasshouse) horticulture, it is causing considerable economic damage.