​​​​​​​​Find answers to your question in our Knowledge Center. 600+ articles, written by our specialists.​​​​

• What is the Orius?
• The best conditions for the Orius
• Which pests can ou fight with the Orius?

The Orius is a predatory bug that has two variants: the Orius Laevigatus and the Orius Majusculus. Orius Laevigatus is mainly found in the flowers and Orius Majusculus is mainly found on the leaves. An Orius female deposits one to three eggs a day on leaf or stem parts. After about five days an Orius nymph will emerge from the egg. The yellow-brown colored Orius nymphs have characteristic red eyes. They can't fly yet and have to find their food on foot. This predatory bug is mainly found in the flowers and on the leaves of the plant.

The total development from egg to adult takes about three weeks at 25°C. At low temperatures this will be longer. The brown-colored adult predatory bugs are very mobile due to the fully developed wings.

Both the nymphs and adults of the Orius are proven thrips insecticides. The predatory bug is the only useful insect that has an effect against adult thrips. Orius also has an effect against spider mites, eggs of moths and butterflies and harmful bugs, so it can be used widely.

Do you want to use this predatory bug as a natural enemy? Then you can scatter Orius loosely on for example a pot or on the leaf. The advice is to place Orius in heaps of about 100 individuals. For a good effect, at least two introductions with an interval of 7 to 14 days are recommended. However, this depends on the season. To make Orius easy to set, you can use introboxes. This way you can see exactly where the predatory bug has been introduced. For a better population build-up, feeding with Powerfood is highly recommended.

Orius is quite sensitive to chemistry. Therefore be careful with the use of chemistry, especially if it has an effect against bugs. Always check the spray advice card to see if a product can be combined with natural enemies. Make sure that after the introduction of Orius shoots and thieves are not removed from the greenhouse.

Can't find your answer? Fill out the contact form and our specialist Jan-Paul de Wit  will get back to you. On weekdays, even within 24 hours.

Tips for the usage of natural enemies
Regarding biological crop protection you are dealing with a living product. Its use is different from that with the application of chemical pesticides.

What is integrated pest management?
Integrated pest management is a combination of the use of biology and chemical plant protection products. It consists of three steps: prevention, observation and intervention. This is used to prevent the development of resistance.

What do the symbols on the product labels of biological products mean?
The packaging of biological products has symbols printed on it that indicate how to use the product to achieve the best result. On this page you will find an overview of these symbols and their meanings.