Our dispensers have been engineered to successfully apply a variety of “good bugs” – including predatory mites, lacewing (eggs or larva), pupa of parasitic wasps, and parasitized eggs with parasitic wasps. All of these organisms can withstand the minimal abrasive forces created by mechanical dispensing. A few organisms, such as adult parasitic wasps need to be dispensed in paper cups, bags or in other protected coverings.

The genesis of our equipment is the pioneering and successful work of Dr. Ken Giles and his team from the University of California at Davis. Dr. Giles developed a prototype dispenser to meter predatory mites into strawberries. Subsequent work investigated the dispensing of other beneficials mixed with a vermiculite carrier material. The work of this team helped to establish the principles of operation for metering beneficials safely, quickly and evenly into crop canopies.

All of our mechanical systems use a carrier material (e.g. vermiculite – a soft, light rock) that is mixed with the “good bugs.” The carrier material has five separate, but important functions. First, the carrier material protects the “good bugs” from the minimal abrasive forces of the metering system. Second, the vermiculite serves as divider between the organisms so that they don’t prey on each other. Third, the carrier material acts as a suitable host of water to keep the humidity level of the reservoir at an optimal level (live organisms need water to survive.). Fourth, the vermiculite can be used in any concentration with beneficial organisms so that the equipment will release the desired number of “good bugs” in each dispensing cycle. Fifth, the “good bug”/vermiculite mixture can be measured and metered with the necessary degree of accuracy.

The AgAttack mechanical dispensers use a gravity-fed system for depositing the mixture of beneficial and carrier onto a metering plate. The physical characteristics of the metering plate and the speed with which it is moved govern the quantity of mixture that is dispensed. We work with you, your insectary and your pest control advisor to establish the proper mixture characteristics. Most of our systems use insulated reservoirs of the carrier mixture so that the beneficials won’t move around before being dispensed. Some of our dispensers use liquid for adhesion and/or air-assist to propel the “bugs” into the crop canopy.  

Basic Information on Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

We have information that has been provided by industry experts on such topics and integrated pest management (IPM) and biological control.

 

Price List with Pictures

Click here to see our complete product line pricing, with pictures of each device.

Bug Dropper - for row crops

The "Bug Dropper" is designed to dispense beneficials in a row crop environment. Any row crops can be treated, but crops with a canopy to "catch" the beneficials are best, for example, strawberries or melons. This unit attaches to a tractor tool bar and uses 12v power from the tractor.

Bug Blower - for trees/vines

The "Bug Blower" is used to dispense beneficials in a tree or vine canopy. The "good bugs" are metered into a water or a sticker mist, which is then blown into the crop canopy from air generated by a gasoline blower. The bugs can be transported between 15 and 20 feet (4.5-6 meters). This unit can either be attached to a tractor tool bar or mounted on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV). This dispenser gets 12v electrical power from the tractor or ATV, and uses gasoline for the blower.

Bug Spot-Shot - for spot-treatment

The "Spot-Shot" name indicates the function of this dispenser: to spot treat in a crop canopy. This product can be used inside or out. The system meters a specific amount of beneficial into a fluid stream every time that the operator presses a button. The metering system is powered by a 9v (or 12v) battery. The fluid stream is generated by any one of a number of user-selected options.

Some operators use a hand-held sprayer for spot-treatment, most commonly using water in the sprayer to adhere predatory mites to the crop foliage. Others use a gasoline-powered backpack sprayer with our metering system coupled to their sprayer. The power sprayer obviously can provide treatment at a greater distance from the operator. Our metering system provides the desired ability to consistently treat in the crop canopy.

Bug Dropper Junior - backpack

The "Bug Dropper Junior" is a backpack version of the "Bug Dropper", that is, it dispenses in a row crop environment (two rows at a time). The system is powered by a 12v rechargeable battery and comes with an extra battery plus the charger.

Bug Blower Junior - for greenhouse cart

The "Bug Blower Junior" is designed first of all to fit onto an electrical cart that is used in some greenhouses. This dispenser uses 12v power from the cart unit. The system is designed to treat two rows at a time in a fashion that is similar to the "Bug Blower" described above. The main difference between the two systems is that the greenhouse cart model uses a 12v blower to propel the beneficial and mist into the crop canopy rather than air from a gasoline-powered blower.

Bug Gun Automatic - for wide area greenhouse treatment

The "Bug Gun Automatic" is a backpack carried version of the "Bug Blower Junior" for greenhouses. This dispenser combines a metering system with an air stream plus water from a sprayer. Large areas can be treated systemically with this product. 

The backpack of this device carries the spray tank, battery  power and system control box. The "gun" portion of the dispenser includes a 12v blower, integrally mounted spray wand and metering system.

Bug Gun - for rapid greenhouse treatment without metering

The "Bug Gun" is a simplified version of the "Bug Gun Automatic". This device uses an adjustable ball value to control the quantity of material dispensed. There is no metering, per se, but the valve position governs how fast the material is dispensed from the reservoir bottle. This dispenser is useful for treating greenhouse areas quickly. 

The "gun" portion of the dispenser includes a 12v blower and a ball valve to control material flow. The system is designed to hold either the large Koppert bottles or the small Syngenta vials or bottles.

Manual Dispensing - Indoors or Outside

These dispensers are low-cost, but effective in dispensing of beneficials. They are hand-operated with a spring that moves a metering plate. These dispensers can be used by commercial growers as well as home gardeners.
 

Research on (IPM) and biological control

There is a growing body of practical research on integrated pest management (IPM) and biological control. This area highlights some of the crop and insect/mite-specific results that can be used by home and commercial growers.

Information Request: mailto:agattack@comcast.net