The Invisible Army. Part IV. The Living Shield Over the first three parts, we met hunters, parasitoid wasps, predatory mites, ladybirds and nematodes. Each exploits a different weakness in a pest, and each belongs to a larger web of relationships. Yet the most important question remains: what can this extraordinary menagerie truly offer at home,…
Tag: biological control
Invisible Army. Part I: Who Guards the Orchids?
A small sachet hangs from a moth orchid leaf. It looks unremarkable, rather like a teabag that someone has attached to the plant instead of dropping it into a cup. It neither smells nor glows, and it makes no martial noises. Yet a breeding colony is at work inside. There are microscopic predators, their food…
Invisible Army. Part II: Hunters on the Web
On the underside of a Phalaenopsis leaf, only a few threads can be seen, as fine as scratches on glass. Beneath them, a chase is under way that the naked eye can barely follow. One mite drains the contents of the plant’s cells; another follows in its tracks. The adult pest and the adult hunter…