Closeup Pictures - Encarsia formosa

The pictures below show close-ups of the Encarsia cards. The photographs include the green printed line on the card, just to show the scale of magnification. In each card there is a "window" where the unhatched pupae are attached. When the insects hatch out they leave the empty cases behind. Not every single one will hatch but there should be 100 on each card. It is easy to separate individual cards by tearing the strips along the perforations. Always handle the cards by the tops to prevent damage to Encarsia in the lower circle. Hang the cards in a shady position amongst the foliage of the crop. Typically put one card every few metres.

On the second photo you can see two of the insects that have just hatched. We took these pictures with a VEHO gardeners microscope. They are very tiny and difficult to spot with the naked eye!