Biological controls #3 - Jumping spider - Salticidae

[jaykush]

here is my favorite biological control, jumping spiders.

some info about them, i will add more later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_spider
http://allroundpestcontrol.com/jumpingspider.php
http://violets-and-lace.com/archives/917

they are all around general predators. eating things from mites, to aphids, to thrips, to whiteflies.

not sure how to encourage them, they always just show up for me.

 

[VerdantGreen]

been thinking about giving these a try indoors in my cabs, the only problem ive had is mites which are easy to control for most of the grow but difficult to eradicate completely (organic-wise)
i like the idea of pitting arachnids against arachnids

jumping spider. Its tricky to catch so you may want to have a partner there to help you. First, use your stick to make it jump into your canister in front of it. Clamp the lid down and you got the jumping spider.

hmmm

more about them here
http://kozmicdreams.com/spidercare.htm

has anyone observed them first hand eating mites??

 

[mad librettist]

and why is nobody breeding them?

VG - I've never failed to eradicate them, but I didn't need to try too hard. I wonder what is up at your grow that shields them? Conditions? Genetics?

 

[VerdantGreen]

indeed!

this paper lists them as eating aphids so i would have thought mites would be on the menu for some species at least.
http://people.umass.edu/ejakob/publications/HoefleretalJEconEnt.pdf

 

[Microbeman]

Thank you Jay. Thank you Verdant. Lovely creatures. I'll try to move a bunch into our greenhouse. I reckon they would patrol the foliage so might be a perfect combination with Rove beetles who are more concentrated in the soil.

 

[heady blunts]

i love jumping spiders! certain times of year they are in abundance around my area. i trap them and then release them inside my cabinet garden.

they seem to stick around as long as they have things to eat.

 

[BHOBozo]

Wow, this is amazing. I have jumping spiders in my house all the time and I always let the cat eat them. But after seeing this... now Im definitely gonna move every single one I see to my cab!! Those jumping spiders woulda got huge on root aphids if I had em around in my last run >.< Hopefully I can gather a few of these guys before I start my next cycle as a preventative measure
Well.. I dont think these spiders could eradicate root aphids but maybe they feed on some in a heavy infestation.

 

[VerdantGreen]

so ive been scratching around for jumping spiders but the weather is turning cold here and ive only found a couple when looking....

but the other day i was clearing up a pile of perennial stalks with leaves/spent flowers attached that had been sitting in a pile on the ground at the base of a wall for a week or two. picked the whole armful up and dropped it into a barrow, then took them to the compost heap. as i got to the bottom of the pile in the barrow (chopping them up as i put them on the heap) the bottom of the barrow was teaming with rove beatles, jumping spiders - a dozen or so of them, as well as loads of springtails, woodlice etc.

so i caught up a few rove beetles and all the jumping spiders and transferred them to my cabs - woohoo!

so if you're trying to catch a load of the spiders - try that!

VG

 

[SeaMaiden]

Up next! Poison dart frogs. You'll need to keep your rooms warm for them.

How about some anoles? Smaller geckos? I suggest staying away from tokay geckos, they're fractious, to say the least, and pack a wicked bite.

 

[AllTrue]

spiders rules....i have them...

 

[moses wellfleet]

This is an amusing thread and jumping spiders are really cute... But I think if this were a viable method of BC then some big corp would be breeding them and offering them commercially!

 

[DrPimpNugs]

Up next! Poison dart frogs. You'll need to keep your rooms warm for them.

How about some anoles? Smaller geckos? I suggest staying away from tokay geckos, they're fractious, to say the least, and pack a wicked bite.

everythings cool until a gecko poops on your nugs.



Spiders are cool but pregnant females will release thousands of babies that may stick to the buds late in flower and I dont want to be smoking thousands of dead baby spiders just as much as i dont want to be smoking thousands of spider mites ya guys dig?

 

[moses wellfleet]

everythings cool until a gecko poops on your nugs.



Spiders are cool but pregnant females will release thousands of babies that may stick to the buds late in flower and I dont want to be smoking thousands of dead baby spiders just as much as i dont want to be smoking thousands of spider mites ya guys dig?

Preach it brother!