Provisional advice
Slow-release bags take preference over shaker bottles as the means of release. Shaker bottles make it more difficult for predatory mites to build up a large population at low infestation levels.
Start the first introduction when the level of infestation of thrips and whitefly in the crop is low. Hang up at least 4000 slow-release bags per hectare. The bags must be set out every six weeks. For the second introduction, the new bags should preferably be set out between the bags of the first introduction.
In cases of varieties that are particularly vulnerable to whitefly, the introduction of A. swirskii should always be combined with the release of the parasitic wasps Encarsia formosa and Eretmocerus eremicus (six per m2 per week). The combination of the predatory mite A. swirskii, which predominantly targets the eggs and crawlers (first larva stage) of the whitefly, and the parasitic wasps, which concentrate on the second, third and fourth larva stages of the whitefly, is effective because the two elements complement each other well.
A. swirskii also contributes to combating thrips and spider mite. To combat spider mite, use the natural enemies Phytoseiulus persimilis, Amblyseius californicus or Feltiella acarisuga.