Aphid Predator Nest Box

      The aphid predator is a tiny insect of the “Passaloecus” species. They are very small, about a quarter to three eights of an inch long and about a sixteenth of an inch in diameter. They are usually all black with transparent wings. They are often seen hovering around rose bushes or other shrubs. They are hunting for aphids. They will nest in tiny holes, about 1/8” diameter, left behind by wood boring beetles. The female makes a series of cells in the tunnel and lays one egg in each cell. With each egg she will place approximately 35 paralysed aphids for the newly hatched larvae to feed on. Each tunnel may contain eight, ten or more egg cells, (and perhaps 400 aphids), By providing a nest block containing many drilled tunnels you will give the them a safe and convenient home. The first year you place the nest block out, east facing to warm up in the morning sun, but protected from the hot mid-day sun, only a few tunnels may be filled. The next year, if all goes well, the population will have grown considerably and you may notice the block quickly filled as each tunnel is sealed with a substance which looks like tree sap.

     Your purchase of this item helps support the efforts of the “Sea Isle Centre” which provides recovery and rehabilitation services to sufferers of head injuries.

Aphid Predator Nest Box...................order no. APN001............................$10.00 plus shipping