Nematodes Control – An effective way to control pests
There are many hundreds of species that inhabit the earth but barely few have managed to astound the scientific community like nematodes. These are creatures that show many different characteristics within the same species. There are a few that are microscopic while there are others that grow up to a length of five centimeters. There are a few that are found in freshwater, marine and even the floor of the ocean while there are a few that can be found in the soil and even the earth’s crust. In fact, hundreds of nematodes of a certain species were featured in NASA’s experiment and they were the only known living organisms to have survived the tragic Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster. However, what most people generally categorize nematodes as is parasitic and non-parasitic. Nematodes that are parasitic can infest plants, animals and even humans. However, there are a few beneficial nematodes as well. Let’s take a look at these two types of nematodes.
Beneficial and Harmful Nematodes
Nematodes are of different types and as mentioned previously, can be beneficial or harmful to plants, among other species. Plant parasitic nematodes are of several types and these usually lead to huge amounts of crop loss. These can affect plants like potatoes and soybeans and usually lead to damage of roots and often the formation of visible galls which helps diagnose the condition. Some nematodes even affect barks of trees which affect the tree and make it weak from the inside, like the pine wood nematode. In such cases, nematodes control needs to be practiced and all measures must be taken to get rid of these nematodes.
However, there are even a few species of nematodes that are beneficial to plants, like the species that helps get rid of grub infestation. This is a parasite that is the larva form of June beetle and Japanese beetle. This parasite can be treated with the help of beneficial nematodes.
Where Can I Buy Nematodes?
Beneficial nematodes are those that help the lawn recover when there is a grub infestation. So, how are these purchased? Well, there are several sources from where you can get nematodes. First of all, you can buy them from your local horticulturalist for a relatively lower price. Otherwise, there are many different organic pest control farms where these worms are bred exclusively for the purpose of treating lawns that have a grub infestation. These nematodes need to be used when the grubs are still small and actively feeding, otherwise, they won’t be as effective. However, most nematodes are even used as a preventive measure.
Prevention is always better than cure so try and keep your lawn healthy and well cared for at all times to prevent such grub infestation problems in the future. If you can’t of course, beneficial nematodes will always come to your rescue. For maximum effectiveness, read the instructions on the label of the product carefully before you use it. For more advice, you can always contact your local horticulturalist to guide you on how to go about using beneficial nematodes and controlling the harmful ones.