Kraft tube of FGMN Aphidoletes aphidimyza predatory midges, labelled for aphid colonies.

Aphidoletes aphidimyza

4.02 reviews
$25per bottle

A crowded aphid colony looks bad, but it's common and very treatable.

Crowded aphid colonies in a humid room that gets dark at night? Bright orange midge larvae eat over 60 kinds of aphid.

1Size. How much area?

2How often?

Plan on a release every 2–4 weeks while aphids are active.

3Add to cart.

  • Ships live, when readyUsually within 7 days, rarely 10. Mon–Thu, 2-day or overnight.
  • Live arrival coveredReport concerns within 72 hours
  • Free shippingWhen bugs and plant care come to $30
Pairs well with
Aphidius colemani

Wasps find the stragglers; midges clear the crowds

Up to 10 Plants ·$60
Rainbow Watercolor Planter

Handmade by Linda, for the plants you're protecting

2 inch · $20

Buying for a group or a business? · Wholesale

01 · The problem

Is Aphidoletes right for your aphids?

Signs it's aphids

  • Crowded stems: soft, pear-shaped bugs packed end to end.
  • Sticky honeydew, and sooty mold following it.
  • Curled new growth above the colony.

Seeing these? Good catch. The sooner you start, the smaller the job.

Illustration · not to scaleIllustration · not to scale
You receive
Midge pupae in a carrier. The adults emerge over several days
Main target
Dense aphid colonies, over 60 kinds
Best conditions
68–79°F, humid air (about 70%+), long days, real darkness at night
Not for
Rooms on 24-hour lights, or anything that isn't an aphid

Works on

  • Green peach aphid
  • Melon & cotton aphid
  • Potato aphid
  • Foxglove aphid
  • Cabbage aphid
  • Rose aphid

Not the answer for

  • Anything that isn't an aphid
  • Rooms on 24-hour lights
  • Root aphids

02 · Meet the beneficial

Aphidoletes aphidimyza

Midge larvae in a crowded colonyIllustration · not to scale
Fig. 1 · Midge larvae in a crowded colony

Bites aphids at the knee. Not a fair fight.

The orange larva bites an aphid at a knee joint, injects a toxin that stops it moving, then drinks its body fluids.

  1. Romance on a spider web

    The adults, tiny flies, mate while hanging from spider webs. Females given webs mated more often and laid more eggs.

  2. They travel

    For a fly this small, it covers ground: its eggs have turned up about 150 feet from where the midges were let go.

  3. Eggs to match the crowd

    The bigger the aphid colony, the more tiny reddish-orange eggs the mother lays in it, so the worst patches get the most help.

03 · How it works

Living hunters, working on their own

  • Easy to start.Illustration · not to scale

    Easy to start

    Open, release, done. Nothing to mix or spray.

  • They search for you.Illustration · not to scale

    They search for you

    Most pests are too small to spot. Predators find them anyway, so you don't need to know where every one is hiding.

  • They stay where the food is.Illustration · not to scale

    They stay where the food is

    For the most part they settle where the pests are and keep working.

  • Another round is normal.Illustration · not to scale

    Another round is normal

    Living things work in waves. You'll see the results as fewer pests on the plant.

Here the adults are the parents, not the hunters: they find the colonies by scent and lay their eggs right in them.

Aphidoletes temperature and storage

  • 68–79°FIllustration · not to scale
    68–79°FBest above 59°F. A warm-room predator.
  • Humid air, long daysIllustration · not to scale
    Humid air, long daysLoves humid air, about 70% or more. With less than roughly 13 to 15 hours of light, larvae rest instead of breeding; a dim night light (not red) prevents it.
  • Release within 48 hoursIllustration · not to scale
    Release within 48 hoursBest the day it arrives. If you must wait: cool and dark, 40–50°F.

04 · Not your conditions?

Choose one of these instead

Not quite your situation? No problem. If your space or your pest is different, one of these fits better.

Under 24-hour lights or in dry airGreen Lacewing Larvae

Lacewing larvae don't need darkness or humid air

View →A cool room or short winter daysAphidius matricariae

A wasp that keeps working in cool rooms, short days or not

View →

05 · The plan

How to release Aphidoletes

No experience needed. Here's all it takes.

  1. Ants and yellow cards firstIllustration · not to scale

    Ants and yellow cards first

    Ants kill midge larvae to protect their aphids. Yellow cards catch the adults. Deal with both.

  2. Set it low on damp soilIllustration · not to scale

    Set it low on damp soil

    Open the container and stand it upright on damp, shaded soil near the worst plants. Don't scatter it.

  3. Keep it damp, leave itIllustration · not to scale

    Keep it damp, leave it

    Keep the surface under it slightly damp. The midges come out on their own and do their flying at night.

06 · What happens next

What to expect

Living things work at their own pace. Here's what normal looks like.

Illustration · not to scaleIllustration · not to scaleIllustration · not to scale

  1. A quiet first week

    Pupae emerge, adults lay in the colonies, eggs hatch. Give it a week or two before judging.

  2. You may never see an adult

    The adult is a tiny, delicate fly that does its flying at night and feeds on nectar and honeydew.

  3. Gray, shriveled colonies

    The sign to watch is aphid colonies going gray and shriveled, and new growth coming in clean.

How many do I need?

How many midges to buy

About one midge per square foot of growing space. Repeat every 2–4 weeks while aphids are active.

A hot spot on one plant10 midges
A grow tent or shelf, up to 16 sq ft16 midges
A room, up to 100 sq ft100 midges

07 · Reviews

What growers say

  • 5 stars: 1 (50%)
  • 4 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 3 stars: 1 (50%)
  • 2 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
T
Terell W.
Easy peasy!

Easy peasy! Aphids are gone!!

Hi Terell! We're thrilled to hear that the aphids are gone and that you had an easy experience. Thanks for sharing your feedback!

M
Margo

I sprinkled them on my roses. I still have aphids. Ugh

Hi Margo, thanks for the review. This could be due to so many things, and we're happy to diagnose that with you if you want to email us (shop won't let us put our customer service email here). A popular challenge is how slow Aphidoletes can be. They're not an immediate knockdown, and work on a 2-3 week curve. It could also be that something stopped them from pupating or a mismatch with the type of aphids. Happy to figure out it with you either way.

Before you order

All your questions, answered

Something else? Toby's in the chat, bottom right, and happy to help.

When does it ship, and how does it arrive?

Midge pupae in a carrier. Nothing will be moving, and nothing is supposed to be: the adults emerge over the following days. Live orders ship Monday to Thursday, 2-day or overnight, whichever suits them best. Bugs and plant care ship free from $30; $15 under that. Pots and grow lights ship by ground, free from $75.

What if something's wrong when it arrives?

Our Live Delivery Guarantee covers it. Email info@fgmnnursery.com with your order number: within 72 hours of delivery for insects and springtails, or within 7 days for mites and nematodes. Full terms are on the Live Delivery Guarantee page.

Will they bite me or my pets?

No. Adults feed only on nectar and honeydew, and the larvae feed only on aphids.

Do they stay for good?

In a greenhouse with natural soil floors they may pupate in the soil and come back. In tents and pots, plan to release again every 2–4 weeks while aphids are active.

I'm not sure which aphid I have. Is this the one?

Start with Aphidius colemani, our default aphid wasp, and add the midges alongside when colonies are dense and the room is humid with long days.

Ready when you are

Aphidoletes aphidimyza

You've got this. And if you get stuck, we're one email away at info@fgmnnursery.com.

Change size or plan ↑

From Field Notes

Aphidoletes Sends the Children→Aphidoletes Needs an Exit→Aphidoletes Works the Night Shift→