Three nematode species in one package — Steinernema feltiae, Steinernema carpocapsae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora — so the surface, the shallow layer and the deep root zone are covered at once. It is the one to buy when you have more than one soil pest, or when something is eating roots and you cannot say what. You do not have to diagnose it correctly to treat it.
What each is doing down there: Sf works the shallow layer on fungus gnat larvae, thrips pupae and fruit fly larvae. Sc ambushes at the surface for fleas, caterpillars, cutworms, sod webworms and crane flies. Hb cruises deep for beetle grubs, chafers and weevil larvae. The two Steinernema species enter a host through its natural openings; Hb cuts straight through the cuticle. Either way, the bacteria they release kill the host within a day or two.
All of it goes down in one watering. No spray, no residue, no re-entry interval, and nothing to keep children, pets or pollinators away from — you mix them into dechlorinated water, water them in and leave them to it. They reach the whole soil column rather than the surface a drench wets, nothing they kill can develop resistance to being parasitised, and they are harmless to earthworms and bees.
The honest caveat is temperature. The three do not share a range, so the blend is active across roughly 50–90°F but never with all three working at once — the cool end is Sf's, the warm end is Hb's. And the soil must be moist at application and stay moist for about two weeks, the water dechlorinated, applied in the evening because direct sun kills them.
Best for: Mixed soil pests, or an unidentified root problem — gnats and grubs at the same time.
How many: Sizes go by pot count. Against an active infestation, repeat every two weeks for two or three rounds.
Arrives as: Live infective juveniles on a moist carrier. Refrigerate at 38–42°F and use within two to four weeks. They are heavy and sink fast, so stir or shake every few minutes while you apply.
Safe around: People, pets, plants and earthworms.
Not for: A single confirmed pest, where the specialist is cheaper and more concentrated. Fungus gnats alone indoors are Sf's job. And nothing on the foliage.
Field Notes
Triple Blend
The beneficial
Species
Steinernema feltiae, Steinernema carpocapsae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora
Type
Three entomopathogenic nematodes in one package
Ratio
Calibrated. We do not publish a species ratio
What each does
Sf works the shallow layer — fungus gnat larvae, thrips pupae, fruit fly larvae. Sc ambushes at the surface — fleas, caterpillars, cutworms, sod webworms, crane flies. Hb cruises deep — beetle grubs, chafers, weevil larvae
How it works
The two Steinernema species enter a host through its natural openings; Heterorhabditis cuts straight through the cuticle. Either way the symbiotic bacteria they release kill the host within 24 to 48 hours
What it eats
Hunts
Fungus gnat larvae, thrips pupae, fleas, caterpillars, cutworms, sod webworms, crane flies, beetle grubs, chafers and weevil larvae
Best against
Mixed soil pests, or root damage you cannot attribute to one thing
Won't touch
Anything living on the foliage. And a single confirmed pest is the wrong job for it — the specialist is cheaper and more concentrated
What arrives
Format
Live infective juveniles on a moist inert carrier
Sold by
Count — infective juveniles (IJs)
Shelf life
Two to four weeks refrigerated at 38–42°F
Refrigerate
Yes — keep the package cold until use
Where it works
Soil temp
The three species do not share a range. The blend is active across roughly 50–90°F, but never with all three working at once — Sf 50–80°F, Sc 60–85°F and falling off sharply below 55°F, Hb 65–90°F
Moisture
The soil must be moist at application and stay moist for about two weeks. They move in water films and die in dry soil
Light
Apply in the evening or low light. Direct sun kills infective juveniles on exposed surfaces
Establishes
Short-term. Cycles while hosts are present, then dies out — not a standing population
Running it
Applied as
A soil drench. Suspend in dechlorinated water and water in thoroughly
Mix water
Dechlorinated. Chlorine and chloramine kill them
Mixed suspension
Apply within two hours of mixing. They are heavy and sink fast, so stir or shake every few minutes while you apply
Screens and filters
Remove anything finer than 50 mesh from the watering equipment
Reapply
Every two weeks for two or three rounds against an active infestation
Compatible with
Predatory mites, Stratiolaelaps scimitus, springtails, lacewings, ladybugs, Aphidius, Cryptolaemus, Trichoderma T-22, mycorrhizae
Not compatible with
Broad-spectrum soil insecticides. Fungicides are generally fine — nematodes are not fungi
Chemical interval
One day after neem oil or insecticidal soap. Sulfur is 21 days after any application, and never with a sulfur burner running in the same space
Safe around
People, pets, plants, earthworms and aquatic life
USD
