A laboratory trial evaluated four phytoseiid species for their potential as biological control agents of spruce spider mite, Oligonychus ununguis (Jacobi) (Acari: Tetranychidae). An augmentative biological control approach, using the predatory mites Neoseiulus fallacis Garman and Galendromus occidentalis Nesbitt (Acari: Phytoseiidae), was evaluated for reducing pest mite densities and injury, a...

Amblyseius swirskiiAthias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is a predatory mite used to control thrips (Thysanoptera), whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci Genn., Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and broad mites (BMs) (Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks, Acari: Tarsonemidae). Dispersal of A. swirskii, using the ornamental pepper "Explosive Ember" as a banker plant was evaluated for control of BMs in high-tunnel peppers...

Greencover crops are widely recommended to provide predators and parasitoids with floral resources for improved pest control. We studied parasitism and predation of European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) eggs and pupae as well as predatory mite abundances in an experimental vineyard with either one or two sowings of greencover crops compared to spontaneous vegetation. The co-occurrence betwe...

A microinjection technique has resulted in stable transformation of the western predatory mite Metaseiulus occidentalis. Early preblastoderm eggs within gravid females were microinjected. The needle was inserted through the cuticle of gravid females into the egg, or the tissue immediately surrounding the egg. This maternal injection method resulted in relatively high levels of survival and tran...

Aponychus corpuzae is a pest of bamboo in Fujian, China. The predatory mite Amblyseius longispinosus was explored as a potential biocontrol agent against Ap. corpuzae in a series of experiments on its predation on Ap. corpuzae . The rate of prey consumption (per predator female) increased linearly with temperature from 1.35 at 15°C to 5.22 at 35°C (the relationship can be described by Y = -1.00...

That predators attack and prey defend is an oversimplified view. When size changes during development, large prey may be invulnerable to predators, and small juvenile predators vulnerable to attack by prey. This in turn may trigger a defensive response in adult predators to protect their offspring. Indeed, when sizes overlap, one may wonder "who is the predator and who is the prey"! Experiments...

Predatory phytoseiid mites have been intensively studied and surveyed in the last decades because of their economic importance as biocontrol agents of agricultural pests. However, many regions of the world remain unexplored and the diversity of the family worldwide is still fragmentary. Up to date no phytoseiid species have been collected in the southernmost part of the Earth down to latitude 4...

The possibility of breeding phytoseiid predatory mites Neoseiulus cucumeris and Transeius montdorensis using hardwood sawdust as a substrate frozen dried fruit mite (Carpoglyphus lactis) feed was studied. number larvae produced by N. 31.5 % lower on in than the control, while T. it 47.7 %. individuals surviving to adulthood compared control 28.6 42.9 %, respectively. maximum daily growth rate p...

An antipredator defence in the citrus red mite Panonychus citri, which does not produce protective webs, was examined experimentally. P. citri adult females lie down on citrus leaf surfaces with their dorsal setae (hair) directed in all upper directions. They seldom move in response to physical stimuli. Compared to normal lying females, both manipulated non-lying females and hair-removed female...

BACKGROUND Chemical suppression of arthropod herbivores is the most common approach to plant protection. Insecticides, however, can cause unintended, adverse consequences for non-target organisms. Previous studies focused on the effects of pesticides on target and non-target pests, predatory arthropods, and concomitant ecological disruptions. Little research, however, has focused on the direct ...