Pollen as sole food source for two generalist predatory mite species (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Abstract

Amblyseius largoensis and Typhlodromus ornatus (Acari: Phytoseiidae) are generalist predatory mites that naturally inhabit coconut plantations and other tropical crops. We assessed the suitability of two coconut pest mites, Raoiella indica (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) and Aceria guerreronis (Acari: Eriophyidae); the storage mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari: Acaridae); honey; and the pollens of castor bean, Ricinus communis, and cattail, Typha domingensis, and their mixture, as food sources for the mass rearing of A. largoensis and T. ornatus. Both pollens, supplied singly or mixed, generated the highest progeny production by both A. largoensis and T. ornatus, and were therefore selected for further life table studies. The pollen diets did not influence the survival of A. largoensis whereas there was higher survivorship of T. ornatus fed on the mixed pollen diet than on R. communis pollen alone. The maximum oviposition rate of both A. largoensis and T. ornatus occurred at the beginning of adulthood, irrespective of the pollen diet. Overall, the life table parameters indicated that the pollen of R. communis for A. largoensis, and R. communis with the mixed pollen diet for T. ornatus, were the best regarding population growth and reproduction. Collectively, our results indicate that A. largoensis and T. ornatus can survive and reproduce excellently when fed solely on R. communis or on the mixed pollen diet. In addition, these results point to the potential of pollen supplementation for the enhancement of the efficiency of these predators in conservation biological control.