The dried fruit mite Carpoglyphus lactis (Acari: Carpoglyphidae) is a suitable alternative prey for Amblyseius herbicolus (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Abstract

Being generalist predators makes many members of the Phytoseiidae family a more favourable choice for biocontrol. Amblyseius herbicolus, a predator of several phytophagous pest mites and insects, has recently gained focus as an important biocontrol agent. Most studies focus on providing alternative food such as pollens as a way to increase their persistence on the targets when prey is absent. In this study, we evaluated the developmental and reproductive performance of A. herbicolus on two different diets: the dried fruit mite Carpoglyphus lactis and Raupo Typha orientalis pollen. The groups treated with C. lactis took 7 days to reach adulthood, while the groups treated with pollen took 11 days. The pollen-treated mites did not reproduce but this is likely due to the reduction of pollen quality. When given C. lactis, A. herbicolus produced more than 20 eggs over two weeks and the adults survived 18–19 days. The ratio of A. herbicolus egg to C. lactis adult used (1:20, 40 & 120) in the experiment did not affect the final population size. Cannibalism and competition seemed to affect all treatments, especially those cells started with three A. herbicolus eggs. Under laboratory conditions, A. herbicolus can be successfully cultured using C. lactis, which is an advantageous method for the laboratory and mass rearing of A. herbicolus.