In-lab rearing of the predatory mites Amblyseius swirskii and Neoseiulus cucumeris on the fodder mites Tyrophagus putrescentiae and Carpoglyphus lactis has been assessed. The study was performed for species kept separately and together. All trials were carried out in 5-fold replications during 25 days at temperature 23–25 °C, the length of daylight of 18 hours, and relative humidity of 85–90 %. After 25 days, T. putrescentiae outnumbered C. lactis in 1.3 times while reared separately, and in 118 times in cases when they were reared together. After 25 days of rearing the predatory mites N. cucumeris and A. swirskii together the first one outnumbered the second one in 9.1 times while feeding on T. putrescentia and in 3.2 times while feeding on C. lactis. The possibility of in-lab rearing of N. cucumeris on both species of the fodder mites was shown, while A. swirskii feeding on T. putrescentiae demonstrated the increase of its density during first two weeks only. Neoseiulus cucumeris is more competitive than A. swirskii because it can achieve high density on different species of fodder mites. Different species of mites must be strictly isolated from each other during their rearing to prevent contamination.
Predatory mites Amblyseius swirskii and Neoseiulus cucumeris are considered as effective biocontrol agents against whitefly and thrips in indoors on vegetable crops. Our goal was to assess the effect of these predatory mites on whitefly density on roses indoors in the North-West of Russia. Result showed that the dynamics of the pest population is affected not only by the predator release rate, but also by the time between introductions and their frequency. There was no difference between two species, except one case, when temperatures had risen above 27°C and consequently A. swirskii had a bigger impact on whiteflies than N. cucumeris.
The possibility of breeding of phytoseiid predatory mites Neoseiulus cucumeris and Transeius montdorensis using hardwood sawdust as a substrate and frozen dried fruit mite (Carpoglyphus lactis) as feed was studied. The number of larvae produced by N. cucumeris was 31.5 % lower on frozen feed in sawdust than in the control, while in T. montdorensis it was lower by 47.7 %. The number of individuals surviving to adulthood compared to the control was lower by 28.6 % and 42.9 %, respectively. The maximum daily growth rate of the population was reduced relatively to the control by 3.7 individuals in N. cucumeris, and by 4.5 in T. montdorensis –. On frozen feed in bran, N. cucumeris produced 20.5 % fewer larvae than in the control, T. montdorensis – 35.1 % fewer larvae. The number of individuals surviving to adulthood was reduced by 18.3 % and 35.3 %, respectively, compared to the control. The maximum daily population growth rate was 1.7 individuals lower than in the control in N. cucumeris, and – 3.9 individuals lower in T. montdorensis. On live feed in sawdust, larval production was similar to the control (lower by 1.1 % in N. cucumeris and 14.2 % in T. montdorensis). The number of individuals was reduced relatively to the control by 1.7 % and 14.8 %, respectively. The maximum daily population growth rate in N. cucumeris is slightly lower (by 0.7 individuals) than in the control, and in T. montdorensis it even exceeded the control by 0.6 individuals per day. Our results showed the possibility of using sawdust as a cheaper substrate for breeding of both species of predatory mites and poor performance of the frozen feed compared to the live one.
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