Suitability of Pollen from Different Plant Species as Alternative Food Sources for Neoseiulus californicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae) in Comparison with a Natural Prey

Abstract

Alternative foods such as pollen may help predators to maintain their populations even when their prey is scarce or absent. In order to develop an appropriate spider mite management strategy using Neoseiulus californicus McGregor and optimize laboratory rearing, its biological parameters on four types of pollen (cedar, pistachio, pear, and apricot) were determined and compared on Tetranychus urticae Koch. Our results indicated that the developmental times of females and males varied from 6.06 to 7.32, and 6.00 to 7.15 d, respectively. The highest fecundity was obtained on pistachio pollen, followed by apricot pollen and T. urticae. Feeding on cedar pollen caused the lowest fecundity. In contrast to T. urticae and pistachio pollen, which resulted in the highest intrinsic and finite rates of increase, feeding on cedar pollen produced the lowest value. Pistachio and apricot pollen appear to have the highest nutritional value. From an ecological perspective, in the presence of pistachio pollen, a more rapid population increase of N. californicus could be expected, when the prey is scarce or absent in greenhouses or fields. This may provide valuable information for the design of a comprehensive program for conservation and/or mass production of N. californicus to control T. urticae and other pests.

Supplementary food forNeoseiulus californicusboosts biological control ofTetranychus urticaeon strawberry

“…Our results indicate that provision of pollen as supplementary food for N. californicus will foster a higher population of this predator on strawberry plants and result in a lower population of spider mites. Other studies have supported the idea that supplementary food provisioning can improve the performance of generalist predatory mites in biological control . The addition of pollen on the diet of the predatory mite Iphiseius degenerans (Acari: Phytoseiidae) improved its efficiency in controlling Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) .…”

“…The suitability of a food source for a predator depends on both the nutritional content of the food and the nutritional requirement of the predator. An exclusive pollen diet is known to support the survival, development and reproduction of some phytoseiid species . It has already been demonstrated that N. californicus could survive, develop and oviposit successfully on a diet of almond pollen and maize pollen .…”

“…Predatory arthropods may use a variety of alternative or supplementary food resources to aid their survival and reproduction in the absence of their primary prey . Important plant‐based resources include pollen and nectar, and these have the potential to be manipulated by humans to favor natural enemies and improve the biological control of agricultural pests…”

“…Supplementary food resources can be nutritionally limiting for predators or they can support high rates of development and reproduction . Some supplementary foods may enable only predator survival while prey are unavailable .…”

“…The family Phytoseiidae comprises most of the predatory mite species used to control herbivorous mites and insects . Most phytoseiid mites do not restrict their diet to a single type of food . Although most species are generalist predators and many are omnivores, feeding on pollen, nectar and even leaf tissue, some species are exclusively carnivorous.…”