Southern red mite, Oligonychus ilicis McGregor (Acari: Tetranychidae), is an important polyphagous spider mite pest that causes economic damage to many ornamentals, coffee, and fruit crops. Blueberry growers in the Southeastern United States, including Florida and Georgia, have experienced severe losses due to outbreaks of O. ilicis. Predatory mites are an important management tool used for controlling spider mites; however, predators have not been studied and successfully evaluated in blueberry systems. Amblyseius swirskiiAthiasHenriot, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, and Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) are among the most economically important arthropod agents used in augmentative biological control worldwide.To evaluate the potential of these 3 commercially available predatory mites for use in blueberry plantings, we conducted experiments under controlled laboratory conditions and in the greenhouse. In preliminary laboratory experiments, P. persimilis and N. californicus significantly reduced the number of O. ilicis motile stages below those found in the untreated control, indicating the potential for these 2 predatory mite species to suppress O. ilicis populations. Amblyseius swirskii did not perform well controlling O. ilicis motiles in the laboratory. Under greenhouse conditions, N. californicus and P. persimilis significantly reduced the number of eggs after 7 days of release and the number of motile stages after 14 days of release.This is the first report of using phytoseiid mites to suppress O. ilicis in blueberry systems in the United States. Further studies on predator behavior, feeding preferences, and acaricide compatibility with predators are required to investigate the possibility of using P. persimilis, and N. californicus as biological control agents of O. ilicis in blueberry systems.
How to translate text using browser tools
30 April 2024
Are predatory mites effective as biological control agents to suppress Oligonychus ilicis (Acari: Tetranychidae) in blueberry plantings?
Rosangela C. Marucci,
Stella E. Ruber,
Marvin Pec,
Oscar E. Liburd
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
It is not available for individual sale.
This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
It is not available for individual sale.
Journal of Economic Entomology
Vol. 117 • No. 3
June 2024
Vol. 117 • No. 3
June 2024
predatory mite
southern highbush blueberry
southern red mite
tetranychid