Pollen provisioning attenuates pesticide side-effects on a phytoseiid predator.

Background: Biological control with predatory mites is applied against pests in greenhouse crops. Chemical control with the use of selective, reduced-risk pesticides, is an important component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, that often needs to be combined with biological control. Here, we evaluated the effect of plant pollen when used as supplementary food on the survival, reproduction and predation of the predatory mite Amblydromalus limonicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae) after exposing young larvae and adults to flonicamid, an insecticide of moderate toxicity to phytoseiids.

Plant-Mediated Effects of Beneficial Microbes and a Plant Strengthener against Spider Mites in Tomato.

The two-spotted spider mite is a polyphagous herbivore with a worldwide distribution, and is a serious pest in tomato and other crops. As an alternative to chemical pesticides, biological control with the release of natural enemies such as predatory mites represent an efficient method to control in many crops, but not in tomato. Other biological control agents, such as beneficial microbes, as well as chemical compounds, which can act as plant defense elicitors that confer plant resistance against pests and pathogens, may prove promising biological solutions for the suppression of spider mite populations in tomato.

Effect of Duration of Exposure to Males on Female Reproductive Performance of the Green Lacewing, (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae).

Henry et al. is one of the five cryptic species of the group found in Europe. They are known to widely occur in agricultural fields and survive and reproduce in a wide range of temperatures.

Induced plant defences in biological control of arthropod pests: a double-edged sword.

Biological control is an important ecosystem service delivered by natural enemies. Together with breeding for plant defence, it constitutes one of the most promising alternatives to pesticides for controlling herbivores in sustainable crop production. Especially induced plant defences may be promising targets in plant breeding for resistance against arthropod pests.

The role of phytophagy by predators in shaping plant interactions with their pests.

Zoophytophagy is common among predacious arthropods, but research on their role in plant-herbivore interactions is generally focused on predation effects whereas their phytophagy is largely neglected. Our recent study revealed the ability of zoophytophagous predators to induce defense related traits and to affect herbivore performance apart from predation through the plant. Additionally, we show here that predator-exposed plants suffer less damage compared to unexposed plants.

Beyond Predation: The Zoophytophagous Predator Macrolophus pygmaeus Induces Tomato Resistance against Spider Mites.

Many predatory insects that prey on herbivores also feed on the plant, but it is unknown whether plants affect the performance of herbivores by responding to this phytophagy with defence induction. We investigate whether the prior presence of the omnivorous predator Macrolophus pygmaeus (Rambur) on tomato plants affects plant resistance against two different herbivore species. Besides plant-mediated effects of M.

Compatibility of reduced-risk insecticides with the non-target predatory mite Iphiseius degenerans (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

Background: Iphiseius degenerans (Berlese) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is a common predatory mite in citrus orchards in some areas of the Mediterranean basin and an important biological control agent of the thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes in greenhouse crops. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the 'reduced-risk' insecticides acetamiprid, chlorantraniliprole, flubendiamide, metaflumizone, methoxyfenozide, spinetoram and thiamethoxam on I. degenerans, as a means of testing their compatibility in IPM programmes.

Potential of the predatory mite Phytoseius finitimus (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to feed and reproduce on greenhouse pests.

Phytoseiid mites of the genus Phytoseius are natural enemies of tetranychid and eriophyid herbivorous mites mostly found on hairy plants where they feed on prey, as well as on pollen. Nevertheless, the nutritional ecology and the role of these predators in biological pest control are only rarely addressed. In the present study, we evaluated the potential of Phytoseius finitimus to feed and reproduce on three major greenhouse pests, the two-spotted spider mite, the greenhouse whitefly and the western flower thrips.

Mating behavior of the predatory mite Kampimodromus aberrans (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

The mating behavior of the predatory mite Kampimodromus aberrans was studied in the laboratory at a constant temperature of 25 +/- 1 degrees C and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D). Forty pairs of newly emerged virgin females and unmated males, were maintained separately on leaf discs and their mating behavior, was observed continuously under a stereomicroscope. The mean time until first contact of female and male individuals was approximately 8.