Toxicity of Three Acaricides to the Predatory Mite, Neoseiulus bicaudus (Acari: Phytoseiidae) and Their Impact on the Functional Response to Tetranychus turkestani (Acari: Tetranychidae).

The use of chemical pesticides particularly acaricides can reduce the control efficacy of natural enemies. The objectives of this study were 1) to evaluate the toxicity of three acaricides to the phytoseiid mite Neoseiulus bicaudus (Acari: Phytoseiidae) by spraying acaricides on N. bicaudus adult females and 2) to determine the effect of these acaricides on the functional response of different stages of N.

Functional Response and Prey Preference of Neoseiulus bicaudus (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) to Three Important Pests in Xinjiang, China.

Knowledge about the prey preference of polyphagous predators is important for determining their ability to suppress pest insects. Tetranychus truncatus (Tetranychidae), Tetranychus turkestani (Tetranychidae), and Thrips tabaci (Thripidae) often coexist in crops. Neoseiulus bicaudus (Wainstein) is a native predatory mite that was recently observed in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of northwest China.