Study of demographic parameters of the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on dried fruit mite Carpoglyphus lactis Linnaeus (Acari: Astigmata) for mass rearing

Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot predatory mite is one of the most common biological control agents for two-spotted spider mite, greenhouse whitefly and onion thrips in greenhouses, which is widely used in greenhouse crops around the world. The importance of this study is to facilitate the mass rearing of this predatory mite. To evaluate the mass rearing of this predator, its life table on eggs, nymphal stages and adult mites of Carpoglyphus lactis Linnaeus under conditions of 25 °C, 70 ±5% RH, 16:8 (L: D) was examined. Demographic parameters of A. swirskii including: r , λ and R 0 when feeding eggs, nymphal stages and adult were estimated. Therefore, r parameter for feeding at different growth stages of dried fruit mite was estimated in mass production part. In addition, 20 treatments with different compounds with presence and 20 treatments without presence of dried fruit mite with three replications in a completely randomized block design with mass rearing method and intrinsic rate of increase ( r ) for all treatments were estimated and analyzed. Survey of egg life table, nymphal and adult stages of dried fruit mite showed that A. swirskii has the ability to mass rearing on all three developmental stages of dried fruit mite. Life table parameters, A. swirskii including: r , λ and R 0 when feeding on dried fruit eggs were estimated to be 0.165 d -1 , 1.173 d -1 , and 12.95 eggs/individual, respectively. The results of life table parameters, especially r , showed that dried fruit mite has the potential to be a suitable intermediate host. Furthermore, the artificial diet of treatment number 20 without the presence of dried fruit mites is suitable for mass breeding of this predatory mite as an alternative method.