[01] Muhammad Sarwar, Nuclear Institute for Agriculture & Biology, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.

Predatory mites have been used for many years to manage small insects and mites pest in fruits, vegetables and crops. Many species of predatory mites in the family Phytoseiidae feed on some insects and mites and can provide good biological control of these pests. Predators Neoseiulus cucumeris (Amblyseius) cucumeris (Oudemans) and Neoseiulus pseudolongispinosus (Xin, Liang and Ke) (Phytoseiidae) are predatory mites capable of eating large numbers of insect and mite pests, and these move amongst the plants to find their prey. Each Phytoseiidae mite can eat many hundreds of spider mites or other pests during its life cycle, and may feed upon all stages of pest mites. These predatory mites must be introduced at the first sign of pest’s infestation. Like all protectors of biological controls, predatory mites are harmless to children, pets and wildlife, and cannot become a pest in their own right. When there is a history of the pests in a greenhouse or field, conservatory it is advisable to check carefully for damage signs and mite activities early, and predatory mites should be introduced. As a basic rule to achieve good control of red spider mite in about three weeks, provide the starting ratio of red spider mites to predator no greater than 20 pest mites to 1 predatory mite. The predatory mites cannot be stored for long time, and it needs to be used immediately upon receipt from rearing insectaries and all packs of predator are sent with complete instructions. The predatory mites can be used indoors or outside provided the environment is sufficiently conducive for their growth and performance. The air temperature must be around 20ºC (68ºF) for at least part of the day, humidity should be fairly high and the temperature must not fall below 10ºC (50ºF). The biological control using predatory mites can be effected by chemical usage, as a general rule stop using botanical pesticides 4 days before, synthetic pesticides 1-2 weeks before and soft soap insecticides 1 day before their releasing. The use of single or more biological control agents in multiple agricultural systems may facilitate area-wide pest management and conservation strategies within a common region of crop land.

Phytoseiidae, Neoseiulus cucumeris, Tetranychus, Tyrophagus, Neoseiulus pseudolongispinosus

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Cultivated Areas, and their Integrated Management. International Journal of Agronomy and Plant Production, 3 (5): 173-178. [14] Sarwar, M. 2013 a. Comparing abundance of predacious and phytophagous mites (Acarina) in conjunction with resistance identification between Bt and non-Bt cotton cultivars. African Entomology, 21 (1): 108-118. [15] Sarwar, M. 2013 b. Management of Spider Mite Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) (Tetranychidae) Infestation in Cotton by Releasing the Predatory Mite Neoseiulus pseudolongispinosus (Xin, Liang and Ke) (Phytoseiidae). Biological Control, 65 (1): 37-42. [16] Sarwar, M. 2014. Influence of host plant species on the development, fecundity and population density of pest Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and predator Neoseiulus pseudolongispinosus (Xin, Liang and Ke) (Acari: Phytoseiidae). New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 42 (1): 10-20. [17] Sarwar, M. 2015 a. Mite Pests (Acari) in Mango (Mangifera indica L.) 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