Lasioseius Fimetorum: a soil-dwelling predator of glasshouse pests?

Female lifespan and reproduction, in terms of numberof larvae produced, of the soil-dwelling predatorymite Lasioseius fimetorum Karg (Acari:Podocinidae) fed on mould mites (Tyrophagusputrescentiae [Schrank] [Acarina: Acaridae]) wereinvestigated by laboratory experiments at 20 °C,as were the mite's consumption rates of various prey.After a preoviposition period of 10.7 days, L.fimetorum produced progeny at a daily rate of 0.7.The oviposition period lasted 23.6 days and a total of19.4 progeny were produced per female. Females livedfor 38.6 days. Eggs of the Collembola Isotomurusspp. (Collembola: Isotomidae) were consumed in thelargest amount by L. fimetorum followed by mouldmite nymphs, larvae and pupae of thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis [Pergande] [Thysanoptera:Thripidae]), eggs of the Collembola Micrisotomaspp. (Collembola: Isotomidae), Isotomurus spp.nymphs and sciarid larvae (Bradysia pauperaTuomikoski and B. tritici (Coquillet) [Diptera:Sciaridae]). Immature drain flies (Psychoda spp.[Diptera: Psychodidae]) were not consumed by L.fimetorum. The suitability of L. fimetorum forbiological control of glasshouse pests withsoil-dwelling stages is discussed in comparison withanother predatory mite Hypoaspis miles Berlese(Acarina: Hypoaspididae).     

Potential for the use of biological agents for the control of Thrips palmi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) outbreaks

Thrips palmi is a major pest of many crops in the tropics and sub-tropics, and is a serious threat within the protected horticulture industry in other parts of the world including the UK. Widespread use of insecticides against T. palmi throughout the world coupled with the restricted range of products available makes it essential to find alternative systems for control. The scattered information on its natural enemies, particularly predators and parasitoids, is reviewed and their potential for use in the control of T. palmi as part of IPM strategies in the UK is considered. Natural enemies selected for detailed examination include: Amblyseius spp., Anthocoris nemoralis, Atheta coriaria, Bilia spp., Campylomma spp., Ceranisus spp., Deraeocoris spp., Franklinothrips spp., Hypoaspis spp., Orius spp. and Phytoseius spp. Recommendations for further investigations are made, including screening and efficacy testing of candidate predators and parasitoids, using semiochemicals to enhance their effectiveness, and assessing the compatibility of chosen species with other components of an IPM system.     

Olfactory responses of western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) populations to a non‐pheromone lure

Western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is a major pest of horticultural crops worldwide. The search for alternative pest management techniques has resulted in increasing interest in the use of kairomones and other behaviour‐modifying chemicals to mitigate the impact of this pest. In this study, we determined whether the origin of populations, feeding history, and/or genotype influence the response of WFT to the thrips kairomone lure methyl isonicotinate (MI) in a Y‐tube olfactometer study. Four New Zealand thrips populations were tested: (1) from a commercial glasshouse capsicum crop, (2) from a long‐established laboratory colony (>222 generations) kept on chrysanthemums, (3) from a laboratory colony (6–9 generations) kept on French dwarf beans, and (4) thought to be a separate cryptic non‐pest species from outdoor yellow tree lupins, Lupinus arboreus Sims (Fabaceae). In the laboratory tests, significantly more WFT from all four populations chose the MI‐laden arm of a Y‐tube olfactometer when it contained 1 μl methyl isonicotinate (61.3–73.2%) compared with the blank no‐odour arm. No differences in response to MI were found between the two laboratory and the one glasshouse WFT populations. Both laboratory populations and the greenhouse population belonged to the ‘glasshouse pest’ genotype of WFT. However, the cryptic non‐pest WFT genotype responded more strongly to MI than any of the other populations, although the response was only significantly stronger than that of the long‐established laboratory population. Significant differences were also found among populations in the average time taken for thrips to make a choice to enter either arm of the Y‐tube olfactometer, with the cryptic non‐pest lupin genotype taking the shortest time, followed by thrips from the capsicum glasshouse. The results are discussed with respect to the variability in olfactory perception and olfactory behaviour within a species and the relevance to the use of such a kairomone lure in pest management programmes.     

Combined releases of entomopathogenic nematodes and the predatory mite Hypoaspis aculeifer to control soil-dwelling stages of western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis

The effect of the predatory miteHypoaspis aculeifer Canestrini (Acarina:Laelapidae) on soil-dwelling stages of thewestern flower thrips (WFT) Frankliniellaoccidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)and the influence of combined releases of H.aculeifer and two entomopathogenic nematodes(EPNs) Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar(Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) (strain HK3,HK3) and Steinernema feltiae Filipjev(Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) (Nemaplus®,SFN) were investigated in pot trials usingseedlings of green beans (Phaseolus vulgarisL.). Ten H. aculeifer adults per pot and 400infective juveniles (IJs) cm^–2 soil, of the twoEPN strains were used. In comparison withuntreated control, H. aculeifer reduced theproportion of adult F. occidentalis emergenceby 46%, while SFN and HK3 led to a reductionin adult thrips emergence by 46% and 61%,respectively. Significant differences in adultWFT emergence were found between combinedtreatments of EPNs and H. aculeifer, andindividual applications of EPNs and/or H.aculeifer, with significantly lower adultthrips emergence in the combined treatments.These findings highlight the potential for acombined use of EPNs with H. aculeifer for thecontrol of soil-dwelling stages of thrips.     

Cross‐resistance of chrysanthemum to western flower thrips,celery leafminer,and two‐spotted spider mite

Chrysanthemum [Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat. (Asteraceae)] is one of the economically most important greenhouse ornamentals worldwide. A major constraint in chrysanthemum production is adequate pest management, requiring the use of different tactics, such as improving host plant resistance, in the framework of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. In this study, we investigated cross‐resistance of chrysanthemum to its three major pests: western flower thrips [Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)], celery leafminer [Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Diptera: Agromyzidae)], and two‐spotted spider mite [Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)]. We quantified resistance to each pest by performing greenhouse bioassays with a broad range of chrysanthemum types from commercial germplasm provided by Dutch breeding companies. Considerable variation was detected among the chrysanthemum cultivars in thrips silver damage and growth damage, leafminer damage, measured as number of mines and pupae, and spider mite numbers and damage. We observed significant positive correlations between thrips damage (both silver and growth damage) vs. leafminer numbers (both mines and pupae), and between leafminer numbers (both mines and pupae) vs. spider mite numbers. Our results indicate an overlap in resistance to all three herbivores. The important implications of this result for chrysanthemum breeding are discussed.     

中国小头蓟马属二新种：缨翅目：蓟马科

西方记述了中国小头蓟马属Ｍｉｃｒｏｅｐｈａｌｏｔｈｒｉｐｓ２新种－中华小头蓟马Ｍ．ｃｈｉｎｅｎｓｉｓｓｐ．ｎｏｖ。     

Host plant effects on the functional response of Neoseiulus cucumeris to onion thrips larvae

Abstract:  The performance of herbivores, natural enemies and their interactions may be affected directly or indirectly by host plant traits, e.g. the physical plant characteristics may influence the search pattern and the functional response of predators. We studied the functional response of adult females of the predatory mite Neoseiulus cucumeris to first instar larvae of Thrips tabaci on three host plants (sweet pepper, eggplant and cucumber). The 24-h leaf disc experiments conducted at 25 ± 1°C, 60 ± 10% relative humidity and 16 : 8 h (light : dark) showed that N. cucumeris exhibited a type II functional response on all host plants. The following search rates and handling times were estimated from fitting the data to the disc equation 0.043/h and 1.798 h (cucumber); 0.048/h and 1.030 h (sweet pepper) and 0.0441/h and 2.294 h (eggplant) giving an estimated maximum predation of 13.35, 23.31 and 10.46 larvae per day respectively. The data from sweet pepper could also be described by the random predator equation ( a ': 0.051/h; T _h: 0.472 h). The host plant species interacted significantly with prey density on the functional response of N. cucumeris with the relative differences in the number of thrips eaten on each host plant increasing with density. It is suggested that it is mainly the difference in trichome density between the three host plants that is responsible for the observed differences in the functional response of N. cucumeris . These results emphasize the importance of the host plant characteristics on the performance of natural enemies and for optimizing their use in biological control of pests.