Behaviour and bionomics of the predatory mite,Phytoseius plumifer [Acarina: Phytoseiidae] as affected by physical surface features of host plants

Leaves of fig and sour orange were used as substrates for rearing the predatory mite,Phytoseius plumifer (C. & F.). The fig leaves which have plenty of glandular hairs favoured a faster development and a higher rate of oviposition and prey consumption, while the sour orange leaves led to a retardation in the development and kept the predator restless.     

Studies on host preference and its biological effects on the red palm weevil,Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier in Egypt The fruit trees

A comparative bioassay (choice or non-choice) was developed to evaluate the efficacy of different species of fruit trees as alternative host plants on the morphological and biological aspects of the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus and also the latent effect of feeding the larvae on pupal and adult stages. Highly significant differences exist between averages of larval body weight of R. ferrugineus larvae fed on fruit trees. The lowest average of larval weight occurred in the larvae fed on the pieces of sour orange, mandarin followed by olive and lime trees. A small increase in body weight appeared in larvae fed on mango, fig and guava in comparison with those fed on date palm trees (control). The larval mortality reached the highest percentages (100%) by obligatory feeding of R. ferrugineus insects on olive, lime, sour orange and mandarin followed by mango (97%) and guava (96%) compared with control (0%), respectively. The latent effect of obligatory feeding on the larvae of R. ferrugineus was highly decreased during pupation (4%, 4% and 8%) when the insect fed on mango, guava and fig, compared with 100% pupation in the case of larvae fed on ornamental palm or date palm, respectively. Most pupae resulting from the treated larvae by R. ferrugineus failed in adult emergence especially those insects fed on olive, lime, sour orange and mandarin trees compared to untreated insects (95.6–96.2%), respectively. Data also proved that if an insect is forced to feed on a non-preferred host plant, this results in death of the insect often during the larval stage, a decrease of pupation or failure of adult emergence. These results led to the conclusion that mango, fig, and guava trees are believed to be vulnerable hosts for red weevil attack. The lowest percentage of food consumption appeared in those larvae fed on mandarin, sour orange, lime and olive trees compared with those fed on palm. The present results emphasise the need to test the efficiency of the compounds extracted from these host plants if it is considered as an insecticide or an alternative host protectant for management of the red palm weevil R. ferrugineus.     

Functional response and reproductive attributes of the aphidophagous ladybird beetle,Harmonia dimidiata (Fabricius) in oak trees of sericultural importance

Harmonia dimidiata (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is the dominant predator of the aphid species Cervaphis quercus Takahashi. This aphid is a serious pest of oak trees in several parts of north-east India. Young leaves of oak trees are used in sericulture by rural people and by industry in several parts of north-east India. The effect of different aphid densities on food consumption and fecundity of H. dimidiata was studied in the laboratory. Female beetles were maintained from the time of eclosion till death at a fixed density of 25, 50, 75,100 or 125 aphids. Both the functional response and the reproductive numerical response showed the upper asymptote at 100 adult aphids/female. At this density, females matured earlier and produced more eggs over a longer reproductive period. At lower prey densities, females matured late and they either did not produce eggs or produced fewer eggs. At the higher prey densities, females did not produce more eggs than the asymptote. Results suggested that H. dimidiata are an effective predator of C. quercus aphids on oak trees and could be exploited as a biological control agent in the rising phase of aphid population growth.     

Use of plant resources by an omnivorous predator and the consequences for effective predation

Plant-provided food may enhance survival and establishment of omnivorous predators on target crops but on the other hand they may adversely affect predation rates and thus their potential for biological control of target pests. However, it is not known how predation is affected by plant food quality and prey density. The omnivorous predator Macrolophus pygmaeus is commonly used in augmentative releases in greenhouse crops. Experiments have shown its ability to utilize plant resources; eggplant and pepper plant leaves are the most and least suitable, respectively. In this study we searched the effects of floral resources (pollen or flower) of eggplant or pepper plant on the predation rate of M. pygmaeus. We used experiments in dishes (leaves) and cages (plants) under a range of densities of its prey, the aphid Myzus persicae. We did not find evidence that the consumption rates and the type of the functional responses of M. pygmaeus were affected by the plant leaf (eggplant vs pepper plant) or the increase in the spatial scale (leaf vs plant). However, the presence of pollen or a flower of eggplant and to a lesser extent of pepper plant reduced the plateau of the functional response to aphid density and increased the handling time per prey. The extent of prey feeding replacement by flower resources was dependent on the interaction between plant species and prey density. It seems that there is a constant rate of prey consumption replacement at intermediate and high prey densities on eggplant but only at intermediate prey densities on pepper plant. These results indicate the interactions between plant and prey resources in diets of omnivores and may be useful for its efficacy in pest control on eggplant and pepper plant.     

Citrus Tree Decline Caused by Pratylenchus coffeae

The pathogenic effects of Pratylenchus coffeae on growth and yield of tangelo (Citrus paradisi × C. reticulata) scions grafted on rough lemon (C jambhiri), sour orange (C. aurantium) and ''Cleopatra'' mandarin (C. reticulata) rootstocks were evaluated under field conditions for 4 years. Pratylenchus coffeae on inoculated trees increased to significantly damaging population densities on rough lemon rootstock the second year, on sour orange the third and on Cleopatra mandarin the fourth year after planting. Mean growth reduction of P. coffeae-infected trees after 4 years was 80, 77 and 49%, respectively, for the three rootstocks. Noninoculated trees on rough lemon and sour orange rootstocks yielded significantly more fruit than comparable inoculated trees. Natural migration of P. coffeae occurred horizontally on roots for a distance of 4.5 m.     

Decomposing Predation: Testing for Parameters that Correlate with Predatory Performance by a Social Bacterium

Predator–prey interactions presumably play major roles in shaping the composition and dynamics of microbial communities. However, little is understood about the population biology of such interactions or how predation-related parameters vary or correlate across prey environments. Myxococcus xanthus is a motile soil bacterium that feeds on a broad range of other soil microbes that vary greatly in the degree to which they support M. xanthus growth. In order to decompose predator–prey interactions at the population level, we quantified five predation-related parameters during M. xanthus growth on nine phylogenetically diverse bacterial prey species. The horizontal expansion rate of swarming predator colonies fueled by prey lawns served as our measure of overall predatory performance, as it incorporates both the searching (motility) and handling (killing and consumption of prey) components of predation. Four other parameters—predator population growth rate, maximum predator yield, maximum prey kill, and overall rate of prey death—were measured from homogeneously mixed predator–prey lawns from which predator populations were not allowed to expand horizontally by swarming motility. All prey species fueled predator population growth. For some prey, predator-specific prey death was detected contemporaneously with predator population growth, whereas killing of other prey species was detected only after cessation of predator growth. All four of the alternative parameters were found to correlate significantly with predator swarm expansion rate to varying degrees, suggesting causal interrelationships among these diverse predation measures. More broadly, our results highlight the importance of examining multiple parameters for thoroughly understanding the population biology of microbial predation.     

Predaceous Behavior and Life History of Odontopharynx longicaudata (Diplogasterida)

The behavior of a California isolate of the predaceous nematode, Odontopharynx longicaudata de Man, was studied in water agar culture. When feeding on an Acrobeloides sp. the predator completed its life cycle in 13 to 14 days at 25 C. Optimum temperature for reproduction of the predator was 25 C, few individuals survived at 10 C, and 30 C was lethal. Males were necessary for reproduction, and at 25 C the sex ratio was about 1:1. All postembryonic stages were voracious feeders. A single female predator consumed 30 individuals of another Acrobeloides sp. in 1.5 days. Juveniles must feed in order to complete their development. Three modes of feeding were observed depending on the prey selected. A high degree of prey selectivity occurred; 6 of 17 nematode prey species were readily consumed by the predator, but there was little or no feeding on the remaining 11 species. Predation percentage varied with prey species. Consumption of Anguina pacificae and the two Acrobeloides spp. was almost 100%, consumption of A. amsinckiae, Pratylenchus vulnus, and Trichodorus sp. was 70-78%. Difference in final predator population densities was obtained after feeding on the two species of Acrobeloides. Final predator population densities increased linearly with increasing inoculum levels of the first Acrobeloides sp.     

Leaf pubescence mediates intraguild predation between predatory mites

Plant morphological traits such as leaf pubescence may affect herbivores and their natural enemies at the individual, population and community levels. Leaf pubescence has been repeatedly shown to mediate predator‐herbivore interactions whereas the influence of leaf pubescence on predator–predator interactions such as intraguild predation (IGP) has seldom been investigated. Using a three‐pronged approach we assessed the influence of leaf pubescence on the predatory mites Kampimodromus aberrans and Euseius finlandicus. Both predators occur on broad‐leaved trees in Europe. Euseius finlandicus is mostly found on trees with glabrous leaves whereas K. aberrans mainly occurs on trees with pubescent leaves. We hypothesized that leaf pubescence mediates IGP between K. aberrans and E. finlandicus and thereby determines their dominance and proportional abundance. A field survey on apple revealed that the abundance of K. aberrans and E. finlandicus is negatively correlated, with the former predominating on cultivars with strongly pubescent leaves and the latter predominating on cultivars with little pubescent or glabrous leaves. Microhabitat choice tests showed that K. aberrans preferentially resides on pubescent leaves whereas E. finlandicus preferentially resides on glabrous leaves. The effects of leaf pubescence on survival and development of immature IG predators and IG prey were reversed for K. aberrans and E. finlandicus. In the presence of the IG predator E. finlandicus, immature K. aberrans had higher survival probabilities on pubescent leaves than on glabrous ones. In contrast, the survival chances of immature E. finlandicus were higher on glabrous leaves than on pubescent ones when the IG predator K. aberrans was present. Artificial leaf pubescence enhanced IG prey capture by immature K. aberrans and prolonged their longevity but impaired IG prey capture by immature E. finlandicus and shortened their longevity. We conclude that leaf pubescence mediates IGP strength and symmetry and discuss the implications to natural and biological control.     

Irreversible prey diapause as an optimal strategy of a physiologically extended Lotka–Volterra model

We propose an optimal control framework to describe intra-seasonal predator–prey interactions, which are characterized by a continuous-time dynamical model comprising predator and prey density, as well as the energy budget of the prey over the length of a season. The model includes a time-dependent decision variable for the prey, representing the portion of the prey population in time that is active, as opposed to diapausing (a state of physiological rest). The predator follows autonomous dynamics and accordingly it remains active during the season. The proposed model is a generalization of the classical Lotka–Volterra predator–prey model towards non-autonomous dynamics that furthermore includes the effect of an energy variable. The model has been inspired by a specific biological system of predatory mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) and prey mites (so-called fruit-tree red spider mites) (Acari: Tetranychidae) that feed on leaves of apple trees—its parameters have been instantiated based on laboratory and field studies. The goal of the work is to understand the decisions of the prey mites to enter diapause (a state of physiological rest) given the dynamics of the predatory mites: this is achieved by solving an optimization problem hinging on the maximization of the prey population contribution to the next season. The main features of the optimal strategy for the prey are shown to be that (1) once in diapause, the prey does not become active again within the same season and hence diapause is an irreversible process; (2) for the vast majority of parameter space, the portion of prey individuals entering diapause within the season does not decrease in time; (3) with an increased number of predators, the optimal population strategy for the prey is to start diapause earlier and to enter diapause more gradually. This optimal population strategy will be studied for its ESS properties in a sequel to the work presented in this article.     

Functional response of Euseius concordis to densities of different developmental stages of the cassava green mite

Both prey density and developmental stage of pests and natural enemies are known to influence the effectiveness of biological control. However, little is known about the interaction between prey density and population structure on predation and fecundity of generalist predatory mites. Here, we evaluated the functional response (number of prey eaten by predator in relation to prey density) of adult females and nymphs of the generalist predatory mite Euseius concordis to densities of different developmental stages of the cassava green mite Mononychellus tanajoa, as well as the fecundity of adult females of the predator. We further assessed the instantaneous rate of increase, based on fecundity and mortality, of E. concordis fed on eggs, immatures and adults of M. tanajoa. Overall, nymphs and adults of E. concordis feeding on eggs, immatures and females of M. tanajoa had a type III functional response curve suggesting that the predator increased prey consumption rate as prey density increased. Both nymphs and adult females of the predator consumed more eggs than immatures of M. tanajoa from the density of 20 items per leaf disc onwards, revealing an interaction between prey density and developmental stage in the predatory activity of E. concordis. In addition, population growth rate was higher when the predator fed on eggs and immatures in comparison with females. Altogether our results suggest that E. concordis may be a good candidate for the biological control of M. tanajoa populations. However, the efficiency of E. concordis as a biological control agent of M. tanajoa is contingent on prey density and population structure.     

Effects of the probability of a predator catching prey on predator–prey system stability

To understand the effect of the probability of a predator catching prey, P_catch, on the stability of the predator–prey system, a spatially explicit lattice model consisting of predators, prey, and grass was constructed. The predators and prey randomly move on the lattice space, and the grass grows according to its growth probability. When a predator encounters prey, the predator eats the prey in accordance with the probability P_catch. When a prey encounters grass, the prey eats the grass. The predator and prey give birth to offspring according to a birth probability after eating prey or grass, respectively. When a predator or prey is initially introduced or newly born, its health state is set at a high given value. This health state decreases by one with every time step. When the state of an animal decreases to less than zero, the individual dies and is removed from the system. Population densities for predator and prey fluctuated significantly according to P_catch. System stability was characterized by the standard deviation ? of the fluctuation. The simulation results showed that ? for predators increased with an increase of P_catch; ? for prey reached a maximum at P_catch = 0.4; and ? for grass fluctuated little regardless of P_catch. These results were due to the tradeoff between P_catch and the predator–prey encounter rate, which represents the degree of interaction between predator and prey and the average population density, respectively.     

Masquerading predators deceive prey by aggressively mimicking bird droppings in a crab spider

In aggressive mimicry, a predator accesses prey by mimicking the appearance and/or behavior of a harmless or beneficial model in order to avoid being correctly identified by its prey. The crab spider genus Phrynarachne is often cited as a textbook example of masquerading as bird droppings (BDs) in order to avoid predation. However, Phrynarachne spiders may also aggressively mimic BDs in order to deceive potential prey. To date, there is no experimental evidence to support aggressive mimicry in masquerading crab spiders; therefore, we performed a field survey, a manipulative field experiment, and visual modeling to test this hypothesis using Phrynarachne ceylonica. We compared prey-attraction rates among BDs, spiders, and control empty leaves in the field. We found that although all prey combined and agromyzid dipterans, in particular, were attracted to BDs at a higher rate than to spiders, other dipterans and hymenopterans were attracted to BDs at a similar rate as to spiders. Both spiders and BDs attracted insects at a significantly higher rate than did control leaves. As predicted, prey was attracted to experimentally blackened or whitened spiders significantly less frequently than to unmanipulated spiders. Finally, visual modeling suggested that spiders and BDs can be detected by dipterans and hymenopterans against background leaves, but they are indistinguishable from each other. Taken together, our results suggest that insects lured by spiders may misidentify them as BDs, and bird-dropping masquerading may serve as aggressive mimicry in addition to predator avoidance in P. ceylonica.     

Restricting Prey Dispersal Can Overestimate the Importance of Predation in Trophic Cascades

Predators can affect prey populations and, via trophic cascades, predators can indirectly impact resource populations (2 trophic levels below the predator) through consumption of prey (density-mediated indirect effects; DMIEs) and by inducing predator-avoidance behavior in prey (trait-mediated indirect effects; TMIEs). Prey often employ multiple predator-avoidance behaviors, such as dispersal or reduced foraging activity, but estimates of TMIEs are usually on individual behaviors. We assessed direct and indirect predator effects in a mesocosm experiment using a marine food chain consisting of a predator (toadfish – Opsanus tau), prey (mud crab - Panopeus herbstii) and resource (ribbed mussel – Geukensia demissa). We measured dispersal and foraging activity of prey separately by manipulating both the presence and absence of the predator, and whether prey could or could not disperse into a predator-free area. Consumption of prey was 9 times greater when prey could not disperse, probably because mesocosm boundaries increased predator capture success. Although predator presence did not significantly affect the number of crabs that emigrated, the presence of a predator decreased resource consumption by prey, which resulted in fewer resources consumed for each prey that emigrated in the presence of a predator, and reduced the overall TMIE. When prey were unable to disperse, TMIEs on mussel survival were 3 times higher than the DMIEs. When prey were allowed to disperse, the TMIEs on resource survival increased to 11-times the DMIEs. We found that restricting the ability of prey to disperse, or focusing on only one predator-avoidance behavior, may be underestimating TMIEs. Our results indicate that the relative contribution of behavior and consumption in food chain dynamics will depend on which predator-avoidance behaviors are allowed to occur and measured.     

Studies on the basic components of the predation ofPhytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acarina: Phytoseiidae)

The basic components of the predation of Phytoseiulus persimilisAthias-Henriot feeding upon eggs of Tetranychus urticaeKoch were studied in an open system where the predator could disperse freely. The type of the functional response of the predator to the density of its prey was the same as that studied so far in a closed system, i.e.,Holling's Type 2. The search rate of the predator, however, was much lower in comparison with the result from a closed system. The oviposition of the predator per day was only weakly related to prey densities higher than 10 per leaf disc. But the emigration rate was inversely dependent upon the initial prey density up to 60 per leaf disc. The searching behaviour of the predator was influenced by both the web density spun by T. urticae and the density of the prey: the predator searched for its prey intensively only after it had contact with web. Mutual interference was observed in prey consumption, but not in the emigration rate. The emigration rate was largely dependent upon the prey density available per predator.     

Natural born killers: an invasive amphipod is predatory throughout its life-history

Introduced predators can have profound impacts on prey populations, with subsequent ramifications throughout entire ecosystems. However, studies of predator–prey interaction strengths in community and food-web analyses focus on adults or use average body sizes. This ignores ontogenetic changes, or lack thereof, in predatory capabilities over the life-histories of predators. Additionally, large individual predators might not be physically capable of consuming very small prey individuals. Both situations are important to resolve, as native prey may or may not therefore experience ontogenetic or size refuges from invasive predators. Here, we find that the freshwater amphipod invader, Gammarus pulex, is predatory throughout its development from juvenile through to adult. All size classes collected in the field had a common prey, nymphs of the mayfly Baetis rhodani, in their guts. In an experiment with predator, prey and experimental arenas scaled for body size, G. pulex juveniles and adults consumed B. rhodani in all size-matched categories. In a second experiment, the largest G. pulex individuals were able to prey on the smallest B. rhodani. Thus, the prey do not benefit from any ontogenetic or size refuge from the predator. This corroborates with the known negative population abundance relationships between this invasive predator and its native prey species. Understanding and predicting invasive predator impacts will be best served when interactions among all life-history stages of predator and prey are considered.     

Partial prey consumption by antlion larvae

Predictions from two models of partial prey consumption were tested using antilion larvae (third instar Myrmeleon mobilis), a sit-and-wait predator. Griffiths' (1980) ‘Digestion Rate Limitation’ model correctly predicted decreased handling time and increased ingestion rate with increasing encounter rates. The model incorrectly predicted constant percentage extraction; percentage extraction changed significantly with encounter rate. An optimality model appropriate for ambush predators (Lucas & Grafen, in press) qualitatively matched observations, although antlions always discarded prey somewhat earlier than predicted. Thus neither of the models of partial prey consumption quantitatively fits observations. This reduction in handling time has a minor influence on the rate of energy intake, and therefore may be adaptive if other factors are taken into account. I show that discarding prey early is adaptive if prey that arrive when the predator is empty handed are more easily caught than those that arrive when the predator is eating. Preliminary results support this assumption.     

Effects of Various Items,Host Plants,and Temperatures on the Development and Survival of Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur (Hemiptera: Miridae)

Nymphal development and survival of Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur (Hemiptera: Miridae) on various host plants, in the presence and absence of various insect prey, and on bee pollen and pollen from Ecbalium elaterium L. (Cucurbitaceae) in various combinations were studied. The effect of temperature on the development and mortality of M. pygmaeus nymphs was also studied. Experiments were conducted in temperature cabinets maintained at 65 ± 5% RH, 16L:8D h photoperiod, and constant temperatures, depending on the experiment. Results demonstrated that M. pygmaeus can successfully complete its development on tomato, eggplant, cucumber, pepper, and green beans in the absence of insect prey. In the presence of insect prey, M. pygmaeus had the shortest period of nymphal development on eggplant with Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) followed by Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), Aphis gossypii Glover, and Tetranychus urticae Koch. Mortality of M. pygmaeus nymphs was relatively higher in the absence than in the presence of prey on various host plants but was not considered a factor restricting predator establishment. M. pygmaeus completed its development, even in the absence of prey, under a range of temperatures from 15 to 30°C on tomato, with optimum development at 30°C. Bee pollen and pollen from E. elaterium, when offered separately, were sufficient to support successful predator nymphal development and survival. Bee pollen contributed considerably to the development and survival of the nymphs when it was included in diets containing other food sources, like eggplant leaves and M. persicae.     

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. Additionally, we estimated the effect of cattail pollen when provided to the predator alone or in mixed diets with prey. Contrary to thrips larvae, both spider mite larvae and whitefly crawlers sustained the development of P. finitimus. In addition, females consumed more spider mite eggs and larvae, as well as whitefly crawlers than thrips larvae, but laid eggs when feeding on all prey. When provided alone, cattail pollen sustained the development and reproduction of the predator. The addition of pollen in mixed diets with prey reduced prey consumption, though it increased the predator’s egg production. We discuss the implications of our findings for biological pest control.     

Effects of Transgenic Cry1Ac + CpTI Cotton on Non-Target Mealybug Pest Ferrisia virgata and Its Predator Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

Recently, several invasive mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) have rapidly spread to Asia and have become a serious threat to the production of cotton including transgenic cotton. Thus far, studies have mainly focused on the effects of mealybugs on non-transgenic cotton, without fully considering their effects on transgenic cotton and trophic interactions. Therefore, investigating the potential effects of mealybugs on transgenic cotton and their key natural enemies is vitally important. A first study on the effects of transgenic cotton on a non-target mealybug, Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) was performed by comparing its development, survival and body weight on transgenic cotton leaves expressing Cry1Ac (Bt toxin) + CpTI (Cowpea Trypsin Inhibitor) with those on its near-isogenic non-transgenic line. Furthermore, the development, survival, body weight, fecundity, adult longevity and feeding preference of the mealybug predator Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) was assessed when fed F. virgata maintained on transgenic cotton. In order to investigate potential transfer of Cry1Ac and CpTI proteins via the food chain, protein levels in cotton leaves, mealybugs and ladybirds were quantified. Experimental results showed that F. virgata could infest this bivalent transgenic cotton. No significant differences were observed in the physiological parameters of the predator C. montrouzieri offered F. virgata reared on transgenic cotton or its near-isogenic line. Cry1Ac and CpTI proteins were detected in transgenic cotton leaves, but no detectable levels of both proteins were present in the mealybug or its predator when reared on transgenic cotton leaves. Our bioassays indicated that transgenic cotton poses a negligible risk to the predatory coccinellid C. montrouzieri via its prey, the mealybug F. virgata.     

Earwig preying on ambrosia beetle: Evaluating predatory process and prey preference

Earwigs (Dermaptera), such as Forficula auricularia L., are important euryphagous predators for a wide variety of prey and can markedly influence the populations of orchard pests. Most previous studies on earwig feeding behaviour have not used adult beetles of the prey species; few researchers have focused on prey preference in earwigs. Some fragments of beetle exoskeleton and an earwig adult, Anisolabella marginalis (Dohrn), were found in the same cage, where adults of ambrosia beetle, Euwallacea interjectus (Blandford), were emerging from the logs of a fig tree infected with Ceratocystis canker (fig wilt disease). Thus, A. marginalis was suspected of being a predator of E. interjectus. To shed light on this issue, in the laboratory, we set up a test arena and observed and recorded behavioural interactions between A. marginalis and E. interjectus. E. interjectus was collected from the logs of fig trees and reared on an artificial diet, along with six different ambrosia beetle species, which were collected from a trap (baited with ethanol) and a fallen maple tree. A series of laboratory experiments demonstrated that A. marginalis is actually a predator of E. interjectus and other species of ambrosia beetle, indicating its a potential for use in effective pest control in the field. The predators frequently consume and tend to select their prey depending on prey size, rather than sex and beetle species. Furthermore, earwigs have alternative predatory strategies for dealing with seven different species, although they use their forceps to cut the body of most tested beetles.