INFLUECNE OF THE PREY TYPE ON THE BIOLOGY AND LIFE TABLE PARAMETERS OF THE PREDATORY MITE Phytoseiulus macropilis (BANKS) (ACARI: PHYTOSEIIDAE).

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Plant Protection Research Institute, Acarine Pests of Cotton Dept., Agriculture Research Center, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

The  predatory mite Phytoseiulus macropillis (Bank) was fed on eggs, nymphs and adult stages of Tetranychus urticae Koch and Tetranychus cucurbitacearum (Sayed). Prey spider mites were collected from growing cucumber plants in plastic tunnels in Nubaria provinces during summer of  2003 and 2004.  Reproduction rates were almost similar on both of  T. urticae and  T. cucurbitacearum, however feeding on nymph stages of either of the prey species  resulted in the lower ones.