A comprehensive picture of foraging strategies ofNeoseiulus cucumerisandAmblyseius swirskiion western flower thrips

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the potential of Neoseiulus cucumeris Oudemans and Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) for controlling western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), by determining the functional response, numerical response, prey switching and mutual interference behaviors of the predators.RESULTS: A type II functional response was detected for two predator species fed on WFT first instars. The attack rate was higher for A. swirskii than N. cucumeris, but the handling time of N. cucumeris was shorter. For two predator species, numerical response was affected by both prey density and oviposition time. The per capita searching efficiencies of the two predators decreased significantly with increasing predator densities. The interference coefficient for A. swirskii was less than that of N. cucumeris. Although N. cucumeris switched from feeding on WFT first instars to feeding on second instars, this behavior was not observed in A. swirskii.CONCLUSIONS: Comparison of the two predator species foraging behaviors indicated optimal performance by A. swirskii at lower F. occidentalis densities. N. cucumeris was found to perform optimally at relatively higher prey densities. Moreover, N. cucumeris could be more effective in stabilizing the predator-prey system by switching behavior compared with A. swirskii. At higher predator densities, A. swirskii seemed to be an effective agent owing to its reduced intraspecific competition compared with N. cucumeris. Findings from this study will be useful in selecting appropriate agents and developing effective biocontrol programs to control WFT.

Residual effect of commonly used fungicides in strawberries on Amblyseius swirskii, Neoseiulus cucumeris, and Neoseiulus californicus (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae)

“…The highest predation was observed in the control treatment where A. swirskii and N. californicus consumed the highest number of S. dorsalis pupae. Amblyseius swirskii is a known predator of various thrips species (Wimmer et al 2008;Dalir et al 2021;Schoeller et al 2022) and has been demonstrated to efficiently suppress S. dorsalis on strawberries in a greenhouse (Lahiri and Yambisa 2021). Similar to A. swirskii, N. californicus is a generalist predator that can survive feeding on thrips (Walzer et al 2004;Rahmani et al 2009;Azadeh et al 2013) but exhibits preference for spider mites (McMurtry et al 2013).…”