Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 28;117(6):2461-2474.
doi: 10.1093/jee/toae220.

Residual effect of commonly used insecticides on key predatory mites released for biocontrol in strawberry

Allan Busuulwa  1 , Simon S Riley  2 , Alexandra M Revynthi  3 , Oscar E Liburd  4 , Sriyanka Lahiri  1
Affiliations

Residual effect of commonly used insecticides on key predatory mites released for biocontrol in strawberry

Allan Busuulwa et al. J Econ Entomol. .

Abstract

Florida is the second largest producer of strawberries in the United States. However, the production system faces numerous challenges, especially Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) infestations. Management of this pest involves applying insecticides and use of predatory mites, particularly Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot, Neoseiulus cucumeris Oudemans, and Neoseiulus californicus McGregor (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae). Strawberry growers in Florida are concerned about the compatibility of the commercial formulations of insecticides used in strawberry pest management with predatory mites. This study assessed the residual effect of commercial insecticides used in strawberry production on the survival, feeding, and oviposition of the 3 predators. Using Munger cells, predators were exposed to commercial formulations of spinetoram, cyantraniliprole, azadirachtin + pyrethrin, Beauveria bassiana, Cordyceps javanica, capsicum, garlic, and canola oil extracts, and water control. There was a gradual decline in the survival and feeding of predatory mites when exposed to all insecticides. Spinetoram had the highest impact on the survival and feeding of all predators compared to other insecticides, while C. javanica had the lowest impact. Cyantraniliprole and azadirachtin + pyrethrin significantly reduced predator survival after 72 h of exposure, whereas capsicum, garlic, and canola oil extracts caused a similar reduction after 96 h. All predators consumed low proportions of S. dorsalis across all treatments. Oviposition was low in all treatments, with no discernable variation among treatments. These results highlight the potential of using entomopathogenic fungi in conjunction with A. swirskii, N. cucumeris, and N. californicus for the management of S. dorsalis and T. urticae in strawberries.

Keywords: Amblyseius swirskii; Neoseiulus californicus; Neoseiulus cucumeris; Scirtothrips dorsalis; nontarget effects.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Graphical Abstract
Graphical Abstract
Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Percentage of A. swirskii, N. californicus, and N. cucumeris alive at various time points following exposure to insecticide treatments.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
The average proportion of S. dorsalis consumed by A. swirskii, N. californicus, and N. cucumeris throughout the experiment *CGC extracts represents capsicum, garlic, and canola oil extracts.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Adusei S, Azupio S.. 2022. Neem: a novel biocide for pest and disease control of plants. J. Chem. 2022(e6778554):1–12. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6778554 - DOI
    1. Agboton BV, Hanna R, Onzo A, et al.2013. Interactions between the predatory mite Typhlodromalus aripo and the entomopathogenic fungus Neozygites tanajoae and consequences for the suppression of their shared prey/host Mononychellus tanajoa. Exp. Appl. Acarol. 60(2):205–217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-012-9630-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Akyazi R, Liburd OE.. 2019. Biological control of the twospotted spider mite (Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae) with the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) in blackberries. Fla. Entomol. 102(2):373–381. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.102.0217 - DOI
    1. Argolo PS, Revynthi AM, Canon MA, et al.2020. Potential of predatory mites for biological control of Brevipalpus yothersi (Acari: Tenuipalpidae). Biol. Control 149(10):104330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2020.104330 - DOI
    1. Arthurs S, McKenzie CL, Chen J, et al.2009. Evaluation of Neoseiulus cucumeris and Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiidae) as biological control agents of chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on pepper. Biol. Control 49(1):91–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2009.01.002 - DOI

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources