Colombian population of the mite Gaeolaelaps aculeifer as a predator of the thrips Frankliniella occidentalis and the possible use of an astigmatid mite as its factitious prey

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 2359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana M Rueda-Ramirez ◽  
Diana M Rios-Malaver ◽  
Amanda Varela-Ramirez ◽  
Gilberto J. de Moraes
Keyword(s):  
Mass Production ◽  
Frankliniella Occidentalis ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Predation Rate ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Generalist Predator ◽  
Randomized Design ◽  
Factitious Prey

Gaeolaelaps aculeifer (Canestrini) is a well-known generalist predator currently commercialized to control several edaphic organisms, including Diptera larvae and thrips pre-pupae and pupae. The recent detection of this species in the Bogotá plateau of Colombia raised the interest to investigate details about the biology of this new population and evaluate its potential as a biological control agent for use in that country against Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thripidae), the western flower thrips. The objective of this study was to evaluate experimentally the biological characteristics of the Colombian population of G. aculeifer and its predation capacity on F. occidentalis, as well as the possibility to use a factitious prey for its mass production or as complementary food in predator field releases. The study was conducted with three diets: F. occidentalis (T), Aleuroglyphus ovatus (A), and A. ovatus + F. occidentalis (TA), in a randomized design experiment using G. aculeifer females. Predation rate was about 2.6 pre-pupae/pupae of F. occidentalis/female/day when only thrips was available as prey, reducing to 2.0 when thrips was combined with A. ovatus. Oviposition was the same when fed each of those prey and their combination (2.5–2.9 eggs/female/day). Some differences between diets were observed for duration of some periods of the life cycle, but no differences were observed for life table parameters. The greatest differences observed between this population and what has been reported for other populations of the same predator (evaluated when feeding other prey) refer to duration of deutonymphal period and Ro (respectively longer and higher in the former). It is concluded that the Colombian population is able to feed, develop, and reproduce on pre-pupae and pupae of F. occidentalis and that A. ovatus can be used for its small scale mass production and as a complementary diet in predator field releases.

A REARING METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LARGE NUMBERS OF THE INSIDIOUS FLOWER BUG, ORIUS INSIDIOSUS (SAY) (HEMIPTERA: ANTHOCORIDAE)

1995 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.M. Schmidt ◽  
P.C. Richards ◽  
H. Nadel ◽  
G. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Frankliniella Occidentalis ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
The United States ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Orius Insidiosus ◽  
Predatory Bugs ◽  
Commercial Sources ◽  
Insidious Flower Bug

The western flower thrips [Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergrande)] (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a major pest of greenhouse crops (Broadbent et al. 1987; van der Veire and Degheele 1992; Chambers et al. 1993). Chemical control of F. occidentalis is difficult because of its cryptic behaviour and widespread resistance to insecticides (Immaraju et al. 1992). The insidious flower bug, Orius insidiosus (Say), is widely promoted as an effective biological control agent for this pest (Chambers et al. 1993; van der Veire and Degheele 1992; Castane and Zalom 1994) and its use has increased steadily since their introduction in the late 1980s. When our project was initiated in 1989, O. insidiosus was a little known and largely unavailable biological control agent. Now there are several domestic and international commercial sources of Orius spp. and these predatory bugs have become a focus of research in Canada, the United States, and Europe. At first it was difficult and costly to maintain cultures of only 100 or 200 individuals but now we can rear 50000 — 100000 Orius per week for less than $0.03 (Canadian) each.

scholarly journals Use of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) as a biological control agent for submerged aquatic macrophytes

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 765-773
Author(s):  
A.F. Silva ◽  
C. Cruz ◽  
R.L.C.M. Pitelli ◽  
R.A. Pitelli
Keyword(s):  
Grass Carp ◽  
Aquatic Macrophytes ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Predation Rate ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Ctenopharyngodon Idella ◽  
Ceratophyllum Demersum ◽  
Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon Idella ◽  
Submerged Aquatic Macrophytes

This study aimed to evaluate feed preference and control efficacy of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) on the aquatic macrophytes Ceratophyllum demersum, Egeria densa and Egeria najas. An experiment was carried out at mesocosms conditions with 2,000 liters capacity and water residence time of 2.8 days. C. demersum, E. densa e E. najas biomasses were offered individually with sixty g and coupled in similar quantities of 30 g of each species, evaluated during 81 days, envolving 6 treatments. (1 - C. demersum, 2 - E. najas, 3 -E. densa, 4 - C. demersum + E. najas, 5 - C. demersum + E. densa and 6 - E. najas + E. densa). When offered individually, E. najas and C. demersum presented the same predation rate by grass carp, which was higher than E. densa predation rate. When plants were tested in pairs, the order of feed preference was C. demersum > E. najas > E. densa. E. najas and C. demersum percentage control ranged from 73 to 83%. No relation between biomass consumption and grass carp body weight gain was observed, probably due to differences in nutritional quality among macrophyte species according to fish necessities. Therefore, it is concluded that the use of grass carp is one excellent technique to control submersed macrophytes in Brazil.

Development and Fecundity of Orius minutus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and O. laevigatus Reared on Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 1735-1740
Author(s):  
Md Arefur Rahman ◽  
Souvic Sarker ◽  
Eunhye Ham ◽  
Jun-Seok Lee ◽  
Un Taek Lim
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Tetranychus Urticae ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Predation Rate ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Hatch Rate ◽  
Polyphagous Predator ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Table Analysis ◽  
Tetranychus Urticae Koch

Abstract The polyphagous predator Orius species is a dominant predator of thrips, mites, and aphids. Orius laevigatus (Fieber) is a well-known commercialized and effective biological control agent, whereas Orius minutus (L.) distributed widely over the world has not been commercialized. To assess potentials of developing O. minutus as a commercial biological control agent, we compared the biological parameters of O. minutus with O. laevigatus when reared on mixed stages of Tetranychus urticae Koch at 27.5°C. Nymphal development of O. laevigatus was shorter (11.30 d) than that of O. minutus (12.25 d), but there was no significant difference in survivorship between the two species. Also, no significant difference was found in either the preoviposition or oviposition periods, lifetime fecundity, or longevity between the two species. However, O. minutus eggs had a higher hatch rate (0.77) than O. laevigatus (0.71). In life table analysis, no difference was found in any parameters, i.e., R0, rm, λ, T, and DT, between O. laevigatus and O. minutus in two-tailed t-tests. In a predation bioassay, O. minutus consumed 1.39 times more adult T. urticae in 24 h than did O. laevigatus, although the predation rate on T. urticae eggs was similar between the two species. These results suggest that O. minutus native to Korea could be developed as a biological control agent against T. urticae.

scholarly journals Small-scale dispersal of a biological control agent – Implications for more effective releases

2019 ◽  
Vol 132 ◽  
pp. 89-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley B.C. Goode ◽  
Carey R. Minteer ◽  
Philip W. Tipping ◽  
Brittany K. Knowles ◽  
Ryann J. Valmonte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Small Scale

Assessment of prey-mediated effects of the coleopteran-specific toxin Cry3Bb1 on the generalist predator Atheta coriaria (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

2011 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. García ◽  
F. Ortego ◽  
P. Castañera ◽  
G.P. Farinós
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Generalist Predator ◽  
Trophic Chain ◽  
Reproductive Parameters ◽  
Potential Prey ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Bt Maize ◽  
Mediated Effects ◽  
Atheta Coriaria

AbstractA laboratory study was carried out to assess the potential prey-mediated effects of Cry3Bb1-expressing Bt maize on the fitness and predatory ability of Atheta coriaria Kraatz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), using Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) as prey. The concentration of Cry3Bb1 toxin through the trophic chain significantly decreased from Bt maize (21.7 μg g−1 FW) to mites (5.6 μg g−1 FW) and then to A. coriaria adults (1.4 μg g−1 FW), but not from mites to A. coriaria L1–L3 larvae (4.1–4.6 μg g−1 FW). Interestingly, the toxin levels detected in A. coriaria larvae represent more than 20% of the concentration found in Bt maize, and the toxin was detected up to 48 h after exposure. To our knowledge, this is the highest level of exposure ever reported in a predatory beetle to the Cry3Bb1 protein. When A. coriaria larvae were reared on Bt-fed mites, Bt-free mites or rearing food, no significant differences among treatments were observed in development, morphological measurements of sclerotized structures and body weight. Moreover, no negative effects on reproductive parameters were reported in adults feeding on Bt-fed prey after 30 days of treatment, and survival was not affected after 60 days of exposure. Similarly, predatory ability and prey consumption of A. coriaria larvae and adults were not affected by exposure to the toxin. All together, these results indicate a lack of adverse effects on A. coriaria, a species commonly used as a biological control agent. The use of A. coriaria as a surrogate species for risk assessment of GM crops that express insecticidal proteins is discussed.

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