تعیین برخی از ویژگی های زیستی کنه شکارگر Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiidae) با تغذیه از کنه Carpoglyphus lactis (Acari: Acaridae) پرورش یافته روی دو رژیم غذایی متفاوت

For rearing predatory mites of the Phytoseiidae, which are commercially utilized for biological pest control, especially in greenhouses, both natural prey and storage mites from the Astigmata group (Sarcoptiformes: Astigmata) can be used. Compared to natural prey, storage mites provide a more cost-effective diet for rearing phytoseiid mites, simplifying and enhancing the efficiency of the production process. This study aims to assess the quality of the astigmatid mite Carpoglyphus lactis L. reared on two different diets: wheat bran and baker's yeast (42 replications), and an optimized diet consisting of wheat bran, baker's yeast, and starch (37 replications). The astigmatid mites reared on these diets were provided in quantities of 20-30 mites for immature stages and 30-40 mites for adult Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot predatory mites under laboratory conditions (a temperature: 25 ± 1°C, relative humidity: 65 ± 5%, and a photoperiod of 16 hours light and 8 hours dark (16 L:8D h)). Results indicated that optimizing the storage mite diet significantly increased the total fecundity of the predatory mites, raising it from 29.27 to 33.95 eggs per female. Although there was no significant difference in the duration of the immature stage between the two treatments, the total lifespan of A. swirskii on the wheat bran + baker's yeast diet (20.93 days) was significantly shorter than on the diet supplemented with starch (38.41 days). Overall, this study demonstrates that supplementing the basic diet of alternative prey (storage mites) considerably enhances the performance of predatory mites.