engleski

Effect Of Natural Insecticides And Acaricides On Predatory Mite Neoseiulus Cucumeris (Oudemans, 1930)

The predatory mite Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans, 1930) of the family Phytoseiidae is considered one of the most important natural enemies for biological control of greenhouse pests. Their efficiency is sufficient to keep pests below critical numbers but not to control them completely, often requiring additional insecticide treatment. Natural insecticides and natural products belong to the group of safe protective agents, but their use in combination with predatory mites should also be investigated. The aim of this research was to investigate possible negative effects of natural insecticides on predatory mites. Petri dishes were treated with three different active ingredients (pyrethrin, abamectin and spirodiclofen as a standard acaricide) in five replicates, each containing five individuals of predatory mites. Acute insecticidal activity was tested 24 hours after treatment and residual activity on the seventh day after treatment. No active ingredient had an acute effect on the mite. Pyrethrin showed the highest efficacy on the last day of the test and was classified as a moderately harmful insecticide. Abamectin and spirodiclofen showed the lowest efficacy and were classified as harmless. With the present results, the natural insecticide abamectin and the standard acaricide spirodiclofen were found to be the safest for use and could be recommended when the predatory mite N. cucumeris needs to be combined with insecticide treatments.

natural enemies ; predatory mites ; natural insecticides ; biological control

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