The impact of temperature on predation rate of Amblyseius swirskii fed on Tetranychus urticae

In recent years, the utilization of biocontrol agents for agriculture pests has received more attention, which has led to a growth in companies producing biocontrol agents, including predators and parasites. One of the phenomena that should be taken into consideration in the evaluation of the efficiency and selection of natural enemies is the predation rate and the effects of temperature on this characteristic of predators. As part of predatory communities in the greenhouse, Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot is currently used worldwide as a biological control agent against small insects and various mites, particularly to suppress the population of the two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychus urticae Koch is used. To improve the mass rearing of this species and optimize its use in integrated pest management, in this research, the predation capacity of this mite was investigated in the control of the two-spotted spider mite at three constant temperatures 17, 22, and 27(±1)°C, 70-80% RH and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L: D) h in the laboratory. In this study, adult mites were used and each adult mite was fed with a certain number of adult mites. The transformation rate from prey population to predator offspring (Qp) on TSSM at temperatures of 17, 22, and 27 were calculated as 7.71, 10.12, and 8.47 respectively, which indicates the upper limit of controlling this pest at 22°C. According to the results of the present research, these species can have effective control of the two-spotted spider mite in a wide temperature range, and this can be considered in their release in the greenhouse.