Abstract
The chapter discusses the types of phytoseiid predators, usually credited with successful conservation biological control of spider mites in perennial systems, and the dynamical patterns that these predators and their prey follow. It is clear that spider mite populations in perennial crops can be successfully maintained below economic thresholds by phytoseiid predators. However, in many commercial perennial cropping systems, acaricides are still regularly applied to control pest mites. Controlling an insect, fungus, or disease often takes precedence over selective use of a pesticide to maintain predator populations. In some areas, the presence of pesticide-resistant pests necessitates the use of insecticides known to decimate predatory mite populations. Conservation biological control using phytoseiid predators is possible to implement if the predator is a generalist and can survive in the crop without spider mite prey by feeding on alternative food sources such as pollen or fungi. A similar outcome is noticed if the predator is oligophagous and persists in the crop by feeding on alternative mite prey when spider mites are driven to extinction. However, time lags between the inception of outbreaks and colonization by predators may frequently lead to biological control failures.
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