Ranges of trapping devices were investigated for their ability to sample predatory mites and insects on branches of apple trees. Straw traps caught significantly more predatory mites whereas corrugated cardboard traps proved better for larger predators such as the common earwig, Forficula auricularia. The most abundant predatory species sampled on the trees was the 'whirli-gig' mite Anystis baccarum. The efficiency of the various trapping devices and the potential of incorporating A. baccarum within environmentally based management strategies for invertebrate pest control within the Bramley apple orchards are discussed.