Abstract
The nutritional effects of pollen from cassava, oil palm, castor bean, Leucaena leucocephala and a phloem exudate from cassava were tested in the laboratory for their effect on survivorship and oviposition of Amblyseius idaeus (Denmark & Muma). Survival and longevity of even-aged females were enhanced on the aforementioned non-prey diets when compared with the control of no food. Castor bean pollen provided sufficient nutrition to induce an irregular and low ovipositional rate of A. idaeus over a five week interval. Oviposition ceased after 48 h in the presence of the other non-prey foods or free-water only. These studies suggest that A. idaeus is capable of switching or supplementing its diet with non-prey foods during periods when spider mite populations are low.
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Tanigoshi, L.K., Mégevand, B. & Yaninek, J.S. Non-prey food for subsistence of Amblyseius idaeus (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on cassava in Africa. Exp Appl Acarol 17, 91–96 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00156946
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00156946