Efficacy of some acaricides on 'Tetranychus urticae' (Acari: Prostigmata) and their side-effects on selected natural enemies occurring in citrus orchards

Abstract

Three groups of natural enemies are fundamental in citrus Integrated Pest Management strategies in the Mediterranean. These are the coccinellids, the hymenopterans and the phytoseiids. The spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, is an important pest of citrus whose biological control has not yet been fully achieved. Therefore, acaricides are usually applied against this pest when problems appear. In this study, the efficacy of six different acaricides on this mite and their side-effects on three selected natural enemies (the coccinellid Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, the phytoseiid Neoseiulus californicus and the braconid Aphidius colemani) have been measured. Our results indicate that highly effective products harmless to A. colemani exist (mineral oil, tebufenpyrad, clofentezin and fenazaquin). However, almost all tested products resulted slightly harmful for both C. montrouzieri and N. californicus, and fenazaquin was even moderately harmful for this phytoseiid.