Journal of Insect Biodiversity

Synergistic action of Pyemotes zhonghuajia and Beauveria bassiana against Aromia bungii

2025-12-31T13:51:51+13:00

The red-necked longhorn beetle Aromia bungii is a destructive wood-borer difficult to control with insecticides. We evaluated a combined biocontrol strategy using the ectoparasitic mite Pyemotes zhonghuajia and the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. Fungal virulence was dose- and stage-dependent, causing up to 100% mortality at 10⁸ conidia mL⁻¹ within 5–7 days. Mites alone induced limited mortality (~44% in young larvae, ≤7% in older ones), whereas conidia-carrying mites achieved complete kill within 7–8 days, comparable to direct fungal application. The combination significantly accelerated mortality (P < 0.05), reflecting synergistic interaction between mite venom and fungal infection. These findings highlight the potential of P. zhonghuajia as both a parasitoid and a vector for B. bassiana, offering an innovative and eco-friendly approach to manage A. bungii and related xylophagous pests.

Testing biocontrol potential of an indigenous predator against an invasive pest in New Zealand: Buchananiella whitei (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and the tomato red spider mite Tetranychus evansi (Acari: Tetranychidae)

2025-12-31T13:49:17+13:00

The tomato red spider mite, Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard (Acari: Tetranychidae) is an invasive pest that causes severe damage to solanaceous crops and has proven difficult to control using conventional acaricides or predatory mites. The minute pirate bug, Buchananiella whitei Reuter (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), is a common but poorly studied anthocorid predator native to Australasia. This study investigated the development, survival, and reproduction (oviposition) of B. whitei when feeding on T. evansi under laboratory conditions, with Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs as a control diet. Results showed that B. whitei successfully completed development and achieved high survival (83%) on T. evansi, with developmental durations not significantly different from those developed on E. kuehniella eggs. Predation capacity increased with age of instar. We also documented for the first time that B. whitei exhibits a variable number of immature instars (five or six) during development, even under controlled environmental conditions. In our oviposition experiment, adult females fed on T. evansi produced a significantly higher number of eggs (4.2 ± 1.0 per male-female pair) in 7 days. These findings provide the first evidence that B. whitei can develop and reproduce on T. evansi, suggesting its potential as a biological control agent against this invasive mite. Further work should assess its performance under greenhouse and field conditions, and its integration with other natural enemies within pest management programmes.

**Development and reproductive biology of Buchananiella whitei (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) reared on different diets**

2025-12-23T18:11:41+13:00

Buchananiella whitei Reuter (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) is a native New Zealand predator that has recently been commercialised for the biological control of various arthropod pests. However, no detailed biological information has been reported for this species. This study describes its life history, development, and some oviposition when reared on three different diets—frozen moth eggs of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae); frozen mixed stages of Carpoglyphus lactis (Sarcoptiformes: Carpoglyphidae); and live mixed stages of C. lactis. All three diets supported complete development, but individuals fed live C. lactis or frozen moth eggs attained significantly larger adult body sizes than those reared on frozen C. lactis. Developmental duration, hatch rate, and survival did not differ significantly among diets. Between 15% and 23% of individuals developed through six (rather than the usual five) nymphal instars, representing the variable instar number within the Anthocoridae. Adult females were larger than males across all treatments. Oviposition occurred only when females were provided with live C. lactis, and increased markedly when relative humidity was reduced (from 80% ± 5% to 26% ± 4%), suggesting that environmental moisture strongly influences reproduction. These results support our hypotheses, demonstrating that live C. lactis is a suitable and cost-effective factitious prey for rearing B. whitei, and they provide the first detailed biological description of this species. The discovery of humidity-dependent oviposition and variable instar number highlights developmental plasticity within the Anthocoridae and offers insights for optimising mass-rearing systems and improving the use of B. whitei in New Zealand biological control programmes.

Lacewings (Mallada basalis) and minute pirate bugs (Buchananiella whitei) as potential biocontrol agents of western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) in strawberries: predation on different thrips stages in no-choice and choice tests

2025-12-31T13:51:01+13:00

The strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is a significant economic crop in New Zealand, but has recently suffered substantial damage from western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), resulting in significant financial losses. This study first assessed the predation ability of two commercially available predatory insects, the green lacewing, Mallada basalis (first-instar larvae) and Buchananiella whitei (adults), on western flower thrips nymphs and adults under no-choice conditions in a laboratory setting. Next, the preferences of the two predatory insects for different life stages of the thrips were tested in the same laboratory setting under choice conditions. In no-choice test, both predator species consumed the highest number of first instar thrips nymphs, second highest the second instar thrips nymphs, and the lowest the thrips adults. In choice test, both predator species ate significantly fewer thrips adults than immature life stages; further analysis of Manly index confirmed the lowest preference for thrips adults by both predator species. This study provides the first insight into the potential of these two predatory insect species for biocontrol against western flower thrips. The potential of these two predator species in controlling western flower thrips on strawberries should be further tested in greenhouses or field plots to better understand their roles in integrated pest control systems.

**Functional responses and diet-dependent fecundity of Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Acari: Laelapidae) preying on western flower thrips pupae (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)**

2025-12-23T18:12:58+13:00

Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, remains difficult to manage in crops because their non-feeding pupal stage is largely concealed in the soil, making it unreachable by foliar insecticides and canopy-dwelling natural enemies. The soil-dwelling laelapid mite Stratiolaelaps scimitus is widely used against edaphic pests, but its performance on thrips pupae relative to factitious prey, and the contribution of different life stages to thrips suppression, are still poorly quantified. We first compared no-choice predation and fecundity of adult females offered either thrips pupae or the dried fruit mite Carpoglyphus lactis (male adults), with a starvation treatment as control. S. scimitus females readily attacked both prey types and produced significantly more eggs when food was available than under starvation, but 48 h oviposition did not differ significantly between the two diets, indicating that thrips pupae and C. lactis provided comparable short-term nutritional support. Next, we quantified the functional responses of S. scimitus deutonymphs, adult males and adult females, to thrips pupae across six prey densities (1, 3, 5, 8, 12 or 15 pupae per arena) over 24 h. All tested stages of S. scimitus exhibited a Type II functional response. Adult females had the shortest handling time and highest asymptotic consumption (≈7.6 pupae per day), adult males were intermediate (≈5.8 pupae day⁻¹), and deutonymphs the lowest (≈3.9 pupae day⁻¹). These results confirm S. scimitus as an effective predator of thrips pupae, with mixed-stage populations contributing to pupal mortality, and support current mass-rearing practices on factitious prey for subsequent deployment against this pest in crops.

**Evaluating the biocontrol potential of lacewing larvae (Mallada basalis) against greenhouse thrips (Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis): predator functional responses to prey density at key life stages**

2025-12-23T18:14:43+13:00

Understanding predator-prey dynamics is crucial for assessing the biological control potential of generalist arthropod predators. The green lacewing (Mallada basalis) is a common natural predator in horticulture but has not yet been evaluated for its effects on greenhouse thrips (Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis) across different prey life stages. This study examined the functional responses of first and second instar M. basalis larvae to three life stages of thrips (second instar nymphs, pupae, and adults) under six initial prey densities (1, 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18 prey per cell) within a 24 h interval. The predation rate varied significantly (p < 0.05) overall with the instar of green lacewings and the life stage of thrips. Between the same prey densities, prey handling time of second instar lacewing larvae consistently exceeded (by c. 50%) that of first instar larvae. The quantity of prey that predators consumed appeared to vary with prey size, prey defence capabilities, and prey age. All functional responses were of type II but it shape varied at different prey developmental stages. Lacewing predation on pupal and adult thrips remained at low levels across varying densities, suggesting limited lacewing predation efficiency on these developmental stages. Our results indicate that lacewing larvae, particularly second instars, are effective predators of immature thrips and may contribute to biological control strategies targeting these early developmental stages. The stage-specific predation patterns we identified provide empirical insights for optimising the integration of lacewings into management programmes for greenhouse thrips.

Preface to “Beneficial insects and mites: their ecology and potential in pest control”

2025-12-30T20:56:46+13:00

Biological control is again at the centre of sustainable pest management. In many agricultural and horticultural systems, dependence on chemical pesticides is increasingly constrained by development of pesticide resistance, regulatory and market expectations, and the ecological costs of disrupting beneficial arthropod communities...

Beneficial insects and mites: their ecology and potential in pest control (Title page)

2025-12-31T15:00:23+13:00

Beneficial insects and mites: their ecology and potential in pest control (Table of contents)

2025-12-31T15:06:50+13:00