Spider mite and thrips are major infestations in the cultivation of cymbidium. Due to the changeable and sometimes dry climate, Phytoseiulus is often inadequate as a natural enemy of spider mite. It has long been known that the spider-mite predator Amblyseius californicus works very effectively in cymbidium. After all, this is a predatory mite that also works well at lower levels of atmospheric humidity, and is in fact capable of keeping spider mite under control all year round.
Thrips is in fact the key infestation during flowering. This may be in a number of different months of the year, depending on the flowering period of the variety. The tolerance of thrips is very low during this period as even low densities of thrips can cause damage to the flower. At the same time, there is a development towards the application of honeybees for the collection of nectar from the extrafloral nectar glands of the flower. This prevents the problem of sticky flower stems. The use of the honeybees limits the possibilities of chemical measures, and forms an incentive to combat thrips as organically as possible. A. swirskii provides the opportunity for this.
This predatory mite has been dispersed within a number of practising enterprises (often mixed with A. californicus), and the effects on thrips were encouraging. The first applications of predatory mites using blowing equipment have now also taken place. The fairly dense crop makes this a successful working method, since barely any predatory mites are lost.