Practical experiences
The introduction of the predatory mites takes place from 2 to 3 weeks positive experience has now been gained in Spain with the dissemination of A. swirskii as a primary method of combating thrips in these crops. following planting, as soon as whitefly and/or thrips are spotted on the sticky traps or in the crop. At this stage, the first leaves come into contact with each other and the predatory mites can move from plant to plant.
In order to sufficiently combat whitefly, a number of introductions of parasitic wasps are also required, with the exact species and dosage being dependent on the nature and severity of the whitefly damage.
In the conditions in Spain, spider mite is generally not a major problem as large numbers of A. californicus often develop spontaneously if insecticides with widespread effectiveness are not used. The supplementary introduction of A. cucumeris or P. persimilis helps to tackle more severe spider mite damage.