Page 9 - AWA Vol. 42-No.4 issue

CroP ProtECtioN

Feedamite®: alternative food source for establishing

and sustaining predatory mites

alongside products including Swir-
skii-System, Californicus-System, Cu-
cumeris-System, Andersoni-System
and Montdorensis-System. Together
these solutions help optimise IPM pro-
grammes in vegetable, soft fruit and or-
namental crops.
Why use Carpoglyphus lactis as
food for predatory mites?
“For 20 years, Carpoglyphus lactis has
been bred as a factitious food source
in the mass production of predatory
mites,” says Dominiek. “To ensure prod-
uct purity, the Carpoglyphus used in
Feedamite® is produced in a separate
rearing system, within a dedicated mite
production facility.”

“Importantly, due to the structure of
its mouthparts, this feeder mite cannot
feed on plant material and therefore
poses no risk of crop damage. However,
Boosting predatory mite establishment How can you build predatory mite
and improving biocontrol performance, populations before pest pressure sta it is an ideal food source, as predatory
mites feed on all five Carpoglyphus life
Biobest has expanded its range of alter- rts?
stages, from egg to adult. Under opti-
native food sources with Feedamite®. As “Supporting preventative IPM strate- mal conditions, each female feeder mite
a non-pollen alternative to Nutrimite™, gies, Feedamite® promotes early estab- can lay more than 100 eggs, providing a
it is particularly suitable for crops using lishment of predatory mite populations continuous supply of food for predatory
overhead irrigation. before pest pressure builds up, help- mites".

Based on the feeder mite Carpogly- ing to create ‘standing armies’ of pred- How and when should feeding sup-
phus lactis, this supplementary feed ators,” says Dominiek Vangansbeke, plements be applied?
accelerates the development of preda- Teamleader predatory mites at Biobest.
tory mites and helps sustain populations “This allows growers to build predator For best results, Feedamite® should be
populations early and maintain effective applied at the same time as, or shortly
when prey or pollen are scarce. This after, predatory mites are released in
supports consistent biological control biological control as the crop develops.” the crop. Weekly applications are rec-
when crops need it most. Feedamite® is recommended for use
ommended to maintain a steady food
supply, supporting stable predator pop-
ulations throughout the crop cycle.
Feedamite® can be applied manually
or mechanically using the Entomatic™
family of applicators. This includes the
efficient, portable handheld dispenser
Entomatic™ HD, engineered for speed
and accuracy. These flexible dispensers
enable growers to easily integrate sup-
plementary feeding into their biological
control programmes.
Learn more about Feedamite® on the
product page, or contact your Biobest
advisor to strengthen your IPM pro-
gramme and access detailed trial re-
sults. Circle 8 on enquiry card
Vol. 42 No. 4 7