Plant Protect. Sci., 2001, 37(3):111-114 | DOI: 10.17221/8373-PPS

Bionomics of Acarus siro L. (Acarina: Acaridae) on oilseedsOriginal Paper

Radek Fejt, Eva Žďárková

Research Institute of Crop Production, Division of Plant Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic

The bionomics of Acarus siro was studied at 18 and 20°C and 70 and 80% R.H. on wheat germs, linseed, rapeseed and sunflowers to obtain data for optimisation of biological control of stored product mites on oilseeds. Wheat germs were used as a control substrate as they were considered optimal for development of A. siro. The development of eggs and larvae was longer than that of protonymphs and tritonymphs. Wheat germs appeared to be a better substrate for the development of mites than oilseeds. Generally, the life span of females as well as the oviposition period was shortest on wheat germs while longest on sunflower; also, at the higher temperature the female life span was shorter. The maximum number of eggs laid by a single female (356) was recorded on wheat germs at 20°C and 80% R.H. The development was significantly shorter at 20°C than at 18°C regardless of humidity. There were no significant differences between the effects of the tested oilseeds.

Keywords: Acarus siro; bionomics; oilseeds

Published: September 30, 2001  Show citation