Edaphic Gamasina populations in the soil litter of a vineyard located in the region of the Lake of Geneva in Vaud, Western Switzerland, were investigated over a period of three consecutive years (1998 2000). The effect of four different techniques of soil management was tested. In total, 40 species of Gamasina were identified, 11 of which were new to the Swiss fauna. Their average abundance varied from 718 to 970 individuals/m2, and was not affected by the different soil cultivation methods. The different methods did have an influence on the composition of Gamasina communities, which proved to be more rich and diverse in the rows that were lightly tilled every alternate year. Chemically weeded rows were found to be the least avourable for diversity of Gamasina. At the species level, Hypoaspis aculeifer benefited from light tilling of the soil whereas Asca bicornis developed best in the permanent grass cover variant. With the exception of Neoseiulus alpinus, very few Phytoseiidae were observed in vineyard soil litter. The presence of several Pergamasinae species, together with Veigaia planicola, is rather characteristic of a stable agrarian system.