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Acarofauna on Prunus laurocerasus: more than just a tree in the garden

Dominiek, Vangansbeke ; Robbe, Maertens ; Jonas, Merckx ; Heidi, Debie ; Elana, De Roo ; Sjouke, Van Gorp and Felix, Wäckers


2026 - Volume: 66 Issue: Suppl pages: 66

https://doi.org/10.24349/msv8-b8at

ICA 2026 - XVII International Congress of Acarology, 20-24 July 2026, Montpellier

Keywords

Cherry laurel Exotic species Extrafloral nectar Phytoseiidae Biocontrol

Abstract

Cherry laurel, Prunus laurocerasus L., is a plant native to Eastern Europe and has been introduced in temperate regions as an ornamental plant. This shrub is an interesting plant to follow, since it is evergreen and produces extrafloral nectar year-round. During the past 5 years, we quantified the acarofauna from a P. laurocerasus tree from an urban garden in Belgium. Every month, leaf material was collected from the same tree. Besides quantifying the different arthropod species, other measures such as the level of debris and number of extrafloral nectaries were also followed up in time. Several species of mites collected from P. laurocerasus, such as Amblyseius herbicolus and Czenspinskia transversostriata, were tested for their use in biocontrol strategies. For A. herbicolus, its predatory potential was compared with Amblyseius swirskii. The potential of C. transversostriata in biocontrol was tested as a supplemental food for predatory mites. Secondly, we assessed if this leaf-dwelling astigmatid can feed and suppress mildew on cucumber plants. Moreover, we tested the value of the extrafloral nectar for the predatory mite species A. herbicolus and Euseius gallicus. The results highlight the potential use of several mites species in biocontrol. Amblyseius herbicolus fed on a range of important pest species, included thrips and spider mites, whereas C. transversostriata was able to feed and suppress mildew on cucumber. The findings of this study underscore the significance of examining an individual tree and the fauna thriving thereon.

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Article editorial history
Date published:
2026-07-20

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
2026 Dominiek, Vangansbeke; Robbe, Maertens; Jonas, Merckx; Heidi, Debie; Elana, De Roo; Sjouke, Van Gorp and Felix, Wäckers
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