TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - From twig to potential product: Thyreophagus berxi as factitious food source for mass production of predatory mites
VL  - 66
IS  - Suppl
SP  - 187
EP  - 187
PY  - 2026
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - Jonas, Merckx
AU  - Robbe, Maertens
AU  - Heidi, Debie
AU  - Elana, De Roo
AU  - Sjouke, Van Gorp
AU  - Marcus V.A., Duarte
AU  - Juliette, Pijnakker
AU  - Marie-Stéphane, Tixier
AU  - Rob, Moerkens
AU  - Felix, Wäckers
AU  - Pavel, Klimov
AU  - Dominiek, Vangansbeke
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/0lzs-f7yu
DO  - 10.24349/0lzs-f7yu
DA  - 2026-07-20
ET  - 2026-07-20
KW  - Astigmatic mites
KW  - Biological control
KW  - Factitious prey
KW  - Mass rearing
KW  - New species
AB  - Phytoseiid predatory mites are used as biological control agents in greenhouses worldwide. Their commercial production heavily relies on factitious prey mites as a cost-effective food source to sustain mass rearing. In this case study, we describe the full translational pathway from the discovery of a previously unknown astigmatid mite species to its evaluation as a potential factitious prey for industrial-scale production of phytoseiid predators. The recently discovered acarid mite Thyreophagus berxi was discovered under the bark of fallen branches from an urban garden. A colony of T. berxi was collected and a laboratory colony was maintained to asses several parameters which are essential in the evaluation of potential prey mites for mass production of predatory mites. T. berxi was assessed for its suitability as prey for several predatory phytoseiid mites used or under evaluation for biological control: type II (McMurtry et al. 2013), Neoseiulus californicus, two type III (Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) recki and Amblyseius swirskii) and a type IV (Euseius degenerans) phytoseiid. Additionally we also tested T. berxi as a food source for the soil predator Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Acari: Laelapidae). Reproductive performance of each predator species was quantified when fed T. berxi and compared with performance on the conventionally used factitious prey mite Carpoglyphus lactis and either Typha angustifolia pollen or Tyrophagus putrescentiae for S. scimitus. Additionally, population growth rates of T. berxi and C. lactis were monitored in laboratory cultures over a three-week period to evaluate production growth speed. To investigate potential phytophagy and crop risk, a leaf-feeding experiment was conducted on young cucumber plants. Results show that T. berxi supported reproduction for the tested predatory mites, indicating comparable nutritional suitability to C. lactis. However, the intrinsic population growth rate of T. berxi was significantly lower than that of C. lactis, which increases labour and space requirements, thereby limiting its use for commercial mass production. Furthermore, the leaf-feeding experiment demonstrated that T. berxi is capable of feeding on cucumber tissue, raising concerns regarding potential crop damage. In conclusion, although T. berxi exhibited promising results as factitious prey, its slower population growth and phytophagous behaviour reduce its practical value for industrial rearing of phytoseiid predatory mites. Under the conditions tested, we see no clear advantage for using T. berxi over C. lactis for the production of phytoseiid predatory mites
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