TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - Acarofauna on Prunus laurocerasus: more than just a tree in the garden
VL  - 66
IS  - Suppl
SP  - 66
EP  - 66
PY  - 2026
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - Dominiek, Vangansbeke
AU  - Robbe, Maertens
AU  - Jonas, Merckx
AU  - Heidi, Debie
AU  - Elana, De Roo
AU  - Sjouke, Van Gorp
AU  - Felix, Wäckers
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/msv8-b8at
DO  - 10.24349/msv8-b8at
DA  - 2026-07-20
ET  - 2026-07-20
KW  - Cherry laurel
KW  - Exotic species
KW  - Extrafloral nectar
KW  - Phytoseiidae
KW  - Biocontrol
AB  - 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.
ER -