Evaluating astigmatid mites as supplemental food for Macrolophus pygmaeus : contrasting responses between commercial and wild populations
María del Carmen Reche, Carolina Graválos, Amador Rodríguez‐Gómez, Virginia Balanza, Ana Belén Abelaira, Pablo Bielza · 2026
Read Evaluating astigmatid mites as supplemental food for Macrolophus pygmaeus : contrasting responses between commercial and wild populations by María del Carmen Reche, Carolina Graválos, Amador Rodríguez‐Gómez, Virginia Balanza, Ana Belén Abelaira, Pablo Bielza (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13453235.txt.
Description
María del Carmen Reche and five colleagues test cheap mite diets for a predatory bug used in crop protection. Macrolophus pygmaeus hunts pests, but growers must feed it before prey arrives. The standard feed, moth eggs, is pricey, and brine shrimp cysts vary in quality.
The team tried seven astigmatid mite species on both a commercial strain and a wild strain of the predator. They tracked survival, growth, weight, lifespan, and egg output. Moth eggs still won, but two mites, Acarus siro and Carpoglyphus lactis, supported fair growth and breeding. Wild predators coped better with poor diets. The authors see room to tune feeds and breed strains that thrive on them.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | María del Carmen Reche, Carolina Graválos, Amador Rodríguez‐Gómez, Virginia Balanza, Ana Belén Abelaira, Pablo Bielza |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 37 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |