Overview:
- What is Amblyseius swirskii (the ‘Swirski mite’)?
- How does it work?
- How to use Amblyseius swirskii
- Benefits of using Amblyseius swirskii
- Amblyseius swirskii to control whitefly, thrips and mites
What is Amblyseius swirskii (the ‘Swirski mite’)?
Amblyseius swirskii, sometimes called the ‘Swirski mite’, is a beneficial predatory mite that can control crop pests. It is ideal for controlling tobacco and greenhouse whiteflies as it will feed on their eggs and larvae. It is also used to control other major greenhouse pests, such as thrips and mites.
Amblyseius swirskii is a tan-coloured mite found on the underside of leaves along the veins or inside mature flowers. Both nymphs and adults of this predatory mite can feed on pests and these two stages last approximately 30 days.
It originates from the Mediterranean region (Italy, Cyprus, Turkey, Greece and Egypt), where it can be naturally found on various crops, including citrus and vegetables. Amblyseius swirskii products are now available on the market in various parts of the world, including the United States, Peru, Morocco or Spain.
It is a generalist predator, meaning that it feeds on various types of food. It eats arthropods but also pollen and other plant substances. Therefore, it can survive even when the pest is absent, making it a robust predator.
How does it work?
Amblyseius swirskii mites are very mobile and actively hunt for prey on the underside of leaves. They have a good appetite and one Amblyseius swirskii mite can eat from 5 to 10 preys per day, making them an effective biocontrol agent.
Moreover, as Amblyseius swirskii is a generalist, it is not a picky eater and hunts several types of small insects and mites. This is helpful if several pests are attacking a crop.
The Amblyseius swirskii mite prefers eating its prey when it is young, before it becomes an adult. For instance, it mainly predates young larvae of thrips. Likewise, it prefers young eggs and young larvae of whiteflies.
How to use Amblyseius swirskii
Ideally, Amblyseius swirskii should be applied preventatively, early in the crop cycle and before pests are present. You can apply them after you detected the presence of the pest (‘curative’ method), but it can reduce the product effectiveness.
There are two main ways of applying Amblyseius swirskii mites in the field or greenhouse:
- Bottles: You can simply manually sprinkle the predators from a bottle onto the crop leaves. For larger areas, you can use an air blower that distributes individuals evenly and effectively.
- Sachets: You can also hang sachets on your plants. These sachets contain predatory mites and have holes from which the mites can get out. Some sachets even contain a breeding system that allow Amblyseius swirskii to mate inside. This way the number of predators increases even after the application of sachets.
To boost the growth of Amblyseius swirskii, you can also provide additional food sources such as Nutrimite®. This is ideal when prey is scarce.
If you are using several predators, make sure that they are compatible, as Amblyseius swirskii can feed on a wide range of prey. For example, it can feed on another predator of aphids, the gall midge (Aphidoletes aphidimyza).
Read our How to use biocontrol and biopesticide products guide for more information.
Benefits of using Amblyseius swirskii
Resilient and robust predator
One of the best advantages of Amblyseius swirskii is that it feeds on alternative food sources like pollen. This means that even when all pests are gone, it won’t starve. It can also establish before a pest arrives and is ready in case of a pest attack. This makes Amblyseius swirksii a great preventative measure.
It is active up to 40°C. However, it becomes inactive below 18°C, so make sure the temperatures are optimal when releasing this predator.
Voracious predator with a wide range of preys
As mentioned previously, this predatory mite feeds on multiple pests, with a preference for:
- Greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum)
- tobacco whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) and
- thrips, including western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) and chilli thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis).
It can also feed on various spider mites and tarsonemid mites.
Rapid development
The first life stages of Amblyseius swirskii, namely eggs and larvae, do not feed on pests, and are short-lived. It generally takes 5 days from egg to adult. Female adults can lay between 1 to 2 eggs a day in optimal conditions, meaning that the predator population can grow rapidly.
This rapid development means that this predatory mite population can grow and establish quickly. Amblyseius swirskii can adapt to different weather conditions and keep up with pest generations, making it an effective and affordable option for farmers.
For more information, read our ‘5 advantages of biocontrol compared to chemical pest control’ guide.
Amblyseius swirskii to control whiteflies, thrips and mites
Amblyseius swirskii has been particularly used to manage whiteflies (Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Bemisia tabaci), thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), and mites (two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae)) in greenhouse vegetables. This includes crops like pepper, cucumber, and aubergine, and fruits.
An example of a successful application of this mite can be illustrated with a case study from Spain, where it has been used to control pests in honey melon. Similarly, it controlled pests effectively in Spanish aubergine production and allowed growers to sell their products at a higher price with no chemical residues.
To see the predator in action, watch this video of biological control of whitefly with Amblyseius swirskii from Koppert.
To find biological plant protection products, like Amblyseius swirskii and many more, use the CABI BioProtection Portal search tool.
