PYEMOTES-TRITICI (ACARI, PYEMOTIDAE), A POTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL-CONTROL AGENT OF ANAGASTA-KUEHNIELLA (LEPIDOPTERA, PYRALIDAE)

The feasibility of utilizing Pyemotes tritici as a biological control agent against the Mediterranean flour moth, Anagasta kuehniella was in vestigated. The results from experiments designed to assess the effect of P. tritici on cohorts of A. kuehniella of different ages were not significant. They suggested that moth larvae were most severely affect ed if physogastric P. tritici females were introduced 10 days after mo th eggs were added to the experimental arena. In part II, the impact o f various densities of P. tritici on flour moths indicated that comple te destruction of cohorts of 400 A. kuehniella larvae was achieved by adding about 80 female P. tritici 10 days after the eggs were laid or 6 days after the larvae hatched. Half the above density of pyemotid mi tes gave inconsistent, but at times complete control.