Functional response of different life stages of predatory mite Blattisocius mali preying on acarid mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae

The ability of immature predators to consume prey is crucial in determining their potential to reach adulthood and their subsequent predatory and reproductive capabilities. This study aimed to determine the functional responses of different life stages of soil-dwelling predatory mite Blattisocius mali Oudemans (Acari: Mesostigmata) on the mould mite, Tyrophagus putrescentiae Schrank (Acari: Acaridae). The larvae of B. mali were exposed to a prey density of 25 eggs. Whereas the protonymphs, deutonymphs, female, and male adults were exposed to varying prey densities ranging from 10 to 160 eggs. The B. mali larvae did not consume the prey (i.e., eggs). The mean number of eggs eaten by B. mali female adults was similar to deutonymphs at a prey density of 160 eggs and protonymphs at a density of 120 eggs. The protonymphs, deutonymphs, female, and male adults exhibited a Type III functional response. Among different life stages, the adult male had longer handling time, i.e., 0.018935 days indicating lower efficiency than the other life stages. Nevertheless, both nymphs and adults showed promise as effective biological control agents of T. putrescentiae.