Abstract
The poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer), is the most important ectoparasitic pest of layer hens worldwide and difficult to control through 'conventional' synthetic acaricides. The present study aimed to identify a suitable predator of D. gallinae that could potentially form the basis of biological control in commercial poultry systems. From four selected predatory mite species (Hypoaspis miles (Berlese), Hypoaspis aculeifer (Canestrini), Amblyseius degenerans (Berlese) and Phytoseiulus persimilis (Athias-Henriot)), Hypoaspis mites demonstrated the greatest potential as predators of D. gallinae. Experiments were also conducted to assess the effect of environmental (temperature and dust), physical (presence of harbourages) and biological (presence of alternative prey) factors on the predatory efficacy of H. miles. Predation of D. gallinae per se was observed under all conditions tested, though was found to be temperature-dependant and reduced by the presence of alternative prey.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 341-344 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Veterinary Parasitology |
| Volume | 187 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 8 Jun 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
The authors would like to thank Dr. Saeed Muhammad and Dr. Ali Mehmood (AFRD, Newcastle University) for valuable discussion, Mr. Chris Bulman (AFRD, Newcastle University) for assistance in the collection of D. gallinae and Prof. Feix Wäckers (BioBest) for provision of predators used the study and advice on their initial selection and requirements. This work formed part of a post-graduate scholarship supported by the Libyan Government.
Keywords
- Biological control
- Dermanyssus gallinae
- Hypoaspis miles
- Poultry
- Predator
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Parasitology
- General Veterinary