INTEGRATED CONTROL OF THE CARMINE SPIDER MITE ON PAPAYA

Abstract

The potential importance of the western predatory mite, Galendromus occidentalis Nesbitt in the management of the carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) was evaluated during a 1-year period on papaya trees at Kараа, Kauai, Hawaii. One summer spray of Vendex at 0.56 kg Al/ha allowed some western predatory mites to survive and it provided adequate control of the carmine spider mite. Also, Vendex was non-phytotoxic to fruit-bearing papaya trees. A combination of malathion and sulfur, which is the standard spray used for mite and insect control on papaya, was found toxic to the predators and its extended and frequent use appears to have caused some pests to develop resistance to this combination. Conversion from a standard program of mite control which uses malathion and sulfur sprays to an integrated control program, utilizing a predator, G. occidentalis and an acaricide, Vendex, appears promising.