Amblyseius degenerans is a dark brown predator mite that is slightly bigger than the related Amblyseius cucumeris. Thanks to the dark colour this mite is more conspicuous when walking on a leaf or in the flower. Moreover, Amblyseius degenerans is more mobile.

The life cycle of this predatory mite is nearly identical to the related Amblyseius cucumeris. The eggs of both mites are visibly not discernible and are both deposited on the underside of the leaf close to the main vein. In the short larval stage the mite hardly moves and does not eat. During the two subsequent nymphal stages and during the adult stage the predatory mite is continuously moving to look for prey.

However, Amblyseius degenerans has another life style than Amblyseius cucumeris. It stays more on the flower, where it can easily build up a population on pollen only. The predatory mite prefers thrips larvae. Thanks to its regular presence in the flower, it controls thrips more efficiently in the flower than Amblyseius cucumeris.

The eggs of Amblyseius degenerans endure low humidities better. Therefore, a population can easily develop in greenhouses at cold winter weather or hot summer weather. Moreover, this mite is non diapausing, and can therefore be introduced in winter time without any problems.

A drawback of Amblyseius degenerans is the fact that it cannot be bred on bran mites and that it is therefore not available in big quantities at a great valued price like Amblyseius cucumeris is. Therefore, it is important to introduce this mite early in the cropping season to allow a population build-up.

In sweet pepper Amblyseius degenerans is introduced preventatively as soon as there is enough flowering. In winter the population develops perfectly in heated greenhouses. In sweet pepper the predatory mite will spread all over the crop. After a few months numerous Amblyseius degenerans can be found in every flower and many more will be walking on the leaves. If both Amblyseius species occur, Amblyseius degenerans will displace the population of Amblyseius cucumeris within a few months.

The competitive advantage of this predatory mite can probably be explained by its higher mobility and the better thrips control in the flower. Moreover, thanks to a better drought resistance, Amblyseius degenerans keeps on controlling thrips very well in summer.

Although Amblyseius degenerans is more sensitive to pirimicarb (Pirimor ...), the use of this pesticide remains possible on a smaller scale. The mite population will drop, but will soon recover. Besides sweet pepper, the predatory mite Amblyseius degenerans also has interesting applications in eggplants.

Biobest offers Amblyseius degenerans in tubes of 200 units on a vermiculite carrier. In sweet pepper Biobest advises an introduction of 2000 Amblyseius degenerans per ha, with at least 20 pieces per introduction point. Amblyseius degenerans should be introduced as soon as it arrives. If short storage is necessary, a temperature of 8-10°C (46.5-50°F) is recommended.

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