Shima Yazdanpanah, Yaghoub Fathipour
The generalist predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is a commercially available natural enemy widely used for the biological control of phytophagous pests. Because mass rearing of phytoseiid predatory mites can be facilitated by alternative food sources such as pollen, this study evaluated the suitability of plant pollen as a non-prey diet for the long-term rearing of A. swirskii. The effects of rearing on a mixed pollen diet consisting of bird-of-paradise (Erythrostemon gilliesii), maize (Zea mays), almond (Prunus amygdalus), saffron (Crocus sativus), and cattail (Typha latifolia) pollen were assessed on key biological parameters of A. swirskii over 50 generations (G1–G50). All experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions at 25 ± 1 °C, 65 ± 5% relative humidity, and a 16:8 h (L:D) photoperiod The results showed that the mixed pollen diet effectively sustained predator performance across generations, with key life-history traits remaining stable from the first to the 50th generation. These traits included developmental time (5.19 days in G1, and 6.92 days in G50), fecundity (42.04 and 38.61 eggs/ female in G1 and G50, respectively), intrinsic rate of increase (0.188 and 0.159 day-1 in G1 and G50, respectively), and net reproductive rate (20.45 and 21.73 eggs/individual in G1 and G50, respectively) remaining stable from the first to the 50th generation. These findings indicate that the mixed pollen diet represents a promising and sustainable option for the long-term mass rearing of A. swirskii.