Chapter 3
Biological Control of Pests by Mites in Iran
Hamidreza Hajiqanbar and Azadeh Farazmand
3.1 Introduction
Acari (ticks and mites) along with spiders are the largest and most successful groups
of arachnids (Arthropoda: Arachnida) occupying a wide spectrum of habitats,
similar to insects. Nowadays, Acari are considered as rivals of insects in global
diversity and abundance, however, owing to their tiny size, are less known and
studied. The importance of mites is not hidden for anybody. A few taxa (some
tetranychoids and eriophyoids) imposed economic damage to agricultural crops,
some are useful natural enemies against pest insects and mites, some others are
animal (including human) parasites and many of them are fungivorous, saprophages
and decomposers (Krantz and Walter 2009; Rahmani et al. 2012).
Biological control has made great advances in the last decades in the identification of natural enemies and development of commercial products, leading to the
major component of integrated pest management (Dogramaci et al. 2011). In
biological control point of view, predatory and parasitic mites can affect host
populations. Predatory mites are important agents in integrated management of
phytophagous mites and some insects for example thrips (Rahmani et al. 2009a;
Madadi et al. 2009), whiteflies, mealybugs and, also weeds (Gerson et al. 2003).
Predators are more effective than parasites particularly in classical biological control
programs however, role of parasites in natural control of their hosts is undeniable.
The use of mites for pests control was reviewed by Gerson et al. (2003), Gerson and
H. Hajiqanbar (*)
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
e-mail: hajiqanbar@modares.ac.ir
A. Farazmand
Department of Agricultural Zoology, Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural
Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran
e-mail: afarazmand@iripp.ir
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. Karimi, H. Madadi (eds.), Biological Control of Insect and Mite Pests in Iran,
Progress in Biological Control 18, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63990-7_3
89
Biological Control of Pests by Mites in Iran
Hamidreza Hajiqanbar and Azadeh Farazmand
3.1 Introduction
Acari (ticks and mites) along with spiders are the largest and most successful groups
of arachnids (Arthropoda: Arachnida) occupying a wide spectrum of habitats,
similar to insects. Nowadays, Acari are considered as rivals of insects in global
diversity and abundance, however, owing to their tiny size, are less known and
studied. The importance of mites is not hidden for anybody. A few taxa (some
tetranychoids and eriophyoids) imposed economic damage to agricultural crops,
some are useful natural enemies against pest insects and mites, some others are
animal (including human) parasites and many of them are fungivorous, saprophages
and decomposers (Krantz and Walter 2009; Rahmani et al. 2012).
Biological control has made great advances in the last decades in the identification of natural enemies and development of commercial products, leading to the
major component of integrated pest management (Dogramaci et al. 2011). In
biological control point of view, predatory and parasitic mites can affect host
populations. Predatory mites are important agents in integrated management of
phytophagous mites and some insects for example thrips (Rahmani et al. 2009a;
Madadi et al. 2009), whiteflies, mealybugs and, also weeds (Gerson et al. 2003).
Predators are more effective than parasites particularly in classical biological control
programs however, role of parasites in natural control of their hosts is undeniable.
The use of mites for pests control was reviewed by Gerson et al. (2003), Gerson and
H. Hajiqanbar (*)
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
e-mail: hajiqanbar@modares.ac.ir
A. Farazmand
Department of Agricultural Zoology, Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural
Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran
e-mail: afarazmand@iripp.ir
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. Karimi, H. Madadi (eds.), Biological Control of Insect and Mite Pests in Iran,
Progress in Biological Control 18, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63990-7_3
89