OBSERVATIONS ON THE CONTROL OF MITE INFESTATIONS IN STORED WHEAT BY CHEYLETUS SPP. (ACARINA, CHEYLETIDAE)

An account is given of the control of the grain mite Acarus siro L. (= Tyroglyphus farinae L.) by the predatory mite Cheyletus sp. in imported wheat stored in bags or in bulk. After 12–18 months of storage Cheyletus sp. had developed in 75% of the parcels of wheat and in 67% of these it became dominant over other mites. This usually occurred in late summer for bagged wheat. Control of A. siro by Cheyletus sp. compared favourably with that achieved by fumigation with methyl bromide and on occasion was superior. Both development and dominance of Cheyletus sp. were adversely affected by earlier fumigation but there was some evidence that spraying wheat with γ‐BHC favoured the development of this species and, in some circumstances, its dominance. Dominance by Cheyletus sp. in bulk grain often occurred in the winter months when the surface moisture content of the wheat was at its highest. The development of Cheyletus eruditus Schr. is described in a bulk grain store where dense populations of A. siro and Glycyphagus destructor Schr. were eliminated by the predator. The numbers of C. eruditus in wheat tended to increase faster when the surface layers were disturbed than when the grain was undisturbed. Nevertheless, dominance over the other mites tended to occur first in undisturbed grain.