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3 June 2021 Erythritol, an Artificial Sweetener, Is Acaricidal Against Pest Mites and Minimally Harmful to a Predatory Mite
Rebecca A. Schmidt-Jeffris, Elizabeth H. Beers, Peter Smytheman, Linda Rehfield-Ray
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Abstract

Erythritol, an artificial sweetener, has shown promise as an organic, human-safe insecticide. Recently, erythritol applications were shown to be successful at controlling pear psylla (Cacopsylla pyricola (Förster)) (Hempitera: Psyllidae), the most important pest of pear in the Pacific Northwest, USA.Twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) (Trombidiformes:Tetranychidae) and pear rust mite (Epitrimerus pyri (Nalepa)) (Trombidiformes: Eriophyidae) can also be highly damaging pear pests.Their common natural enemy, Galendromus occidentalis (Nesbitt) (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae), can provide biological control if selective pesticides are used for managing other pests.Through a series of bioassays, we sought to determine whether erythritol could also be used for controlling either species of pest mite. We also examined whether erythritol had acute or sublethal impacts on G. occidentalis, through a variety of exposure methods. Effects examined included mortality, fecundity, prey consumption, and locomotion. We determined that a high concentration of erythritol (30%) had efficacy against both pest mite species and caused arresting behavior in twospotted spider mite. Erythritol caused little acute mortality in G. occidentalis, but did reduce fecundity and prey consumption through some exposure methods. Through motion-capture software, we determined that this is primarily due to reduced movement, likely caused by difficulty walking on residues and excessive grooming behavior. Because the predatory mite non-target effects were less acute than those for the two pest mites, we concluded that erythritol could likely be integrated into pear IPM with little or no disruption of mite biological control.

Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2021. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.
Rebecca A. Schmidt-Jeffris, Elizabeth H. Beers, Peter Smytheman, and Linda Rehfield-Ray "Erythritol, an Artificial Sweetener, Is Acaricidal Against Pest Mites and Minimally Harmful to a Predatory Mite," Journal of Economic Entomology 114(4), 1701-1708, (3 June 2021). https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toab101
Received: 9 February 2021; Accepted: 27 April 2021; Published: 3 June 2021
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KEYWORDS
erythritol
pear
pear rust mite
twospotted spider mite
western predatory mite
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