EFFICIENCY OF THE PREDATORY MITE AGISTEMUS EXSERTUS GONZALEZ (ACARI: STIGMAEIDAE) AS BIOAGENT OF EPHESTIA CAUTELLA (WALKER) (LEPIDOPTERA : PYRALIDAE)

The efficiency of agistemus exsertus gonzalez was studied on ephestia cautella (walker) eggs as the food source in laboratory at two temperatures 25 °c and 30°c. although a predatory successfully completed its life cycle exclusively on this prey, the rate of predation, life cycle, and oviposition were varied under different temperatures, whereas the predation rate listed 48 egg/individual and 57.71 egg / individuals at 25 °c and 30 °c, respectively, while the life cycle period was durated 16.05 days and 11.93 days, respectively. at the same previous conditions, the oviposition rate was durated 2.28 egg/day and 3.11 egg/day, respectively. therefore, the predatory mite could play an important role in checking the population of lepidopteran pest.