Fundamentals of Applied Acarology Manjit Singh Dhooria Fundamentals of Applied Acarology Manjit Singh Dhooria Department of Entomology Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana, Punjab, India ISBN 978-981-10-1592-2 ISBN 978-981-10-1594-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1594-6 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016953350 © Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #22-06/08 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore My Wife: Rajinder Dhooria My Sons: 1. Ramanjot Dhooria: Reena, Sarah and Geet 2. Taranjot Dhooria: Saveena and Mannat Preface Acarology, the study of mites and ticks, is a subdiscipline of Zoology and is many times considered in the field of Entomology (the study of insects). Mites and ticks are distributed throughout the world and inhabit almost every ecosystem (both ter- restrial and aquatic). More than 55,000 species of mites and ticks are already described, and the number of undescribed species may reach about 20-fold as mite fauna in most of the world regions are still poorly explored. Mites and ticks directly affect humans as pests of different crops, fruit plants, vegetable crops and field crops; as parasites of human beings, veterinary animals, poultry and pets; as pests of stored grains and other products, mushrooms and cheese; and as parasites of honeybees. Mite infestations are responsible for economic losses worth billions of dollars in terms of reduced crop yields and lowered quality of produce. Some spe- cies of mites serve as vectors of various plant diseases. Ticks cause losses through blood feeding and by transmitting Lyme disease, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain fever, tularaemia and many other diseases among man and animals. House-dust mite aller- gies and tick bite allergies are also common in many parts of the world. Our knowledge of biology, ecology and the importance of mites has largely expanded. At the same time, the actual and potential economic importance of these creatures continues to grow worldwide, and their success in colonizing the new regions makes them an ongoing quarantine threat in many parts of the world. There is a great necessity of an up-to-date compilation of basic and applied knowledge on mites and their proper management that is otherwise found scattered in a variety of languages and literature throughout the world. The present book, Fundamentals of Applied Acarology, is written keeping in view nonavailability of any standard text dealing in different aspects of acarology at one place. Separate chapters in this book are devoted to the importance of acarol- ogy, historical account, acarine technology, morphology and anatomy of Acari; and feeding, development and reproduction providing knowledge on diapause and water balance. The book includes a recent classification of subclass Acari, and illustra- tions are provided for the identification of 107 important families of Acari. The role of mites in breaking down soil organic matter and affecting the quality of water bodies is discussed in detail. Molecular developments in relation to mites and ticks are also discussed. The role of mites and ticks in quarantines of plants and animals, forensic/criminal investigations and the importance of accidental acarophagy are also discussed in detail. Transmission of plant diseases by mite vectors is vii viii Preface thoroughly discussed. Safe usage of pesticides based on their mode of action (IRAC’s groups), development of acaricide resistance and measures to mitigate it are also discussed. Mite pests of fruit trees, vegetable plants, floricultural plants and field crops; mite problems in greenhouses/polyhouses; mite problems encountered under organic cultivation of plants and their management through minimum usage of pes- ticides are emphasized in different chapters. The role of different predaceous mites in controlling plant pests like thrips, aphids and scale insects is elaborately dis- cussed. Biological control of phytophagous mites is discussed in detail. Different animal parasitic mites and ticks are discussed from veterinary and medical point of view. At the end of each chapter, many important references for further reading and electronic references (ER) in the form of YouTube links and other weblinks are given to understand fully how these tiny creatures look like and behave, feed and reproduce, the nature of damage they cause to plants and animals and measures to mitigate them. At the end, a glossary of important taxonomic and integrated pest management terms is provided which makes understanding the contents in a more suitable way creating great lust for knowing more and more about these creatures. I am grateful to the late Dr G.P. ChannaBasavanna and Dr S.K. Gupta, both ­distinguished acarologists from India, who encouraged me and lent their moral ­support for writing such a book on applied aspects. I also sincerely acknowledge Dr Uri Gerson of Israel and Dr K. Ramaraju of India, eminent acarologists, for their useful suggestions. The knowledge contained in the book may prove very useful for ‘General and Applied Acarology’ course for graduate and postgraduate levels, teachers and researchers in entomology, pest control advisors, professional entomologists, pesti- cide industry managers, policy planners and others having interest in mites and ticks. Ludhiana, India M.S. Dhooria About the Book Acarology, the study of mites and ticks, is a subdiscipline of Zoology and is many times considered in the field of Entomology (the study of insects). Mites and ticks are distributed throughout the world and inhabit almost every ecosystem (both ter- restrial and aquatic) including grassland soils. More than 55,000 species of mites and ticks are already described, but the number of undescribed species may reach up to 20-fold as mite fauna in most of the world regions are still poorly explored. Mites and ticks directly affect humans as pests of different crops, fruit plants, veg- etable crops and field crops; as parasites of human beings, veterinary animals, poul- try and pets; as pests of stored grains and other products, mushrooms and cheese; and as parasites of honeybees. Mite infestations are responsible for economic losses worth billions of dollars in terms of reduced crop yields and lowered quality of produce. Many species of mites serve as vectors of various plant diseases; some species of ticks cause losses through blood feeding and by transmitting Lyme dis- ease, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain fever, tularaemia and many other diseases among man and animals. House-dust mite allergies and tick bite allergies are also common in many parts of the world. The present book, Fundamentals of Applied Acarology, is written keeping in view nonavailability of any standard text dealing in different aspects of acarology at one place. Separate chapters in this book are devoted to the importance of acarol- ogy; historical account; acarine technology; morphology and anatomy of Acari; and feeding, development and reproduction providing knowledge on diapause and water balance. Molecular developments in relation to mites and ticks are also discussed. The role of mites and ticks in quarantines of plants and animals, forensic/crimi- nal investigations, and the importance of accidental acarophagy are discussed in detail in different chapters. Safe usage of pesticides based on their mode of action (IRAC’s groups), development of acaricide resistance and measures to mitigate it are also discussed. Mite pests of fruit trees, vegetable plants, floricultural plants and field crops; mite problems in greenhouses/polyhouses; mite problems encountered under organic cultivation of plants and their management through minimum usage of pes- ticides are emphasized in different chapters. The role of different predaceous mites in controlling plant pests like thrips, aphids and scale insects is elaborately dis- cussed. Biological control of phytophagous mites is discussed in detail. ix x About the Book Different animal parasitic mites and ticks are discussed from veterinary and medical point of view. Many YouTube and other weblinks explain in an interesting way emphasizing the importance of salient information on these creatures and mea- sures to combat them. At the end of each chapter, many important references for further reading and electronic references (ER) in the form of YouTube links and other weblinks are given to understand fully how these tiny creatures look like and behave, feed and reproduce, the nature of damage they cause to plants and animals and measures to mitigate them. Weblinks will stimulate interest in the readers for more information about different mites and ticks. The knowledge contained in the book may prove as best material for ‘General and Applied Acarology’ course for graduate and postgraduate levels, teachers and researchers in entomology, pest control advisors, professional entomologists, pesti- cide industry managers, policy planners and others having interest in mites and ticks.