(19) TZZ _ __T (11) EP 2 612 551 B1 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION (45) Date of publication and mention (51) Int Cl.: of the grant of the patent: A01K 67/033 (2006.01) A01N 63/00 (2006.01) 05.11.2014 Bulletin 2014/45 A01N 35/02 (2006.01) (21) Application number: 12189587.4 (22) Date of filing: 23.10.2012 (54) Mite composition comprising a predatory mite and immobilized prey contacted with a fungus reducing agent and methods and uses related to the use of said composition Milbenzusammensetzung mit einer Raubmilbenart und mit einem Pilzreduktionsmittel in Kontakt gekommenes immobilisiertes Beutetier sowie Verfahren und Verwendungen im Zusammenhang mit dem Einsatz dieser Zusammensetzung Composition d’acariens comprenant des acariens prédateurs et proie immobilisée mise en contact avec un agent réducteur de champignon et procédés et utilisations associés à l’utilisation de ladite composition (84) Designated Contracting States: EP-A1- 2 380 436 WO-A1-2007/075081 AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO • CROSS J V ET AL: "EFFECT OF REPEATED PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR FOLIAR SPRAYS OF INSECTICIDES OR FUNGICIDES ON ORGANOPHOSPHATE- (30) Priority: 04.01.2012 US 201261583152 P RESISTANT STRAINS OF THE ORCHARD PREDATORY MITE TYPHLODROMUS PYRI ON (43) Date of publication of application: APPLE", CROP PROTECTION, ELSEVIER 10.07.2013 Bulletin 2013/28 SCIENCE, GB, vol. 13, 1 January 1994 (1994-01-01), pages 39-44, XP000917959, ISSN: (73) Proprietor: Koppert B.V. 0261-2194, DOI: 10.1016/0261-2194(94)90134-1 2651 BE Berkel en Rodenrijs (NL) • SCHMIDT H.W. AND ZELLER B.: "Felduntersuchungen zur Wirkung von Euparen (72) Inventors: Multi und Euparen auf das System Spinnmilbe- • Bolckmans, Karel, Jozef, Florent Raubmilbe", PFLANZENSCHUTZ- B-2320 Hoogstraten (Wortel) (BE) NACHRICHTEN BAYER, vol. 51, no. 1, 1998, • Van Houten, Yvonne, Maria pages 37-50, XP009166088, 2671 PG Naaldwijk (NL) • AMIN MUHAMMAD M. ET AL: "Response of the • Van Baal, Adelmar, Emmanuel predatory mite Phytoseiulus Macropilis to 2614 TH Delft (NL) pesticides and Kairomones of three spider mite • Timmer, Radbout species and non-prey food", FLORIDA 2593 P Den Haag (NL) ENTOMOLOGIST, vol. 92, no. 4, 2009, pages • Morel, Damien Marc 554-562, XP009166109, 44100 Nantes (FR) • CUTHBERTSON A G S ET AL: "The impact of fungicides to control apple scab (Venturia (74) Representative: van Oeffelt, Abraham inaequalis) on the predatory mite Anystis Patentwerk B.V. baccarum and its prey Aculus schlechtendali PO Box 1514 (apple rust mite) in Northern Ireland Bramley 5200 BN ’s-Hertogenbosch (NL) orchards", CROP PROTECTION, ELSEVIER SCIENCE, GB, vol. 22, no. 9, 1 January 2003 (56) References cited: (2003-01-01), pages 1125-1130, XP009166087, ISSN: 0261-2194 Note: Within nine months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent in the European Patent Bulletin, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to that patent, in accordance with the Implementing Regulations. Notice of opposition shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). EP 2 612 551 B1 Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) EP 2 612 551 B1 Description [0001] The present invention in general relates to the field of biological crop protection by use of predatory mites. More particularly the present invention relates to a mite composition comprising a predatory mite and a prey. Such a mite 5 composition is suitable for rearing the predatory mite and/or for crop protection using the predatory mite. [0002] The use of predatory mites for biological crop protection is becoming increasingly popular in agriculture and horticulture. Currently predatory mites from the families Phytoseiidae, Laelapidae, Macrochelidae, Parasitidae, Tydeidae, Cheyletidae, Cunaxidae, Erythraeidae, Stigmaeidae are employed or have been suggested to combat pests such as phytophagous mites, thrips and whiteflies. A prerequisite for commercial use of predatory mites as biological pest control 10 agents is their availability for an acceptable price. For this the possibility to efficiently produce them in large quantities is of importance. [0003] During the past years methods for mass rearing have considerably improved in view of the availability of rearing preys (or alternatively referred to as rearing hosts) for predatory mites. Many of these newly available rearing preys are Astigmatid mites. For example reference may be made to the international applications of Koppert B.V., WO2006/057552, 15 WO2006/07110 and WO2007/075081. In addition WO2008/015393, WO2008/104807 and EP2232986 disclose addi- tional combinations of Phytoseiid predators and Astigmatid prey mite species. Such Astigmatid prey mite species have been found to be also suitable for mass-rearing of predatory species from other taxa such as predatory Mesostigmatid mite species, predatory Prostigmatid mite species. [0004] Despite these developments in the availability of rearing preys, certain limitations in the mass rearing of predatory 20 mites do remain and mass rearing would benefit from improvement of such limitations. [0005] For example the living rearing preys may also be a source of stress for the predatory mites due to their motional activity, their metabolic activity, which produces metabolic gasses and metabolic heat. These effects may in particular be very considerable at high population densities. In addition live prey individuals may produce and secrete certain chemicals, such as alarm pheromones that may be disturbing for predatory mites and may even act as a defense against 25 attacking predators. These density dependent stress factors may result in a slower population development rate and a lower maximum population density of the predatory mites due to a lower oviposition rate, a lower survival of immature and a shorter longevity of adult predatory mites. Suitable inventive solutions to eliminate or mitigate these stress factors will allow to achieve higher rearing population densities and a fast population development rate. [0006] EP 2 380 436 discloses a mite composition comprising a population of a Phytoseiid predatory species and a 30 population of an Astigmatid species and a method for rearingPhytoseiid predatory mites using the composition. The composition is characterized in that the population of the Astigmatid species is not alive. Not alive meaning that there are no live Astigmatid individuals at all (the prey is entirely inert). [0007] The composition of EP 2 380 436 and its use in rearing a Phytoseiid predator may potentially reduce or eliminate disturbing stress factors induced by live prey. However, while possibly solving certain problems, this composition also 35 has major disadvantages. The inventors of the present invention have found that dead Astigmatid mites are also a good fungal substrate and promote fungal growth. This problem is not recorded in the prior art. Extensive fungal growth negatively influences the population development rate and maximum population density of predatory mites. [0008] The present invention is based on the finding that adequate fungal reduction is required when predatory mites are reared on a population of rearing preys comprising a substantial number of dead or otherwise immobilized prey 40 individuals and that adequate fungal reduction may be obtained with a fungus reducing agent comprising a fungus reducing mite population selected from a mycophagous mite species or an antifungal exudates producing mite species. [0009] The invention therefore according to a first aspect relates to a mite composition comprising: - a population of individuals of a predatory mite species; 45 - a food source for the predatory individuals comprising individuals of at least one Astigmatid mite species, wherein at least a fraction of the Astigmatid individuals is immobilized; - optionally a food source suitable for Astigmatid individuals; - and optionally a carrier for the individuals of the mite species; 50 wherein immobilized Astigmatid individuals, and optionally the optional food source for Astigmatid individuals, are con- tacted with a fungus reducing agent comprising a fungus reducing mite population selected from a mycophagous mite species or an antifungal exudates producing mite species, said fungus reducing mite population preferably being selected from Astigmatid species. [0010] The composition comprises individuals of a population of a predatory mite. As is known to the skilled person 55 Phytoseiid predatory mites have their natural habitat on plants where they prey on pest organisms (insects and mites). They may be isolated from their natural habitats as described by de Moraes et al., 2004. Predatory mites that are particularly useful in the present invention may be selected from predatory Mesostigmatid mite species, predatory Prostig- matid mite species, in particular: 2 EP 2 612 551 B1 - Mesostigmatid mite species selected from: i) Phytoseiidae such as from: 5 - the subfamily of the Amblyseiinae, such as from the genus Amblyseius, e.g. Amblyseius andersoni, Am- blyseius aerialis, Amblyseius swirskii, Amblyseius herbicolus or Amblyseius largoensis, from the genus Euseius e.g. Euseius finlandicus, Euseius hibisci, Euseius ovalis, Euseius victoriensis, Euseius stipulatus, Euseius scutalis, Euseius tularensis, Euseius addoensis, Euseius concordis, Euseius ho or Euseius citri, from the genus Neoseiuluse.g. Neoseiulus barkeri, Neoseiulus californicus, Neoseiulus cucumeris, Neo- 10