Mite (Acari) Species Composition in Michigan Apple Orchards

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Abstract
At least 6 species of herbivorous mites, 18 species of predatory mites, and >5 species of detritus- and fungus-feeding mites were found on apple foliage during 2 yr of sampling in 17 southern Michigan apple orchards. Species with the greatest volume (biomass) included the stigmaeid predators Agistemus fleschneri Summers and Zetzellia mali (Ewing), the phytosdeiid predator Neoseiulus fallacis (Garman), and the tetranychid herbivore Panonychus ulmi (Koch). Volume of mite species in abandoned orchards was correlated with their volume in commercial orchards. However, several species with high volume in abandoned orchards had a low volume or were absent in commercial orchards. A shift in predator species took place rapidly over a single season when orchards were not sprayed. Predator volume was less than herbivore volume in commercial orchards, but the reverse was true in abandoned orchards.