UCANR Delivers a Teaching Workshop on “Predatory Mites in Agriculture”

A professional development workshop on 'Predatory Mites in Agriculture' was organized at the Kearney Agricultural Research Center on September 11, 2024. This workshop was facilitated by Area Citrus IPM Advisor Sandipa Gautam. UC experts Beth Grafton-Cardwell, IPM Entomologist (UCR, Emeritus), and David Haviland (Entomology Advisor, Kern County) taught the class of 25 participants skills necessary for identifying predatory mite species commonly found in California's agricultural systems.

Highlights of the workshop were presentations by Beth Grafton-Cardwell on common species of phytoseiids found in different California-grown crops and four categories of these mites according to their food source. David Haviland covered the higher taxonomy of mites and demonstrated the use of mite collecting gear and how to collect and observe mites under the dissecting scope. After a lunch break, the class was guided through identification of three key species and then challenged to identify an unknown species. Group discussion revealed that this type of workshop activity helped students learn valuable information about predatory mites. We thank Dr. Beth Grafton-Cardwell for taking the time from retirement to teach this class and for sharing her wealth of experience. Her dedication to entomology and California growers is paramount to the success of UC Cooperative Extension over the years. Tremendous gratitude is also extended to David Haviland for his thorough presentations and to his wife for handling hospitality. Recognition is given to Ping Gu and Lauren Vuicich for their outstanding assistance in planning and coordination and to Patrick West and his team at KARE for helping with the setup. Lastly, appreciation is extended to the students for their interest and engagement in learning about predatory mites.