LAUSR

Simple Summary Strawberry production in Florida faces serious challenges from two major pests, the twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) and the chilli thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood), which often attack the crop at the same time. Growers usually rely on chemical sprays, but both pests have developed resistance to many commonly used products, leaving growers with limited options. As a result, strawberry growers have begun to release beneficial predatory mites. At present, Amblyseius swirskii Anthis-Henriot is used against chilli thrips, and Phytoseiulus persimilis Anthis-Henriot is used against twospotted spider mites. However, releasing two different species is costly, labor-intensive and has risks, since A. swirskii can also feed on P. persimilis, reducing its effectiveness. This study explored whether another predatory mite, Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor), could be used as a single solution for managing both pests. Our results show that N. californicus is a flexible feeder that can feed on chilli thrips larvae as well as all life stages of twospotted spider mites. These findings suggest that N. californicus may offer growers a more practical, and cost-effective, strategy for protecting strawberries from twospotted spider mites and chilli thrips.