I want to study biology and preference of Acarus siro in different diets. I use some local rice and maize varieties to determine the effects of different diets on the growth and developmental period of A. siro. Can I use intact grains or maybe I shall use milled grains?
Dear Ito, there is a mass of publications on the biology of Acarus siro and its feeding preferences, because the species of its considerable importance as a stored products pest. Yes, it will eat whole grains. There is also a lot of work published on its growth and development on different diets. I have attached a list of relevant references from the older literature, in case you are not aware of them. This is just a small selection. if you know of them already, my apologies. Jan Hubert is a leading expert on this and other stored products species. He may be able to assist also. Kind regards, Matt
Thanks a lot, @Matt Colloff. And also thanks for those references. I have reared A. siro in intact grains, but the population did not grow well. Nevertheless, when I used rolled oat, cheese, and milk + yeast, the mite population increase rapidly.
Hi Ito, try using just rolled oats with a small amount of yeast granules, or just even rolled oats alone. Yeast + milk powder will ensure very rapid growth of quite a few stored products species. If you want to slow the population growth down, keep the cultures cool at 15-18 Celsius. Cheers, Matt
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