No deleterious effect of inundative releases of biological agents on native arthropod assemblages in poultry farms: A mesocosm experiment

Augmentative biological control relies on the inundative release of natural enemies pests that are usually mass-reared in laboratory. This practice substantially reduces environmental impact pest agriculture by reducing use insecticides. However, there many reasons to expect more or less deleterious effects biodiversity: if enemy is not specific pest, large populations predators can directly affect native assemblages through predation process itself and/or competition with their counterparts. In addition, generally come from gene pools different and may, hybridization, alter population dynamics. On other hand, during mass rearing, be released subject selection pressures those field may adapted than farm ecosystems. These very difficult assess agro-ecosystems themselves due multiplicity factors. order releases generalist predatory mites colonize poultry houses surrounding environment, we conducted an experiment over several generations using mesocosms mimicking a piece henhouse (mite-proof units, each housing one hen). No Androlaelaps casalis Cheyletus spp. have been detected introduction marketed A. C. eruditus. The against D. gallinae appears compatible conservation arthropod assemblages. eruditus did establish under conditions which otherwise allowed counterparts (same taxa) do so.