This update should be used as a supplement to the 1996-97 edition of the New England Apple Pest Management Guide.
Predators ought to be the foundation upon which all other mite management tactics are built.
In New England, we have at present only one truly effective mite predator, Amblyseius fallacis, which is widespread throughout the region. Unfortunately, cold weather during winter usually takes a heavy toll on A. fallacis, reducing it to low numbers by spring. Rarely does it build sufficiently to provide effective biocontrol until late July. At present, only a few New England orchards are blessed with detectable numbers of the predator Typhlodromus pyri, which is capable of providing excellent season-long biocontrol of mites, even during spring and early summer. Some orchards in every New England state are currently being seeded with T. pyri.