In order to find alternative diets for Amblyseius cucumeris, eleven pollen species and three high protein powders were tested. Females laid numerous eggs when fed on pollen from tea, craple myrtle, fragrant olive, persimmon and Japanese pear, but few eggs on pollen from chrysanthemum, tall goldenrod, Asiatic lily, cistus and orange. They also laid few eggs when fed on soybean flour, casein powder and defatted Deccan glass powder. Survival rates on the first five pollen species were not significantly different from the mold mite controls, indicating these pollen species are suitable as food sources. A. cucumeris showed an escaping behavior to pollen of Lycoris radiata and died within 4 days. Toxic compounds may be contained in pollen of this species. There was no correlation between pollen size and oviposition rates. Suitability of pollen species as a diet appears to be related to taxa of the plants.
