Effect of Pesticides on Neozygites floridana (Entomophthorales: Entomophthoraceae) and Arthropod Predators Attacking the Twospotted Spider Mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) in North Carolina Peanut Fields

Some commonly used peanut pesticides were evaluated for their effect on natural enemies of Tetranychus urticae Koch in North Carolina peanut fields. No evidence was found to indicate that the pesticides tested directly or immediately reduced predators or that predators regulated T. urticae populations in peanut plots. The fungicides benomyl and mancozeb apparently reduced the efficacy of the T. urticae fungal pathogen Neozygites floridana Weiser and Muma. T. urticae populations increased to damaging levels when the efficacy of N. floridana was reduced.