The life history of Amblyseius fustis (Pritchard and Baker) was studied in the laboratory at a fluctuating temperature and relative humidity ranging from 24.4 to 28.0°C and 55.5 to 75.6%, respectively. The developmental stages consist of egg, larva, protonymph, deutonymph and adult. The life cycle, from egg to adult of both male and female was about 8 days, while longevity was about 19.2 days. Mated female laid an average of 18.8 eggs. There was no significant difference in the longevity and fecundity of predators fed on different life stages of the host. The proportion of male to female in the progeny of mated females was 1:4.
A. fustis has a shorter developmental period and lives longer than its prey, but the latter is more fecund (26.9 eggs/♀) and has a higher proportion of females in its progeny (1:4.8). The shorter developmental period and the longer life span of the predator are likely to offset the higher fecundity of the prey.
