Soroker, V., Nelson, D.R, Bahar, O., Reneh, S., Yablonski, S., & Palevsky, E. 2003 Whitefly wax as a cue for phoresy in the broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Acari: Tarsonemidae).. Chemoecology 13(4): 163-168.

Notes: Broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus exhibits a specific phoretic relationship with whiteflies. Under field conditions, most broad mites, caught in sticky traps, are attached to whiteflies. The effect of whitefly waxy particles on broad mite behaviour was studied using wax from the whitefly Aleyrodes singularis and from the mealybug Planococcus citri. Broad mites were not only attracted specifically to the A. singularis waxy particles-treated leaf areas but were also attached to leaf trichomes in this area. The results of this study suggest the importance of olfactory cues from the whitefly waxy particles in the recognition process of the phoretic host and/or the induction of the attachment behaviour to whitefly legs or leaf trichomes.