The 1st international workshop of IOBC-APRS (International Organisation of Biological Control, Asia and Pacific Regional Section) Predatory Mites as Biological Control Agents working group was successfully held in Beijing on 15-19 May 2016. This workshop was co-sponsored by IOBC, Institute of Plant Protection-Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IPP-CAAS), State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Chinese Society of Plant Protection, and Beijing Leafy Vegetables Innovation Team of Modern Agro-Industry Technology Research System.

IOBC-APRS Predatory Mites as Biological Control Agents working group is the 1st working group of IOBC-APRS, established in November 2014. This is also the 1st working group convened by Chinese scientists in IOBC. The convenor of this working group is Dr. Xuenong Xu, Professor of IPP-CAAS.

The theme of the 1st workshop is “Resources to Industry: bridge the gap”. This topic implies our interest and endeavor in screening predatory mite resources and developing an industry with more commercial products against more target pests. We will especially focus on how we should evaluate and utilize rich predatory mite resources in the Asia-Pacific region.

Invited guests of the workshop included Dr. Barbara Barratt (President of IOBC-Global), Dr. Jianqing Ding (Vice President of IOBC-Global), Dr. Dewen Qiu (Vice Direct of IPP-CAAS), Dr. Julian Chen (Chief of International Cooperation Division, IPP-CAAS), and Dr. Yulin Gao (Vice President of IOBC-APRS). More than 50 scientists and students from New Zealand, Japan, Turkey, Israel, India, Belgium, Poland, Canada, and China participated in this workshop. Other scientists from Vietnam, UK, Korea, and India contributed to the workshop through sending video presentation, poster, and abstracts.

A total of 32 abstracts were received for this workshop. During the three-day workshop, scientists and students exchanged ideas on current situation and recent advances of predatory mite research. President Barbara Barratt presented the general information of IOBC Global and the Asia Pacific Regional Section. Dr. Dewen Qiu provided a brief introduction of IPP-CAAS. Dr. Xuenong Xu provided a thorough review of predatory mite research and applications in China in past 50 years, especially focused on the rapid development of this field in last ten years. Other presentations focused on topics including predatory mite resource survey and evaluation, morphological and ultra-structures, host plant-prey-predatory mite interactions, prey-predatory mite-entomopathogenic fungus interactions, hunting behavior, field evaluation and applications, mass production and other aspects. These splendid presentations led to heated discussions. Four scientists younger than 35 years old were awarded for excellence in young scientist oral presentation competition. They are Dr. Yaying Li (Southwest University, China), Dr. Magdalena Felska (Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences), Ms. Nathalie Brenard (University of Antwerp, Belgium), and Dr. Jiale Lv (IPP-CAAS, China).

Participants also had an excursion to the Noah Organic Farm, Pinggu District, Beijing, to see the applications of predatory mites and other natural enemies in greenhouse vegetables.

President Barbara Barratt spoke highly of the workshop and predatory mite research in China. She thinks Chinese researchers lead in many aspects of predatory mite research internationally.

At the end of the workshop, members of the working group reached the decision of holding the workshop once every two years. India won the ballot for hosting the 2nd workshop in 2018. The workshop effectively promoted communications and cooperation of predatory mite researchers in the Asia-Pacific region, and enhanced the international impact of Lab of Predatory Mites, IPP-CAAS.