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Abstract: Most growers consider that the mere presence of pests on a mushroom farm means reduced profit. This is a reasonable commercial attitude and from it stems the highly commendable drive for hygiene on many farms. There is, however, an entirely different aspect of this relationship, namely the interaction of the mycelium itself with the pest population. The pattern of attack by a pest is determined by characteristics of the developing mycelium and conversely, the degree of mycelial development and subsequent cropping will depend on the habits and abundance of the pest. It is important to appreciate this interaction if control programmes are to be directed at the weakest links in the developmental cycle of a pest, so achieving greater efficiency of control with economy in labour and materials. Control programmes are often initiated only when a pest becomes numerous. This may occur suddenly, as with swarming cecid larvae or Pygmephorus mites, and may simply be a mass migration from a habitat that is no longer suitable, so that further damage to the crop is unlikely. On the other hand, some pests are not influenced by the presence of the mushroom itself, and like the sciarid Chaetosciara fenestralis Zett., can develop normally in a compost in the absence of mycelium. This interaction between host and pest will be discussed in the light of available knowledge about phorids and cecids with emphasis on the practical implications for control programmes.
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