Spider mite populations and rearing conditions
The spider mite population used was created from an outbred population
of Tetranychus urticae , established in 2016 at the host
laboratory, by merging six populations collected in the field around
Lisbon in 2013 . The population was reared in large numbers
(>200) on bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris , Fabaceae,
var. Contender; Germisem Sementes Lda, Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal),
under controlled conditions (25°C, photoperiod of 16L: 8D). All bean
plants used in the experiment were grown for 14 days in an
herbivore-free climatic chamber under the same controlled conditions as
spider mites.