Journal of Stored Products Research 45 (2009) 6166

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Journal of Stored Products Research

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Chemical and physical methods for the control of the mite Acarus farris on
Cabrales cheese
Ismael Sanchez-Ramos, Pedro Castanera*
CSIC, CIB, Departamento de Biologa de Plantas, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The astigmatid mite Acarus farris is the main species of mite infesting Cabrales cheese, a traditional
Accepted 3 September 2008 Spanish product. This species may reach population density levels of 260 mobile mites/cm2, resulting in
high economic losses. Different chemical and physical methods that were able to control this pest
Keywords: without affecting the organoleptic quality of Cabrales cheese were tested. The efcacy of four short-chain
Acarus farris fatty acids (caproic, caprylic, pelargonic and capric) and two sugar alcohols (ribitol and xylitol) were
Cheese tested under laboratory conditions against mobile stages of A. farris. Only pelargonic acid signicantly
Physical control
increased mortality in comparison with controls (63.4 vs. 26.1%, respectively). Additionally, the contact
Coating products
Antifeedant compounds
effect of the monoterpene eucalyptol was assessed in cheese maturing rooms at doses of 2.5 and
Monoterpenes 1.25 ml/cm2. The rst dose effectively controlled A. farris, but its application negatively affected the
organoleptic values of the treated cheeses. Finally, the application of the waxy food coating READOM
CBR to Cabrales cheeses in maturing rooms, kept the mite population low but negatively modied the
external appearance of the cheese, an important quality parameter.
The physical approach was based on lowering the usual cheese maturing temperature (15  C) to 6, 4 or
2  C. As temperature decreased, A. farris density was drastically reduced from 174  33 mites/cm2 at the
control temperature (15  C) to 14, 11 and 1 mites/cm2 for 6, 4 and 2  C, respectively, though the maturing
time was considerably extended. The feasibility of both chemical and physical methods for the control of
A. farris is discussed.
2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Mites can be found in natural environments from where they
invade stored food (Zdarkova, 1991), infesting a wide variety of
foodstuffs and causing one of the most important problems asso-
ciated with stored food worldwide (Hughes, 1976; Grifths et al.,
1976; Van Hage-Hamstem and Johansson, 1992). The most
damaging species of astigmatid mites belong to the family
Acaridae.
Mites are particularly devastating in cheese production where,
in the absence of control measures, weight losses of up to 25% have
been reported (Wilkin, 1979). In Spain, mite damage usually affects
the traditional blue cheese Cabrales in the natural Asturian caves
(North of Spain) where it is matured. The environmental conditions
required during the maturing and storing processes of this type of
cheese in natural caves (1015  C and more than 90% relative
humidity (r.h.)) favour the development of mites. After several
* Corresponding author. Tel.: 34 1 8373112x4264; fax: 34 1 5360432.
E-mail address: castan@cib.csic.es (P. Castanera).
years sampling, we have found that the two species of astigmatid
mites infesting Cabrales cheese in maturing caves are Acarus farris
(Oudemans) and Tyrophagus neiswanderi Johnston and Bruce, and
that A. farris is the prevalent species, responsible for most of the
damage produced in Cabrales cheese (Sanchez-Ramos et al.,
2007a). This mite species has been recorded infesting a wide
variety of cheeses (Grifths, 1964; Hughes, 1976; Wilkin, 1979). As
cheese matures, fungi develop on its surface and mite density
increases to high levels causing severe yield losses. The presence of
mites on Cabrales cheese reduces the saleability of this high value
product due to weight reduction and high labour costs since cheese
must be cleaned before storage at low temperature (24  C) prior to
commercial marketing.
The use of chemical methods, such as fumigation treatments
with methyl bromide (now banned under the Montreal protocol)
or application of registered organophosphate insecticides, to
control A. farris in Cabrales cheese has been prohibited because
of human health hazards associated with its fresh-cured
consumption. Potential alternatives to the use of organophos-
phorus pesticides for the control of mite pests in stored
commodities has been recently reviewed (Collins, 2006).

0022-474X/$ see front matter 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jspr.2008.09.002
62 I. Sanchez-Ramos, P. Castanera / Journal of Stored Products Research 45 (2009) 6166
Substances including insect growth regulators, inert dusts,
botanicals, pyrethroids and other novel materials are discussed
with emphasis on their efcacy against important storage mite
pests. Any chemical or physical methods to be used should not
pose any risk to human health nor should they modify the
organoleptic characteristics of Cabrales cheese, which are regar-
ded as essential by Spanish manufacturers.
The application of natural compounds that have shown
antifeedant activity against acarid mites, such as those
described by Rodriguez (1972) or Pankiewicz-Nowicka et al.
(1986), could be a good alternative. They could be applied
together with coating products in order to improve their
efcacy in controlling mite populations. A common practice in
Spain to control mites in dry-cured ham is to coat hams with
vegetative oil or hot lard (Garca, 2004). Additionally, some
monoterpenes derived from essential oils of plants have
shown high acaricidal activity both by contact and inhalation
(Sanchez-Ramos and Castanera, 2001; Isman, 2006) without
strong modication of the organoleptic characteristics of
stored food and with little risk to human health (Perrucci,
1995).
Modications of temperature and humidity conditions are
considered environmentally friendly physical methods to control
mites (Zdarkova, 1991). Laboratory assays have shown the suscep-
tibility of A. farris to r.h. lower than 70% (Sanchez-Ramos et al.,
2007b; Sanchez-Ramos and Castanera, 2007a). Nevertheless, low
humidity treatments have failed to control the populations of this
mite on Cabrales cheese (Sanchez-Ramos and Castanera, 2007a)
due to the high water content of the cheeses, which allows their
survival and development. Different authors have investigated the
use of temperature changes to control different species of mites on
stored products (Cunnington, 1965, 1976; Burrell and Havers, 1976;
Fields, 1992; Thind and Dunn, 2002).
The aim of this work was to develop food-friendly physical
or chemical methods to control A. farris on Cabrales cheese.
Our efforts were directed to combine the local requirements
for manufacturing this type of cheese with necessary modi-
cations for controlling mite populations. Accordingly, we
tested physical and chemical methods that might easily be
incorporated into the traditional maturing process. The fatty
acids and sugar alcohols selected were evaluated under
laboratory conditions. A eld evaluation of the changes in
population density of A. farris was performed in the maturing
cave under standard conditions by application of a coating of
fatty acid, a monoterpene (eucalyptol) and low temperatures
to assess the efcacy and optimum timing for the application
of these control measures.
2. Material and methods
2.1. Mites
As the prevalent species infesting Cabrales cheese in Asturian
caves is A. farris, this mite species was used for all laboratory assays
prior to eld experiments. A stock culture of A. farris was estab-
lished from infested samples of Cabrales cheese obtained from the
maturing cave of Corporacion Agroalimentaria Penasanta (CAPSA)
(Asturias, Spain). The mites were maintained on brewers yeast and
held in cylindrical plastic cages (12 cm diameter and 5.5 cm height),
each covered with round plastic plates that had a 5 cm diameter
hole in the centre sealed with a lter paper disk for ventilation. The
rearing cages were kept in an environmental chamber (Sanyo MLR-
350H, Sanyo, Japan) at 25  0.5  C, 90  5% r.h. and continuous dark
conditions, within a water-lled plastic tray to prevent escape
mites. When needed, adults were sexed by observing their
secondary sexual characteristics (Hughes, 1976).
2.2. Cheeses
The cheeses used for the assays were provided by CAPSA, and
the eld experiments were performed in the maturing cave, located
in Carrena de Cabrales (Asturias, Spain). According to standard
manufacturing procedures, about 30 days after being put into the
cave cheeses are moistened and wrapped in paper to avoid mois-
ture loss. This routine practice was adopted in the eld experi-
ments. The period for maturing cheese ranged between 2 and 3
months at about 15  C and 90% r.h., the standard conditions referred
to hereafter.
2.3. Laboratory evaluation of chemical compounds
Laboratory assays with mites were performed using rearing cells
described by Barker (1967). These cells consisted of cavity slides
(1518 mm cavity diameter and 0.50.8 mm depth of well) with
a glass cover (22  22 mm) and sealed with a drop of water. The
mites required for each experiment were removed from stock
cultures using a thin camel hair brush and transferred into a cell
together with a brewers yeast ake (about 1.3 mg).
Four short-chain saturated fatty acids (caproic, caprylic, pelar-
gonic and capric) and two sugar alcohols (ribitol and xylitol) were
selected for evaluation of their activity against immature A. farris.
These compounds were purchased from the Sigma Chemical Co. (St
Louis, USA). The rearing cells previously described were used to
perform the assays. To determine the efcacy of the selected
chemicals on survival and duration of immature stages, eggs up to
1-day-old were used. Eggs were obtained by allowing females to lay
eggs for <24 h. Mite development was examined every 24 h until
they became adults. The compounds were added to brewers yeast
akes at doses of 0.01 mg of product per mg of yeast (1% w/w). Fatty
acids were added with a Gilson P2 microtitre pipette in 2 ml of
cyclohexane and sugar alcohols were added in 2 ml of distilled
water. Pure solvents were used as controls. For each treatment, 10
slides with 10 individuals per slide were used. All assays were
performed in a SANYO environmental chamber at 15  0.5  C and
90  5% r.h. and in continuous darkness.
2.4. Assessment of mite density
To establish the relationship between mite density and the
maturing of the cheese, the maturing period was divided into 10-
day intervals. For each time interval, 10 cheeses from the maturing
cave were used, and ve square samples each of 2.5  2.5 cm were
taken out of each cheese (total area: 31.25 cm2). The samples were
put into plastic vessels containing 20 ml of 96% ethanol. After
shaking, cheese samples were removed leaving the mites in the
ethanol. The ethanol with the mites was then transferred into
a 9 cm diameter Petri dish where the number of mites was recorded
using a counting card disk placed under the Petri dish according to
the method described by Solomon (1945). Only mobile stages were
considered since the eggs remained stuck to the cheese samples.
Mite density was expressed as number of mobile stages/cm2 of
cheese.
2.5. Field evaluation of control methods
The methodology used to study the changes of mite density on
maturing cheese was also applied to establish the population
density on treated and untreated cheeses. A rst evaluation was
made immediately before the beginning of the treatments to obtain
the initial value. Unless otherwise stated, the nal population
density was evaluated after 80 days from the beginning of the
maturing process. The values of population density obtained for the
 I. Sanchez-Ramos, P. Castanera / Journal of Stored Products Research 45 (2009) 6166
treatments were compared with those obtained from control
cheeses matured in the maturing cave under standard conditions.
2.5.1. Application of coating products based on food fatty acids
The food coating READOM CBR, purchased from DOMCA S.A.
(Granada, Spain), was applied to Cabrales cheeses to assess its
capacity to protect against mites. This product is solid at room
temperature and is made up of stearic acid derivatives. It was
applied by immersion of the cheese for 5 s in the molten coating
material at 110115  C, to yield a 2 mm thick lm. After 45 days in
the cave, the cheeses were treated with the product and then
returned to the cave. Ten replicate (cheeses) for both the treatment
and the control were used.
2.5.2. Contact treatment with eucalyptol
The monoterpene eucalyptol, purchased from Acros Organics
(New Jersey, USA), was selected to test its contact efcacy against
mites on cheese because it had shown a high acaricidal activity
against storage mites (Perrucci, 1995; Sanchez-Ramos and Casta-
nera, 2001). Eucalyptol was sprayed at doses of 2.5 and 1.25 ml/cm2
on the paper used to wrap the cheeses to avoid moisture loss. Then,
after 30 days in the cave cheeses were wrapped with the treated
paper. Four cheeses were used for each treatment and for the
control.
2.5.3. Maturing at low temperature
The standard conditions of the maturing process were modied
by reducing temperature to 2, 4 or 6  C to establish their effect on
the mite population of infested cheeses. After 45 days in the cave,
the cheeses were transferred to a refrigerator (CORECO AC J302 II A,
CORECO, Spain) in order to follow a low-temperature maturing
process. The nal population density was evaluated at the end of
the maturing process, which was dependent on temperature. This
was 170 days for cheeses matured at 2  C, 135 for those matured at
4  C, 100 for those matured at 6  C, and 80 days for the controls. The
maturing period was established according to the time required at
each temperature to reach the standard quality of this product. For
each treatment and the control 20 cheeses were used.
2.6. Statistical analysis
The analysis of the effect of antifeedant compounds on the
percentage mortality and duration of the immature stages and the
comparison of initial and nal population densities between treated
and control cheeses was made with ANOVA, followed by Student
NewmanKeuls multiple range test for separation of signicantly
different means. The duration of the immature stages was analyzed
by nesting the effects of slides within treatments. When necessary,
data were previously transformed with square root or n logarithmic
transformations (sqrt(x 1) or ln(x 1), when at least one value
equalled zero) to meet the conditions for parametric statistics. The
level of signicance was P < 0.05 in all cases. Analyses were under-
taken using Statgraphics Plus (Statgraphics, 1997).
To describe the relationship between mite density and the age of
maturing cheese, the functions with the highest R2 values were
tted. These functions were selected using Tablecurve 2D software
(Jandel Scientic, 1994) on the data sets.
3. Results
3.1. Laboratory evaluation of chemical compounds
The addition of selected fatty acids to brewers yeast akes did
not affect the mortality values obtained for the egg stage (F 0.62,
d.f. 4, 45, P 0.6531) but produced a signicant increase in the
length of this stage in relation to the control (F 7.35, d.f. 4, 399,
63
P < 0.0001) (Table 1). On the other hand, only pelargonic acid
signicantly increased mortality of mobile stages compared with
the control (63.4 vs. 26.1%, respectively; F 4.46, d.f. 4, 45,
P < 0.005) whereas the four fatty acids produced a signicant
increase in the developmental time when the complete pre-
imaginal period was considered (F 29.94, d.f. 4, 237, P < 0.0001)
(Table 2). However, the greatest effect was obtained again for
pelargonic acid, which produced an overall increase of almost 20%
compared with the control. The two sugar alcohols selected did not
affect mortality of the egg stage nor mobile stages (F 0.35, d.f. 2,
27, P 0.7105 and F 2.65, d.f. 2, 27, P 0.0891, respectively) and
no effect was observed on the developmental time of the egg stage
(F 0.45, d.f. 2, 238, P 0.6384) but ribitol produced a slight
increase in the development time of immature mobile stages
(F 5.98, d.f. 2, 176, P < 0.005).
3.2. Assessment of mite density
The changes in mite density with time on maturing cheeses
followed different patterns before and after their wetting and
wrapping at day 30 after introduction to the cave (Fig. 1). The
exponential growth of the population observed in the rst 30 days
stopped at the moment of the wetting. From this point on, the
population increase followed a sigmoid pattern, with an inexion
point around days 5657. Subsequently, the increase slowed before
the maximum population density was reached at about day 71,
with a predicted mean value of more than 260 mites/cm2. Once this
point was reached, the population density slowly decreased until
the end of the maturing process. Furthermore, the population
densities observed revealed increasing variability during the
maturing process. The functions that best described the population
patterns, together with the parameters obtained, are shown in
Table 3.
3.3. Field evaluation of control methods
In all treatments, initial population densities on treated and
control cheeses were not statistically different.
3.3.1. Application of coating products
The coating with READOM CBR signicantly reduced population
increase on treated cheeses compared with the controls (F 28.60,
d.f. 3, 36, P < 0.0001). The nal density for cheeses covered with
READOM CBR was 4  2 mites/cm2 whereas control cheeses
reached 254  88 mites/cm2 (Fig. 2). The nal population density
on treated cheeses was also signicantly smaller than that observed
prior to treatment (4  2 vs. 17  5 mites/cm2, respectively).
Table 1
Percentage mortality and developmental time (mean  SE) of eggs of Acarus farris
used for the experiment to evaluate antifeedant compounds.
Group Treatment Mortalitya Developmental timeb
Fatty acids Caproic acid 11.0  3.8 10.4  0.1a (89)
Caprylic acid 14.0  4.5 10.4  0.1a (86)
Pelargonic acid 8.0  3.3 10.5  0.1a (92)
Capric acid 12.0  3.3 10.1  0.1a (88)
Control (cyclohexane) 7.0  3.3 9.7  0.1b (93)
Sugar alcohols Ribitol 11.0  2.3 9.0  0.1a (89)
Xylitol 11.0  3.5 8.9  0.1a (89)
Control (distilled water) 8.0  2.9 8.9  0.1a (92)
a
No differences were found in the percentage mortality of eggs (NS, ANOVA test
followed by StudentNewmanKeuls test); initial n 100 eggs per product.
b
Values followed by different letters within each group of treatments are
signicantly different (P < 0.05, nested ANOVA followed by StudentNewmanKeuls
test). The sample size is shown in parentheses after each value. Developmental time
is expressed in days.
64 I. Sanchez-Ramos, P. Castanera / Journal of Stored Products Research 45 (2009) 6166

Table 2
Percentage mortality of immature mobile stages and complete preimaginal period (mean  SE) of Acarus farris reared on brewers yeast akes treated with different
antifeedant products at 1% w/w.

Group Treatment % Mortalitya Preimaginal periodb

Fatty acids Caproic acid 31.7  6.1 (89) 30.9  0.5a (61)
Caprylic acid 40.9  9.2 (86) 32.6  0.6b (49)
Pelargonic acid 63.4  10.5* (92) 34.5  0.9c (35)
Capric acid 22.1  7.1 (88) 30.9  0.4a (69)
Control (cyclohexane) 26.1  4.4 (93) 29.2  0.4d (69)

Sugar alcohols Ribitol 20.7  4.7 (89) 27.3  0.4a (71)

Xylitol 31.2  4.7 (89) 26.6  0.4b (60)
Control (distilled water) 18.2  3.2 (92) 26.4  0.3b (75)
a
* Indicates signicant differences within each group of treatments (P < 0.05, ANOVA test followed by StudentNewmanKeuls test); initial n is shown in parentheses after
each value.
b
Values followed by different letters within each group of treatments are signicantly different (P < 0.05, nested ANOVA followed by StudentNewmanKeuls test). The
sample size is shown in parentheses after each value. Preimaginal period is expressed in days.

3.3.2. Eucalyptol treatments
The application of eucalyptol effectively reduced mite pop-
ulations at the doses assayed (F 11.17, d.f. 5, 16, P < 0.0001). The
nal population density for treated cheeses at 2.5 ml/cm2 was
8  2 mites/cm2, while control cheeses reached 338  101 mites/
cm2 (Fig. 3). Nevertheless, cheeses treated with eucalyptol at
1.25 ml/cm2 produced nal population densities of 76  30 mites/
cm2 which were signicantly lower than those observed for the
controls but almost eight times their initial value (10  4 mites/
cm2).
3.3.3. Maturing at low temperature
The nal population density on cheeses matured at 2, 4 and 6  C
was signicantly lower than the one observed for the controls
(1  0 mites/cm2 for 2  C, 11  4 mites/cm2 for 4  C, and
14  7 mites/cm2 for 6  C vs. 174  33 mites/cm2 for the control;
F 69.66, d.f. 7, 312, P < 0.0001) (Fig. 4). Moreover, for all
temperatures these values were also signicantly lower than the
initial values (1  0 vs. 21  3 mites/cm2 for 2  C, 11  4 vs.
22  4 mites/cm2 for 4  C and 14  7 vs. 26  5 mites/cm2 for 6  C).
4. Discussion
The traditional way of maturing Cabrales cheese favours the
development of huge populations of mites that seriously damage
this product. The best time to apply control measures was estab-
lished as being between days 30 and 45 from the introduction of
cheeses into the natural cave, according to the low mite density
observed for this period (Fig. 1) and the good appearance of the
cheeses. The process of wetting of Cabrales cheese at day 30 is
a very effective way of reducing mite populations because of the
pasty texture of the wet surface of the cheese. Once the supercial
excess of water dries, mite density increases again, reaching high
levels by the end of the maturing process. The observed reductions
of population density during the last 10 days of the maturing
process could be related to intraspecic competition, as a result of
the decrease of space and food on cheese surfaces (Santos, 1989a,b).
Another consequence of this competition is an increase in the
dispersal behaviour of the mites; a high number of hypopi, the
dispersal phase in the life cycle of free-living Astigmata (Evans,
1992), appear in the population on the cheeses.
The high variability in mite density observed among cheeses
during the maturing process is probably related to the fact that the
environmental conditions across different zones in the cave are not
uniform and that cheeses do not remain at the same location
throughout the maturing process.
The assays conducted to assess the effect of the fatty acids
(caproic, caprylic, pelargonic and capric) and the sugar alcohols
(ribitol and xylitol) on A. farris started at the egg stage because
larvae were susceptible to handling. In contrast larvae of
Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) transferred to cavity slides
were not adversely affected (Ortego et al., 2000; Sanchez-Ramos
and Castanera, 2003). No differential mortality was obtained for
the egg stage among treatments. Nevertheless, the develop-
mental times of the egg stage for the treatments with fatty acids
were signicantly greater than for the control.
Pelargonic acid was the only compound that increased the
mortality of immature mobile stages. Nevertheless, Rodriguez
(1972) and Pankiewicz-Nowicka et al. (1986) obtained strong inhi-
bition of T. putrescentiae populations when the fatty acids and/or the
sugar alcohols assayed here were added to the food at doses very
similar to those employed in this work. Differences in the test
procedure and in the species of mite used may account for variations
in the effects observed. On the other hand, the signicant increase of
developmental time observed with the four fatty acids applied agree
with the results obtained by Rodriguez (1972) who pointed out that
caproic and capric acids retarded growth and caused signicant loss
of weight.

Table 3
Parameter estimates  SE and coefcients of determination (R2) for the functions
describing the relationship between mite density and maturing period of Cabrales
cheese.

Equation Parameter estimates R2

a b
1a 11.58  0.01 40.84  0.05 0.9999

a b c d
2b 29.21  10.17 234.30  11.90 71.14  1.19 4.04  0.46 0.9976
a
Fig. 1. Changes in mite density on maturing Cabrales cheeses with reference to time Eq. (1) is ln y a b/x0.5.
b
expressed as days from the beginning of the maturing process; (C) observed mean Eq. (2) is y a bxd1cd 1exp((cdxd  1)(d  1)/d), where y is the number of
density values; () line of best t according to the equations described in Table 3. mobile mites/cm2 and x is maturing time expressed in days.
 I. Sanchez-Ramos, P. Castanera / Journal of Stored Products Research 45 (2009) 6166
Fig. 2. Effect of the application of READOM CBR coating on cheese on mite density of
Cabrales cheese. Different letters indicate signicant differences (P < 0.05, ANOVA test
followed by StudentNewmanKeuls test); ( ) initial density; ( ) nal density 35
days after treatment.
Our ndings suggest that fatty acids are not useful for the
control of mite populations on Cabrales cheese, and the initial idea
of combining them with coating products was discarded. The food
coating READOM CBR by itself effectively controlled mite pop-
ulations on the cheeses. The application of this compound elimi-
nated the mites present on the cheeses prior to the treatment and
prevented the rapid development of new populations by retarding
the cheese colonization by new fungi. As a result, mite populations
in treated cheeses were much smaller compared to the nal value
in control ones. However, a major concern associated with the use
of this product is the modication of the external appearance of the
cheeses, which could affect saleability.
The contact treatments with the monoterpene eucalyptol
controlled mite populations at 2.5 ml/cm2. The dose of 1.25 ml/cm2
did not produce satisfactory results, since mites were able to
multiply to densities high enough to damage the cheese surface.
However, according to ofcial tasters from CAPSA, the application
of eucalyptol strongly affected the organoleptic characteristics of
the treated cheeses, altering both their avour and odour. These
modications could be due to the lipidic structure of eucalyptol
that favours its mixture with the lipidic components of the cheese.
The results obtained for this compound could be extended to other
monoterpenes such as fenchone, linalool, menthone or pulegone
that have shown high miticidal activity on other stored products
Fig. 3. Contact effect of eucalyptol on the mite density of Cabrales cheese. Different
letters indicate signicant differences (P < 0.05, ANOVA test followed by Student
NewmanKeuls test); ( ), initial density; ( ) nal density 50 days after treatment.
65
Fig. 4. Effect of low-temperature maturing on the mite density of Cabrales cheese.
Different letters indicate signicant differences (P < 0.05, ANOVA test followed by
StudentNewmanKeuls test); ( ), initial density; ( ) nal density 125, 90, 55 and 35
days after treatment for 2, 4, 6  C and the control, respectively.
mites (Perrucci, 1995; Sanchez-Ramos and Castanera, 2001), as all
have a similar chemical structure (Templeton, 1969). It thus seems
that eucalyptol is not suitable for control of mites on Cabrales
cheese.
The best results regarding the control of mite populations on
Cabrales cheese were obtained with the maturing procedures at
low temperature. The greatest effect on subsequent population
density was observed on cheeses matured at 2  C. Maturing at 4
and 6  C also effectively controlled mite populations on the
cheeses, which is in agreement with the lower thermal threshold
(6.4  C) obtained for the increase of populations of this mite (San-
chez-Ramos and Castanera, 2007b). However, the lower develop-
mental threshold for immature stages of A. farris is about 1  C
(Sanchez-Ramos et al., 2007a), which could explain the presence of
mites at the end of the maturing period in treated cheeses. The
main problem associated with the use of very low temperature in
the maturing process of Cabrales cheese is the extension of the
maturing period necessary to obtain the standard quality required,
which has economic implications. In this respect, the use of the
higher temperatures (4 or 6  C), as maturing temperatures, would
help to balance the costbenet analysis. On the other hand, the
fact that part of the maturing process takes place outside the
maturing cave would make it easier to adjust the specications for
manufacturing this type of cheese.
It is necessary to reach a compromise between the requirements
for manufacturing the Cabrales cheeses and the modications that
can be introduced into the process to reduce the economic losses
due to high mite infestation. We can conclude that none of the
chemical methods of control assayed is suitable for the control of
A. farris. In contrast, the use of lower maturing temperatures
yielded the best results, though at 2  C the long time required for
the maturing period out-weighed the benet of very little mite
development. Our data suggest that the use of slightly higher
temperatures (46  C) would maintain the mite density below the
economic threshold without excessively delaying the standard
maturation period. Moreover, any residual mite population per-
sisting at maturation would remain low as Cabrales cheeses should
be kept refrigerated for their subsequent sale and consumption to
avoid quality losses.
Acknowledgements
The research reported in the present paper was funded by
CAPSA and the MCYT (project n. PTR95.0612.OP). We are grateful to
Philippe Balbarie (CAPSA) for his assistance in mite sampling.
66 I. Sanchez-Ramos, P. Castanera / Journal of Stored Products Research 45 (2009) 6166

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