NOVELTY - A mite composition comprises viable population of phytoseiid predatory mite species selected from Typhlodromus lailae, Amblyseius largoensis, preferably A. montdorensis; a viable factitious host population comprising at least one astigmatid mite species; and an artificial rearing substrate, which acts as a carrier during distribution. The astigmatid mite is selected from family of Acaridae, such as Acarus siro.    USE - The mite composition is for use in commercial crops for pest control. The crop pest is selected from thrip species i.e. Thrips tabaci and Frankliniella occidentalis, other local species, or 2 mite species from the family Tarsonemidae i.e. tomato russet mite Aculops lycopersici and broad mite i.e. Polyphagotarsonemus latus. The crop to be treated is tomato grown in glasshouses, plastic houses, netted shelters, or under field conditions. (all claimed)    ADVANTAGE - The combination of A. montdorensis with the factitious host A. siro allows a reliable production of the predator. Unlike one of the commonly used astigmatid species, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, which is notorious for contaminating other commercial systems within a commercial enterprise, A. siro does not actively move far if it accidentally escape from a rearing system. The gentle activity of the A. siro also does not disturb the predator females in their egg-laying pursuits. T. lailae, A. largoensis, and preferably Amblyseius montdorensis, with A. siro as the food, can be reared in convenient sized containers, providing arrangements for oxygen exchange. The food supply and rearing substrate, because of the free flowing inert nature, provides application advantages, relative to the nature of the crop, crop densities, plant configurations, and management practices. The predator can be applied directly on to individual plants using appropriate sized biodegradable shaker bottles. It can be provided to the grower in large bulk quantities for transfer to the tanks of back-pack blower machines for easy distribution over large beds of ornamental plants. The inert material vermiculite plus sterile dried particles of dried fruit product precludes the problems arising when bran flakes are included in the medium. Bran, which is the most common carrier and food used to introduce phytoseiid species into crops, is naturally infected with storage fungi such as Penicillium and Aspergillus species so that when they become wet after application to crops such as ornamental and stemmed flowers, mold growth occurs, which disfigures the leaves and makes the plant less attractive to the retail customer. With the new diet for the rearing system, growers of the crops can now safely use the sachet product. The use of fine, sterile particles of dried fruit material enhances the well being and thus strong development of the factitious host populations. The fine, sterile particles of dried fruit material help to maintain the medium at the correct moisture content, which is especially important when the predator prey mixture is contained in paper sachets hanging in the crop. They overcome also earlier problems where soon after planting when sachets were attached to a very young crop, the absence of leaf cover and the proximity of low lying heating pipes caused the contents to dry out very quickly. Intrinsic rate of development of A. montdorensis when reared on the factitious host A. siro was determined. Start population per replicate of 30000 nymph and adult predators was used. The test result showed intrinsic rate of increase over 10 days (averages of 8 replicates) of 1.6x (minimum), 4.1x (maximum), and 3.35x (mean).    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for rearing phytoseiid predatory species i.e. T. lailae, A. largoensis, and preferably A. montdorensis, comprising providing a combination of mites; and allowing the predatory population to feed the individuals of the factitious host.