[1] Because of their usefulness as biological control agents, interest in Phytoseiidae has steadily increased over the past century.

[5] Phytoseiid mites are best known as predators of small arthropods and nematodes, but many species are also known to feed on fungi, plant exudates, and pollen.

Since World War II, spider mite (tetranychid) populations have increased due to the use of synthetic pesticides.

[10] The reason pesticides have increased spider mite populations remains mysterious to scientists, but it has spurred an interest in phytoseiids as biological control agents.

[10] So far, research has shown that phytoseiids are effective control agents in both their native environments and open-field vegetable crops.

[12] When prey availability increases, females lay more eggs, and more healthy offspring are produced during reproductive periods.

[13] Wolbachia, a parasitic bacterial genus that affects a vast array of arthropod species such as Drosophila simulans, is common in the Phytoseiidae.

[16] Wolbachia's main method of spreading is to be passed down through the generations in germline tissues, but it is also capable of being transferred horizontally.

[14][16] Although Wolbachia bacteria do not benefit their hosts in any way, they are maintained in the population because infected mothers pass them to their offspring through the ovum.

[15] In extreme cases, the feminizing effect of Wolbachia can cause the host species to lose the chromosome responsible for female gender.