SUMMARYIn two apple orchard trials, single high volume sprays of 25–50 mg permethrin/ litre greatly reduced numbers of the phytosend predatory miteTyphlodromus pyriwhether the spray was timed pre‐bloom at growth stages from ‘bud‐burst’ to ‘late green cluster’ or post‐bloom in June. At ‘bud‐burst’T. pyriwere partially protected in hibernating sites on the bark, but the lethal effect of the spray was only delayed; no appreciable selectivity could be obtained by this early timing. Bioassays showed that the persistent toxicity of permethrin residues on bark or on leaves declined to a low level within 20 days, and was related to the decline in residue levels determined by G.C. analyses. Residues were detectable for 3 months or longer. Resurgence of spider mites,Panonychus ulmi, occurred within 2 months after all spray timings, and effective predation byT. pyriwas only fully re‐establised after several months. In one trial, apple rust mite,Aculus schlechtendalialso increased whenT. pyriwas reduced by spraying. Tydeid mites we