Abstract: Schwiebea similis Manson, is a new pest mite in grown areas of American ginseng, Panax quinquefolium L., in Liuba County, Shaanxi Province. To explore the potential effects of agricultural control on the pest, feeding and reproductive choice experiment was conducted with 9 food crops under 5 rearing te mperatures to investigate the preference of Schwiebea similis. 2 sets of experiments were conducted with both Latin square and two-factor designs, and parent mites were reared and observed for one generation time, the mites feeding and reproductive choices on the crops were assessed with mean values of parent and filial offsprin g mites on each food tested. Results of the 2 experiment sets showed that the differences among mean values of mites were significant( P < 0.01), and the rank of mean value on food crops from high to low was garlic (Allium sativum, clove), potato (Solanum tuberosum, tuber), Chinese yam (Dioscorea opposite, tuber), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium, taproot), turnip (Raphanus sativus, taproot), carrot (Daucus carota, taproot), spring onion (Allium fistulosum, white leaf-s heath), ginger (Zingiber officinale, rhizome), and wheat (Triticum aestivum, fibrous root). In the extent of test temperatures, significant differences (P<0.01) also existed among mean values of mites. Its living and reproduction temperature was close to optimum at 24.5℃, proper at 15.6- 21.2℃, and less proper at 27.2℃. The target mite did not like feeding on wheat (fibrous roots), which suggested that lower population densities of root mites were in fields with pre- stubbles of wheat or other crops of Gramineae which might be suitable to rotate with American ginseng.