Spider Mites Chapter 6 Section VII of the Pest Bear & Affiliates Service Personnel Development Program , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Introduction Mites are small arthropods, with the head and thorax fused into a cephalothorax. They have sucking mouthparts, no antennae and 4 pair of legs as adults Their lifecycle consists of egg, larva, nymph and adult stages Their lifecycle usually only takes 2-3 weeks and results in rapid population increase and huge populations under favorable conditions , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Mites can be pests of both plants and animals Pests of man include Chiggers, Rat Mites, Paper Mites and Mange Pests of plants include Spider Mites, as the most common Broad or Cyclamen Mites Plant mites are common pests of ornamental plants Increased usage of house plants has made Spider Mites a household pest Introduction , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Spider Mites Spider mites are a common pest of ornamental plants Maintaining indoor ornamental plants has become a large business in recent years Tetrancychus urticae or the two-spotted spider mite is the most commonly found species Mites are not insects and are closely related to spiders and ticks , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Adult spider mites, spiders and ticks all have eight legs as adults mature mites are generally less than 1/50” in length and found on the underside of foliage Because mites generally stay on the underside of the foliage, infestations are often not found until the plants begin to exhibit damage House plants should be inspected for spider mites while performing regular pest control service Spider Mites , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Mites have needle-like, piercing- sucking mouthparts When feeding they puncture the leaf and suck out the plant juices If the infestation is light, the damage may only appear as yellow or gray stippled patterns on the leaves When heavy infestations occur, you can often find a fine silken webbing spun across the underside of the leaves Spider Mites , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Heavy Spider Mite Infestations Heavy infestations may cause the leaves to turn yellow, gray or brown and they may fall off Webbing may be spun over large areas of the plant and in the case of small plants, the entire plant may be enclosed in the silken webbing To view the mites, examine the underside of the leaves with a 10-15x magnifying glass The characteristic leaf coloring and webbing is usually a clear indication of a spider mite infestation , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Spider mites may be green, yellow, black or virtually transparent The body contents sometimes can be seen through the transparent body wall, which gives them a spotted appearance Their caste skins area also commonly seen among the mites and this is what gives the underside of the leaves a grayish color Spider Mites , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Adult females may lay several hundred eggs during her life The eggs hatch in about three days and the development from egg to adult may take as little as 7-10 days They will molt three times before becoming adults There are many overlapping generations in a single year Spider Mites , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

The plants which are frequent hosts of spider mites include: azaleas, camellias, and chrysanthemums citrus, ligustrum, orchids, and pyracantha roses, viburnum, and bedding plants They are persistent pests of interior foliage plants They do more severe damage during periods of dry weather Spider Mites , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Broad and cyclamen mites These mites are translucent Very small, about 1/100” Their presence is usually noted because of plant injury rather than visual observation of the mites themselves Symptoms include curled or cupped new leaves or the new leaves do not expand Heavy infestations often kill the plant by causing death of the shoot apex , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Conclusion Spider mites and other mites are definitely pests of ornamental plants, but the introduction of interior plants has changed their status to include being considered an household pest Recognizing the symptoms of mites attacking interior plants enhances your professional image When you see mite damage, bring it to the attention of the homeowner , Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved