Spider Mites Chapter 6 Section VII of the Pest Bear & Affiliates Service Personnel Development Program 2005 Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating,

Spider Mites

Chapter 6

Section VII

of the

Pest Bear & AffiliatesService Personnel Development Program

2005

Copyright @ 2005-2006, 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


Mites can be pests of both plants and animals

Pests of man includeChiggers, Rat Mites, Paper Mites and Mange

Pests of plants includeSpider 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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Spider Mites Chapter 6 Section VII of the Pest Bear & Affiliates Service Personnel Development Program 2005 Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating,

Documents

spider mites spider

adult spider mites

cyclamen mites plant

spider mites chapter

introduction mites

leaves spider mites

rat mites

paper mites