Landscape IPM for Spider Mites

摘要

Spider mites are microscopically tiny (1/64 to 1/32 inch long; 0.4 to 0.8 mm), pinkish, red, brown, yellow, or green. They are smaller than the period at the end of this sentence, and mature mites, unlike insects, have 8 legs. Eggs are spherical andtranslucent. Spider mites live in colonies that contain hundreds of mites, and they leave pin-prick holes and a webby deposit on the underside of the leaves. A bad infestation may cause leaf yellowing, premature leaf death and defoliation. Where weatheris mild, they are active year-round. In cold weather they overwinter underneath bark, in leaf litter and trash. Their populations and their destructiveness are worst in hot weather. Spider mites are usually found first on trees or plants near dusty roadways or garden edges (Dreistadt 2004; Ohlendorf and Flint 2000).