A to Z of Pests

Plant Mite

Tetranychus urticae

Appearance

• Adults 1mm long.
• They are pale to light green and have two red eyespots near the head. Females usually have a large dark patch on each side of the body, with numerous bristles covering the legs / body.

Lifecycle

• Eggs are pearly-white and are laid on the underside of infested leaves and hatch in 3 days. The female can lay several hundred eggs during her lifetime.
• The length of time from egg to adult varies between five and twenty days. The young look similar to the adults, except they are smaller and have only 3 pair of legs.
• The adult female lives for two to four weeks.

Habits

• These mites produce a silk webbing that covers infested leaves. They can attack ornamental plants, fruit/vegetable crops, some trees and plants in greenhouses.
• This mite prefers the hot, dry weather of summer and autumn but may occur anytime during the year.
• Overwintering females hibernate in ground litter or under the bark of trees or shrubs.