Spider mite

Red spider mite

Description

Any of several small plant-feeding mites of the family Tetranychidae (subclass Acari). Spider mites obtained their name because they spin fine webs over the infested plant. They feed on house and garden plants, and can be a major problem in conservatories and orchards. The mites winter in cracks, crevices, mulch, and trash. Their development from egg to adult is 2 - 3 weeks. The adult insects are 0.5 - 0.7 mm long. While most mites are red, they can also be brown, yellow, orange, or green. The spider mite has become resistant to many pesticides; the current treatment is often the introduction of a predatory mite Phytoseiulus simili.

Two-spotted spider mites

Synonyms and Related Terms

red spider mites; two-spotted spider mite; European red mite; glasshouse spider mite

Additional Information

Link: Phytoseiulus mites

Additional Images

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  Spider mite

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  Spider mite

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  Spider mite

Authority

• Random House, Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "red spider" Encyclopdia Britannica [Accessed June 17, 2002].