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.
Synonyms and Related Terms
red spider mites; two-spotted spider mite; European red mite; glasshouse spider mite
Additional Images
Spider mite
Spider mite
Spider mite
Resources and Citations
- Link: Phytoseiulus mites
- 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" [Accessed June 17, 2002].