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The Guide to Caring for Your Plants

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Learn to recognize pests and how to combat them

IdMicrobe

Pest Guide

Symptoms, treatments and recommendations for treating red spider mites

Red Spider

Tetranychus Urticae

Pathogen:

Insect

Type:

Risk:

HIGH

Araña roja

Plantas decorativas de jardín y/o interior

Red spider: Symptoms and damage in decorative garden and/or indoor plants

Damage caused by red spider mites on decorative garden and/or indoor plants

WHO CAUSES IT?

Tetranychus urticae, commonly known as spider mite, is a tiny mite that infests various plants. Adult females deposit their spherical, transparent eggs on the lower surface of the leaves. These eggs hatch within a few days, giving rise to six-legged larvae that quickly transform into eight-legged nymphs. Nymphs go through two instars before becoming adults. This development can be completed in less than a week under favorable conditions, allowing spider mite populations to multiply rapidly. Adult females, reddish or greenish-yellow in color with two dark dorsal Taches, can live for several weeks, during which they lay hundreds of eggs, thus ensuring the continuity of the infestation.

SYMPTOMS

Infestation by Tetranychus urticae in plants causes the disease known as red spider, which weakens and severely damages plants. These mites feed by sucking the cellular contents of the leaves, which reduces the photosynthetic capacity and causes considerable stress in the plants. Symptoms of this disease include:

- Appearance of yellow or tan Taches on the leaves.
- Discolored and dry leaves.
- Mottled or spotted leaf tissues.
- Premature loss of leaves.
- Reduction of plant vigor and growth.
- Presence of fine cobwebs on the underside of the leaves and between the shoots.
- Visible damage to shoots and fruits, especially in cases of severe infestations.

Red spider on decorative garden and/or indoor plants: How to recognize and treat it effectively

TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY

20°C - 30°C

40% - 60%

TRANSMISSION PATHS

Wind, contaminated garden tools, direct contact between plants, exchange of infected plants, flying insects

Do you want to remove this pest? Choose how you want to treat it.

TREATMENTS

Chemical treatment

• ABAMECTIN 1.8% [EC] P/V
• RAPE OIL 1.53% [AL] P/V
• RAPE OIL 848.24 g/l [EC] P/V
• ORANGE OIL 60g/L [ME] P/S
• PARAFFIN OIL (CAS [97862-82-3]) 80% [EC] P/V
• SULFUR 80% [SC] P/V
• SULFUR 80% [WG] P/P
• SULFUR 80% [WP] P/P
• BIPHENAZATE 24% [SC] P/V
• PHENPIROXIMATE 5.12% [SC] P/V
• HEXITIAZOX 10% [WP] P/P
• MILBEMECTIN 0.93% [EC] P/V
• POTASSIUM SALTS OF UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS C7-C18 & C18 (CAS [67701-09-1] 515g/L [SL] P/V
• POTASSIUM SALTS OF UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS C7-C18 & C18 10.2g/L [AL] P/V
• TAU-FLUVALINATE 24% [EW] P/V

Authorized treatments in organic farming

• RAPE OIL 1.53% [AL] P/V
• RAPE OIL 848.24 g/l [EC] P/V
• ORANGE OIL 60g/L [ME] P/S
• PARAFFIN OIL (CAS [97862-82-3]) 80% [EC] P/V
• SULFUR 80% [SC] P/V
• SULFUR 80% [WG] P/P
• SULFUR 80% [WP] P/P
• POTASSIUM SALTS OF UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS C7-C18 & C18 (CAS [67701-09-1] 515g/L [SL] P/V
• POTASSIUM SALTS OF UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS C7-C18 & C18 10.2g/L [AL] P/V

Biological control

• AMBLYSEIUS ANDERSONI (parasitoid and predatory mites)
• BEAUVERIA BASSIANA (STRAIN ATCC 74040) 2.3% (2.3X10E7 VIABLE SPORES/ML) [OD] P/V
• NEOSEIULUS CALIFORNICUS (parasitoid and predatory mites)
• PHYTOSEIULUS PERSIMILIS (parasitoid and predatory mites)

Recommendations

- Regularly monitor plants for the presence of mites.
- Use horticultural oils and insecticidal soaps to suffocate and eliminate mites.
- Introduce and encourage the presence of natural enemies such as predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis).
- Maintain adequate ventilation and humidity in the crop to discourage the development of red spiders.
- Apply balanced irrigation and fertilization to keep plants vigorous and less susceptible to infestations.
- Use sticky traps to monitor the presence of flying mites.
- Carry out crop rotations to interrupt the life cycle of the red spider.
- Implement preventive phytosanitary treatments during times of greatest risk.
- Prune and remove infested parts of the plant to reduce the mite population.
- Avoid excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers, which can promote the growth of red spider mites.