Crops: Tomato Insect Pests
Two spotted spider mites - Tetranichus urticae
- Two spotted spider mites are very small (1/80 - 1/60 inch long), with 2 spots on their back
- Pests that are a problem usually in during hot dry weather.
- Mites overwinter in leaf debris in and around fields.
- Females find their way into fields by climbing to the top of their feeding site and releasing a long string of silk from their abdomen that catches a breeze and they become airborne.
- Because they have such a wide host range, wherever they land they can usually start to feed.
- Females can lay 50-100 spherical eggs. Unfertilized eggs turn into males, and fertilized ones turn into females. The life cycle of the mites can be as short as 5-7 days in the summer.
- Mite infestations usually start on the field edge and move towards the center over time.
- Hot, dry weather conditions favor rapid development of eggs, increases feeding of nymphs and adults.
- Dusty conditions also favor mite activity. Both nymph and adult mites feed by piercing the cell walls of the leaf and sucking out the juices.
- Two spotted spider mites damage appears as a yellow discoloration or a mottled sand blasted appearance on tomato leaves, which can take on a bronze, then brown color.
- During hot, dry conditions continue for several weeks, fields should be checked closely, especially along borders and near grassy areas.
- The underside of several lower leaves should be checked for mite activity.
