Adult Citrus red mites (Panonychus citri) are dark red, bordering on purple and their eggs are also dark red. The mites disperse by holding on to a silken thread they produce, and floating on air streams. The citrus red mite is most often associated with citrus but may infest pears, almond, roses and other broad-leaved ornamentals.
Damage
Citrus red mite mainly feed on fully expanded leaves and fruit, causing stippling. Small yellow spots will appear on damaged leaves. Severe infestations can cause leaf drop, fruit drop and twig dieback. Twig dieback, also known as “firing” can be severe, especially during the winter months. Fruit that has high infestation rates can appear silver to grey in color but fruit color development may be unaffected. A heavy infestation of citrus red mite can cause defoliation, low quality fruit and even tree death, if left untreated.
There are specific natural enemies for different species of mites.
For more information contact your local BioBee field agent.
