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Red spider mite

Lower leaves get tiny yellow dots, turn rusty brown and fall in the dry season, with fine webbing under the leaves.

Tetranychus kanzawai, Tetranychus urticae Mite Fact sheet
A red spider mite (Tetranychus) and its eggs on a leaf, seen up close
Photo: Wynand Uys, CC BY, via iNaturalist

Crops it attacks

Kamoteng kahoy Cassava Talong Eggplant Sili Chili Atsal Bell pepper Kamatis Tomato Pakwan Watermelon Milon Melon Pipino Cucumber Sayote Chayote Okra Presa Strawberry Papaya Mangostan Mangosteen

Where the damage shows

On the leavesOn fruits, pods or nuts

When to act

In hot, dry weather check the underside of 20 leaves at 5 spots each week with a hand lens. Act when mites or fine webbing show on more than 1 in 4 leaves and you see few predatory mites.

What to spray

Active ingredients only, never brands. The IRAC group tells how it works: switch to a different group next time, so the pest does not learn to survive it. Spray only when the damage is worth the cost, and only with products registered with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority for your crop. Follow the label. The Shopee and Lazada links only show who sells something with that active ingredient, not a recommendation of any seller or product.

Resistance: Two spotted spider mite resists acaricides fast, and in Asia it often survives abamectin and old organophosphates. Keep one group per window and switch: abamectin (6), then hexythiazox (10A), then spiromesifen (23) or sulfur, using no group more than twice a crop.

On labels for it, but not advised

  • Alpha cypermethrin: Pyrethroids kill predatory mites and set off spider mite outbreaks.
  • Pyriproxyfen: Made for whitefly and scales. It does little against spider mites.

How to prevent it

  • Mites boom in hot, dry, dusty weather. Water regularly and keep dust down on paths beside the field.
  • Avoid pyrethroid and carbaryl sprays, which kill predatory mites and set off mite outbreaks.
  • Remove weeds and old crop remains that carry mites, and do not plant beside an infested crop.
  • Pick off and destroy the first webbed leaves. A strong water spray under the leaves knocks mites down.
  • Feed in balance. Too much nitrogen speeds up mite build up.

Natural enemies and biological help

  • Predatory mites such as Amblyseius longispinosus and Phytoseiulus, small black Stethorus lady beetles and predatory thrips eat spider mites.
  • Soap, oil and neem sprays under the leaves kill mites with less harm to the predators.

Where this comes from

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