Two-Spotted Mite
Scientific Name:
Tetranychus urticae
How to identify two-spotted mite:
Two-spotted mite adults are usually less than 0.5 mm long with eight legs, and their spider‐like appearance can only just be seen with the naked eye. Under a x10 hand lens, the active form appears translucent or sometimes greenish with two conspicuous black spots on the body.
Immature Stages of Two-Spotted Mites: The clear, spherical egg is followed by three immature stages that are similar to the adult stage. All stages of the life cycle occur together, mostly near the veins of the underside of leaves.
What is the biology and lifecycle of two-spotted mites?
The mite spends winters either as an orange, inactive, fertilised female in debris or as the active two-spotted form, breeding on other leafy hosts. The life cycle can be completed in 1‐4 weeks, depending on temperature, and there are many overlapping generations each year. Populations increase rapidly in hot dry weather.
