European Red Mite

The European Red Mite, Panonychus ulmi, is a species of introduced spider mite.  Due to its high fecundity and short generation time, it is regarded as a major agricultural pest of fruit trees, grapes, and some berries. It has an extremely wide host range of well over 100 species of plants, and is cosmopolitan in its distribution.  Some apple cultivars, such as ‘Red Delicious’ and ‘Braeburn’, are particularly likely to experience problems with this mite (in other words, high populations and damage levels).  Hot, dry and dusty conditions favor the buildup of this mite and other spider mite populations.

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