Food Web for Spider Mites
Spider mites are a common pest that affect gardens, forests, the commercial produce industry and even house plants. Plants affected by spider mites start to show dead spots and discoloration, taking on a bronze tinge. Their food web spans a lot of species because they consume almost every type of plant as well as have several types of predators, including several other species of mites.
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Features
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Spider mites are a member of the arachnid family, which also includes spiders, ticks and scorpions. They are one of the smaller members of this family, often hard to see with the naked eye. Spider mites range in color from red and brown to yellow and green and often change colors based on the season. In high populations, spider mites often produce webbing to protect them and their eggs from weather changes and predators. They lie their eggs near the veins of the plants during growing season and become more active in the summer months. Spider mites prefer dry climates.
Types
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The most common spider mite found in gardens is the two-spotted spider mite, which attacks a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers. It is also found on a variety of house plants. The fruit tree spider mite is a well-known pest to the commercial fruit industry, and the spruce spider mite is a popular forest mite.
Diet
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Spider mites feast on a variety of plants, depending on the type of mite and the climate of the area. They cause injury to plants as they feed, bruising plant cells with their whip-like mouth parts and ingesting the sap. Damaged areas appear bruised and discolored, but mites are rarely seen. Spider mites attack a variety of plants, including fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees and bushes and even turf grass.
Predators
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Natural predators provide a high level of control for spider mites. Unfortunately, many of those predators are viewed as pests as well and are killed with pesticides. The biggest predator of spider mites is other, larger mites. Lady beetles, minute pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs and predatory thrips are other predators. There is a species of lady beetles known as "spider mite destroyers" because of their skilled predatory attacks. Syrphid flies and lacewigs also eat spider mites.
Control
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Adequate watering of plants during dry conditions can help keep plants from succumbing to drought stress, which can result in a spider mite infestation. Periodically hosing down the plants can also kill many spider mites, who are adverse to overly wet conditions. Spider-mite specific pesticides are also available, but they have no effect on the eggs and must be reapplied every 10 to 14 days.
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