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Description
Red spider mites are nearly invisible to the naked eye, measuring around .5 mm. They are brownish green in the spring and summer, then turn reddish in the late fall. There are some subspecies that remain greenish all year long. No matter what time of year, red spider mites have two dark spots on either side of their oval-shaped body. The insect is also recognizable by eight legs, typical of arachnids. Males are slightly bigger than females.
Eggs
Female red spider mites will lay eggs approximately two days after mating. Interestingly, any of the unfertilized eggs grow into male red spider mites, while all fertilized eggs produce females. Female red spider mites will lay over a hundred eggs, fastened to the underside of a leaf with a silky web netting, and the eggs will hatch within three days.
Growth Stages
Once the eggs hatch, the red spider mite larvae will develop at a rapid rate. The temperature plays a big role in how fast the larvae move through the protonymph and deutonymph stages. The larvae emerge from the egg with six legs, but after molting twice, develop eight legs. Most spider mites reach adulthood within 4 to 20 days of emerging from an egg. Because of this rapid maturation, several generations of red spider mites can develop over a season, creating thousands residing within a small area.
Reproduction
Male and female red spider mites are sexually mature after completing the deutonymph stage. Most outdoor reproduction occurs during the growing season, in warm dry weather. Red spider mites that reside indoors, such as on houseplants or in greenhouses, can reproduce throughout the year. Because of the accelerated life cycle of red spider mites, its possible to see more than 20 generations in a single year--hatching, growing, reproducing and laying eggs.
Death
Cool weather brings an end to the rapid reproduction, and most spider mites die within about 50 days of being born. The only red spider mites that live during cooler weather is the fully mature females. Known as winter females, these reddish orange insects burrow into shelters, only to emerge in the spring. Eggs can also survive cooler temperatures while affixed to sheltered vegetation and hatch in the warmer temperatures of spring.