Hobbies And Interests

Red Spider Mite Life Cycle

Red spider mites are wingless arachnids that start life with six legs and add two more as adults. They are barely visible to the human eye, but seen up close they look like their name suggests: tiny red spiders. The most common is the Southern red spider mite, though there also is a European red spider mite.
  1. Temperature

    • The life cycle of a red spider mite can range from a few weeks to a month, depending on the temperature of their environment. In temperatures in the upper 80s and above, mites are born, become adults, lay eggs and die, all within a week or so. In lower temperatures, the process slows down, though the number of eggs produced is roughly the same.

    Eggs

    • Eggs are typically laid in small groups on the underside of leaves, often near its veins. During her lifespan, one adult red spider mite can lay more than 100 eggs.

    Middle Stages

    • Eggs hatch after four to seven days, depending on warmth and humidity. At this larval stage, mites have six legs. Within about six days, they will pass through the protonymph and deutonymph stages, during which they add two more legs.

    Adults

    • Adult spider mites can live anywhere from 10 to 30 days. The female will begin laying new eggs after about three days as an adult, producing five or more eggs in one day.

    What They Eat

    • Throughout their lives, spider mites feed on plant cells. Plants and flowers that have an infestation of mites will show feeding marks: small, yellow specks. A silken web can also often be detected. Plants left untreated will turn brown and die.


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