If you are looking for the smallest, most damaging pest, then the Red Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae) should be on top of your list. Also called Two-spotted Spider Mite, this plant-feeding pest has origins in Europe but is now a cosmopolitan species that is so small, almost microscopic. It is red or green and spins a fine web beneath the leaves of a wide variety of both wild and cultivated plants. The mite prefers warm and dry places like greenhouses or summer temperatures and is very destructive since it reproduces quickly. It has five development life stages made up of two nymphal stages.
The Red Spider Mite has an overall length between .04”-.05” (1-1.3 mm). Red Spider Mites have a body length of .016”-.02” (.4-.5 mm), body width of .008”-.01” (.2-.3 mm), and body height of .006”-.008” (.15-.2 mm). The typical lifespan of the Red Spider Mite is between 2-4 weeks.
If you are looking for the smallest, most damaging pest, then the Red Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae) should be on top of your list. Also called Two-spotted Spider Mite, this plant-feeding pest has origins in Europe but is now a cosmopolitan species that is so small, almost microscopic. It is red or green and spins a fine web beneath the leaves of a wide variety of both wild and cultivated plants. The mite prefers warm and dry places like greenhouses or summer temperatures and is very destructive since it reproduces quickly. It has five development life stages made up of two nymphal stages.
The Red Spider Mite has an overall length between .04”-.05” (1-1.3 mm). Red Spider Mites have a body length of .016”-.02” (.4-.5 mm), body width of .008”-.01” (.2-.3 mm), and body height of .006”-.008” (.15-.2 mm). The typical lifespan of the Red Spider Mite is between 2-4 weeks.