tags: - public-ready - export-bio - index
Two-Spotted Spider Mite
Overview
Two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) is one of the most economically important mite pests in horticulture and protected cropping.
It is particularly important because of:
- explosive reproductive potential
- heat acceleration
- rapid hotspot formation
- webbing behaviour
- crop stress interaction
Crop relevance
Important in:
- strawberries
- cucumbers
- peppers
- ornamentals
- soft fruit
- nursery systems
- protected vegetables
Symptoms
Typical symptoms include:
- stippling
- bronzing
- leaf speckling
- webbing
- canopy decline
- hotspot collapse
- reduced vigour
Environmental drivers
Pressure strongly increases during:
- Hot dry weather
- low humidity
- plant water stress
- heatwaves
- dusty conditions
Biological control relevance
Common biological control includes:
Programme timing is critical because populations can accelerate extremely rapidly during hot weather.
IPM considerations
Effective programmes focus on:
- early hotspot detection
- predator continuity
- humidity stability
- stress reduction
- frequent monitoring
- rapid intervention during heat events