Hi Lois,
Your assumption is correct. Overwintering two spotted spider mites
are orange while McDaniel mites assume a yellow appearance while
overwintering. Sometimes if populations are high in the fall, the
mites will congregate in the calyx end and remain there in storage. I
have not seen McDaniel mites in the eastern US (its not to say that
they are not here, though).
On another note, sometimes predatory mites will overwinter in the
same areas as the two-spotted and McDaniel mites, and occasionally
"snack" on nearby pestiferous mites.
Peter
On Feb 21, 2007, at 11:25 AM, Los, Lorraine wrote:
Hello all,
A Connecticut grower brought me an apple and a piece of apple bark
that appear to have overwintering (orange form) two-spotted spider
mites. The clusters of orange mites are in the calyx end of the
Melrose apple and on the underside of the piece of bark (also from
a Melrose tree) taken from the trunk approx. 5-6 feet above the
ground. The samples were taken on 11/17/06. I am assuming these
are twospotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae, but also wondered
if there are other mites to consider. Also, is the McDaniel mite
(T. mcdanieli) only found on the west coast of North America?
Thanks,
Lorraine
Lorraine Los
Fruit Crops IPM Coordinator
Plant Science Department, U-4067
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269-4067
(860)486-6449 (Phone)
(860)486-0682 (Fax)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dr. Peter W. Shearer
Extension Specialist in Tree Fruit Entomology
Rutgers University
Rutgers Agricultural Research & Extension Center
121 Northville Road
Bridgeton, NJ 08302-5919
(856) 455-3100 ext. 4110
(856) 455-3133 fax
