FREE DELIVERY FOR ALL ORDERS OVER £50 (Excluding Bumblebee Colony Orders & Product Subscriptions)
FREE DELIVERY FOR ALL ORDERS OVER £50 (Excluding Bumblebee Colony Orders & Product Subscriptions)
The Fruit Tree Mite (Panonychus ulmi), also known as the European Red Mite, is predominantly a pest of Apple, Pear, Plum and Cherry fruit trees. Fruit Tree Mites may, however, also attack a range of woody plants and have been identified infesting roses and other ornamentals. The mites originated from Europe but are now spreading across the world, particularly in apple trees.
Fruit Tree Mite eggs are oval, dark red, with a thin stalk on top; not too dissimilar to an onion. Adult female mites are also oval shaped, brick red, with white hairs and white spots. Adult males are more slender and of a yellowish red colouring.
Fruit Tree Mite life cycles are fastened in higher temperatures, with development from egg to adult taking about 2 weeks at 21°C. There can be multiple generations in a single year. They will overwinter during their egg stage in the autumn in wooden areas of host plants.
Fruit Tree Mites mainly feed on the underside of leaves but will move to upper leaf surfaces if the lower side becomes crowded. In contrast to Spider Mites (Tetranychus urticae), Fruit Tree Mites do not produce large amount of webbing.
As Fruit Tree Mites feed on the leaves of trees, brown spots will become apparent on the leaves. This will lead to leaves losing their colour, often referred to as "bronzing". If infestations are significant, leaves will drop from the trees.
Fruit Tree Mites can be controlled naturally with Dragonfli's dedicated Fruit Tree Mite Killer which contains Amblyseius andersoni predatory mites. Simply sprinkle the predators and carrier material over infested plants, this will release a large amount of predators immediately over the plant to seek out and kill the Fruit Tree Mites. Repeat treatment may be required to maintain predator numbers.
Amblyseius andersoni Sachets can also be hung onto infested fruit trees, releasing the predatory mites more slowly but over a more sustained period for up to 4 weeks. This ensures a continual presence of the pest on the trees, acting as an insurance policy against new or small scale infestations.
