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Mites
Latin Name: Tyrophagus sp.
Common Name: Cheese Mites
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
The mite is found throughout the world and its origin is uncertain.
Biology:
While this cosmopolitan mite is an important pest problem in stored foods such as flour, cereal products, dried fruit and dried meats, and even in mattresses and stuffed furniture, it also is used deliberately to impart a distinctive flavor to certain cheeses. During the production of the cheese the mites are introduced to it and eventually will completely cover the cheese with mites, their molted exoskeletons, and their feces, providing what is described as a certain “piquant” flavor. Their presence in numbers like these gives the food the appearance of having a thick layer of dust on it.
Identification:
Adult mites are only one third of a millimeter long and grayish white with pink legs. The body is oval and at the front appears pinched, with the mouthparts
Latin Name: Dermanyssus gallinae
Common Name: Chicken Mite
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
Due to its worldwide presence on so many different birds the origin of this species is likely unknown.
Biology:
This common mite is a parasite on all kinds of domestic poultry as well as pigeons, sparrows, starlings, and many other birds. It is found throughout the world. Particularly in the absence of its preferred bird hosts the mites will move about within a structure where birds have been nesting or roosting and will bite humans. The bites are said to cause a painful skin irritation. Bird mites in general cannot continue to breed and survive without their bird hosts. Eggs will normally be deposited on the host bird with only a few eggs produced by each female. However, development from egg to adult mite completes in a week or less, and populations can build up rapidly because of this. The eggs hatch to a larva, the larva molts to
Latin Name: Trombicula sp.
Common Name: Chiggers
Latin Family Name: Trombiculidae
Other Names: Red bug
Pest Details
Origin:
Several species of chiggers are native to North America, most commonly encountered in the southern states of the U.S. and commonly throughout Latin America.
Biology:
The adults of these mites are free-living predatory mites, feeding on other mites and possibly tiny insects. It is the larval stage, or first instar, which is called the chigger, and it is a parasite on humans and many animals, including other mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. On humans they tend to bite the skin around the ankles or belt area, where clothing fits tightly against the skin. The adult mites overwinter in the soil, producing their eggs with the warmth of spring. They then die, and the new chigger stages emerge from the eggs to seek their food sources. They are rapid crawlers, living in tall grass and other vegetation
Latin Name: Bryobia praetiosa
Common Name: Clover Mite
Latin Family Name: Tetranychidae
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
This is a native species of mite in North America.
Biology:
The mites in this family are primarily plant parasites, and many of them are serious pests of crops and ornamentals. The clover mite feeds on many kinds of trees, shrubs, bedding plants and turf, but does not bite humans. It becomes a problem when it invades structures in large numbers, especially during warm periods of the year. When crushed they leave small red stains on the surface. No male clover mites have been found, with females reproducing by parthenogenesis. Reproduction is rapid, with hundreds of thousands of mites being produced in a very short time. Eggs are laid in cracks on almost any surface, including trees and the outside of buildings. All stages of the mites may overwinter, although the egg stage is the
Latin Name: Acarus siro
Common Name: Grain Mite
Other Names: Baker’s itch mite
Pest Details
Origin:
It is found throughout the world and its origin is uncertain.
Biology:
This species of mite is a common pest in dried food products such as cereals, feed, cheese, flour, and dried fruits, and is found throughout the world. Its presence imparts a sour taste to the food and encourages deterioration of it in storage. High humidity and damp conditions encourage their presence and reproduction, with a relative humidity below 62% causing them to die. Complete development from egg to adult takes less than 3 weeks when conditions are favorable, and under optimal conditions the reproductive rate is staggering, with millions of mites produced within just a few months.
Identification:
Adult mites are only one third of a millimeter long and grayish white with pink legs. The body is oval and at the front appears pinched, with the mouthparts
Latin Name: Ornithonyssus sylviarum
Common Name: Northern Fowl Mite
Other Names: Bird mite
Pest Details
Origin:
The origin of this mite is likely to be unknown, as it is found throughout the world in temperate regions.
Biology:
This common mite is a parasite on all kinds of domestic poultry as well as pigeons, sparrows, starlings, and many other birds. It is found throughout the world. Particularly in the absence of its preferred bird hosts the mites will move about within a structure where birds have been nesting or roosting and will bite humans. The bites are said to cause a painful skin irritation. Bird mites in general cannot continue to breed and survive without their bird hosts. Eggs will normally be deposited on the host bird with only a few eggs produced by each female. However, development from egg to adult mite completes in a week or less, and populations can build up rapidly because of this. The eggs hatch to
Latin Name: Pyemotes tritici
Common Name: Straw Itch Mite
Other Names: Grain itch mite
Pest Details
Origin:
Unknown, as the mites are found throughout the world, transported in infested materials with trade and commerce for many centuries.
Biology:
This mite is a paradox. For much of its life it feeds on the larvae of other insects, but when humans come into contact with the medium of the mites and their normal host insects they will be bitten as well. Since the normal hosts of the mites may be moth or beetle larvae associated with grains or straw used for bedding, when humans are attacked it is referred to as “straw itch”, or also barley, grain, mattress, or hay itch. The effect on bitten humans can be a severe rash and pustules, extreme itching, and fever, all of which may require a month to dissipate. The life cycle is peculiar, with the male often spending its entire life on the distended abdomen of the female as a parasite on
Latin Name: Ornithonyssus bacoti
Common Name: Tropical Rat Mite
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
The origin of this mite is likely to be unknown, as it is found throughout the world in temperate regions.
Biology:
This common mite is a parasite on all kinds of mammals, including rodents such as rats and mice, squirrels, and others, as well as opossum, raccoons, cats, and even on birds. It is found throughout the world where peridomestic rats occur. Particularly in the absence of its preferred hosts the mites will move about within a structure where rodents have been nesting and will bite humans. The bites are said to cause a painful skin irritation. Rat mites in general cannot continue to breed and survive without their mammal hosts. Eggs will normally be deposited on the animal with only a few eggs produced by each female. However, development from egg to adult mite completes in a week or less, and populations
Latin Name: Tetranychus urticae
Common Name: Twospotted Spider Mite
Other Names: Plant mite
Pest Details
Origin:
While this mite was first described in Europe it is considered to be native to the temperate zones of the world, and now can be found in sub-tropical areas as well. It survives cold winters in northern climates by living in greenhouses.
Biology:
Eggs are deposited within a layer of silk webbing produced by the mites and they hatch in just 3 days. Development from egg to adult mite, under ideal conditions, may be completed in 1 week. The stages of development are egg, larva, two nymph stages, and adult, and adult mites may live for several weeks. Females are capable of producing several hundred eggs and multiple generations will occur in each year. The mites feed with a needle-like piercing mouth that enables them to remove plant fluids, and damage shows as small, discolored spots at the point of feeding.
Latin Name: Penthaleus major
Common Name: Winter Grain Mite
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
Possibly native to North America.
Biology:
This mite can be a serious pest in lawns, pastures and other areas where grasses are grown throughout the cool season. There usually will be two generations each year, beginning with mites emerging from eggs laid in the soil that have passed the summer months in the soil. These first mites emerge in the fall and populations peak in mid-winter, with new eggs deposited. The second generation emerges from these eggs and these populations peak in late spring, gradually disappearing as the weather gets warmer. The mites are active at night and on cloudy days, moving under plant materials or into the soil on sunny days. The visible damage is to the foliage, but the mites may also move down to feed on the crowns, and at this point are more likely to kill the grass plants.
Identification:
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