Figure 3—Yellowing symptoms on coconut 

palm caused by feeding of the RPM. 

APHIS photo by PPQ technician Joel Perez.

Figure 4—Banana leaf with characteristic 

yellowing pattern caused by the feeding of RPMs. 

Photo by Farzan Hosein (Ministry of Agriculture, Land 

and Marine Resources, Trinidad and Tobago) and 

reproduced by permission.

Figure 1—Nymphs and adults of red palm mite, Raoiella indica, on a coconut leaf. Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) photo by Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) employee Silvia Jimenez.

Figure 2—A coconut palm frond with 

groupings of RPMs and cast-off skins of 

molted mites. 

APHIS Photo by PPQ entomologist Ethan Kane.

Atiny, brightly colored species of mite is causing damage to palms and banana plants in the Caribbean, which 

raises increased concern about its possible introduction into 

the continental United States. The red palm mite (RPM), 

Raoiella indica Hirst, originated in southern Asia, the Middle 

East, and eastern Africa. Since 2004, however, it has been 

found in large numbers damaging host plants on several 

island nations and U.S. territories in the Caribbean. In this 

hemisphere, the mites were first found in Martinique, Saint 

Lucia, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Trinidad, and most recently in 

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Primary hosts for the RPM are members of the palm family, 

including coconut and date palms, plus several ornamental 

palms such as the queen, princess, Christmas, fan, and Canary 

Island palms. In addition, banana and plantain plants in the 

Caribbean have suffered significant damage from the feeding of 

RPM populations. This pest has also been observed on gingers, 

heliconias, and bird of paradise plants. While it is not unusual 

to find RPMs on a wide variety of plant species in heavily 

infested localities, many of these plants will not likely support 

the development and reproduction of the mites.

Finding and Recognizing the 

Red Palm Mite

RPMs are small (less than 1 mm) with eggs, nymphs, and adult 

stages all red to orange-red in color. The mites are typically 

found in groups, feeding on the undersides of leaves, but can 

also be found on fruits and other parts of the plant. These 

groups typically consist of several life stages (see figs. 1 and 2), 

forming distinct clumps of mites, often mixed with cast-off 

skins of molted mites. These stages can be easily seen with a 

10×-power hand lens.

RPMs may be present on plants for weeks before symptoms 

can be seen. In the crowns of taller palm trees, RPMs can 

increase their populations and may not be detected on 

understory plants until the mites are spread from above by 

wind, a typical dispersal method.

What Plant Symptoms To Look For

On palms, yellowing of leaf tissue is visible plant damage that 

can be caused by feeding of the mite (fig. 3). The yellow areas 

may become necrotic and brown in advanced cases. The 

yellowing of palm leaves may be mistaken for the symptoms of 

lethal yellowing disease or nutrient deficiencies, but mites are 

not associated with lethal yellowing disease. On banana plants 

severely infested by the RPM, the leaves have large areas of 

yellow originating along the margins of the leaf (fig. 4).

How the Red Palm Mite Spreads

How the RPM arrived in the Caribbean remains unknown. 

RPM can spread by wind currents, and this may be how the 

pest has spread among the islands of the Caribbean. Mites 

on fresh palm leaves, handicraft articles, host flowers in floral 

arrangements, or cut flowers can also be transported to new 

locations via those commodities. Infested nursery stock is a 

potential pathway for moving the mites long distances. 

If You Think You Have Seen 

Red Palm Mites

Please report any suspected damage from RPM or provide 

mite specimens to your State department of agriculture, 

extension agent, or the Plant Protection and Quarantine office 

of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in your area. Look 

for a local USDA–APHIS phone number in the blue pages of 

your telephone book. Or visit this Web site:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/red_

palm_mite/index.shtml

for more information about the RPM.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits 

discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of 

race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, 

sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual 

orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or 

because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any 

public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all 

programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means 

for communication of program information (Braille, large print, 

audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 

720–2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, 

write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250–9410, or call (800) 

795–3272 (voice) or (202) 720–6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer.

Photo credits: The scanning electron microscope shot of a red palm mite on the cover 

was taken in black and white by Eric Erbe and colorized by Chris Pooley, both of USDA’s 

Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The sources for images in the numbered figures are 

included with each caption. Pictures used in the poster on the back side of the leaflet were 

taken by APHIS–Plant Protection and Quarantine employee Joel Floyd (the palm-tree images) 

and USDA–ARS–Systematic Entomology Laboratory employee Ron Ochoa (the shot of 

yellowed palm leaves and the image of a hand holding a leaf). 

Issued June 2007
See the reverse side 

for more information. 

United States Department of Agriculture 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Program Aid No. 1935

Look Out 

for the 

Red Palm Mite!

Recently found in the 

Caribbean, the red palm 

mite threatens palms 

and banana plants in the 

United States. Learn what 

to look for and report this 

pest if you find it.