The olive mite occurs throughout all commercial olive districts in California. The olive tree, Olea europa, is the preferred host. Commercial varieties, listed from high to low susceptibility, are Ascolano, Sevillano, Manzanillo, and Mission.
Olive mite is an eriophyid mite and is difficult to see without magnification.
The mite is yellowish to dark tan, slow moving, and pyriform in shape, typical of many eriophyid species. As a rule, this pest is not a major problem. Olive mites feed on succulent stem and bud tissues and on the upper surface of leaves. Gross symptoms of mite damage include sickle-shaped leaves, dead vegetative buds in spring, discoloration of flower buds, bud drop, blossom blasting, inflorescence abcission, and reduced shoot growth. If unexplained, abnormally low cropping has chronically occurred several years in a row, especially when associated with brown, desiccated bloom, look for olive mites on flower buds in spring.