The most critical time for the mite is the period from wheat ripening until the emergence of next year's crop. Wheat curl mites must constantly be in contact with a growing wheat plant or another host. In the laboratory, these mites can survive only about 8 hours at 75 F without food or water. All stages of the leaf curl mite can be found on cultivated and volunteer wheat and some perennial grasses during the winter months. The mites become active with the flush of new growth in the spring.
Mite numbers increase on the plant and they being to move upward to the newest growth.
Leaf curl mites colonize protected areas of the plant - under leaf sheaths, within the furls on new leaves, and later in the glumes of wheat heads. Large numbers of mites on plants cause severe leaf rolling which causes unexpanded leaves to trap the grain head. Mite Movement Mites crawl very slowly and depend almost entirely on wind for movement from plant to plant. As wheat matures, it is no longer suitable as a food plant. The mites tend to move to the outer surfaces of the wheat head as it dries.