Severe infestations may cause leaves to become brown and fall off prematurely. Plants may be stunted, and yields may be drastically reduced where mites are left uncontrolled. Two dark spots, composed of the food contents, show through the transparent body wall. The body is oval in outline, covered with sparse spines. After mating, the female begins to lay eggs at the rate of two to six per day, producing about 100 in a little over two months.
Winter is passed in the adult or second nymphal stage at the base of brambles or weeds.
Because many species of plants, both cultivated and uncultivated, serve as hosts, it is entirely possible that weeds may be important sources of initial infestations. As many as 10 overlapping generations may develop in a single season.