### animal | arthropod | mite:

Spider mite
* All spider mites are pests of cultivated plants, particularly under dry and warm conditions
  - soft-bodied, small and very slow moving
  - go through the same stages of development
  - have eight legs and a lack of a separate head
* Many spider mites are tiny red mites which are difficult to see without a magnifying glass
  - produce webbing, particularly when they occur in high populations
* Most spider mites are greenish-white to yellow in color, although some can be orange or reddish
  - too tiny to be seen without the aid of a magnifying glass
* Most spider mites feed on crop weeds
  - have the ability to produce a fine silk webbing
  - prefer dry conditions
* Most spider mites thrive in conditions
* Some spider mites are more resistant to some methods than others
  - belong to families
  - have predators
  - kill plants
* are a chronic and damaging pest of nurserystock and landscape in California.
* are a problem during prolonged periods of warm, dry weather
  - in dry sites
  - serious pest of field corn in Colorado
* are also a problem with eggplant, especially in hot, dry weather
  - important pests of field-grown roses
  - problematic
  - another garden scourge
  - apt to thrive in warm, dry houses
  - arachnids
* are common and also cause foliar distortion
  - cannabis pests, especially when growing in soil
* are common pest problems on many plants around yards and Gardens in Colorado
  - plants around yards and gardens in North America
  - plant pests
  - despised by growers
  - difficult to control, and thrive during hot, dry weather
* are evident in some soybean fields at low levels
  - fields, and are causing some puckering of growth
* are extremely small but can cause much damage
  - pests that are related to spiders and ticks
  - generalists that feed on a large number of landscape woody and herbaceous plants
* are generally a problem only in hot, dry seasons
  - under control and are beginning to enter diapause in some crops
  - hard to eradicate
  - important pests of a number of our ornamentals
  - leaf suckers, that penetrate the outer cell layers on branch tips and leaf axils
  - mainly a problem in hot dry climates
  - miniscule but very destructive
* are most active in hot, dry weather
  - damaging during hot dry weather
  - notorious for building immunity to chemical controls
* are small and often difficult to see with the unaided eye
  - animals more closely related to chiggers, ticks, and spiders than to insects
  - enough that often they are undetected until they've already done some damage
  - small, often difficult to see without a hand lens
  - so small they can cause much foliage discoloration before being detected
* are still a problem in many fields
  - problem, but in lesser amounts
  - susceptible to soaps and oils
* are the bane of growers everywhere
  - least detectable pest
* are the major pest of pole beans
* are the most common mite pest in the garden
  - mites attacking woody plants
  - pest, followed by whitefly
  - worst for indoor plants
* are tiny and difficult to see with the naked eye on the plant
  - insects that build up webbing around the stems and veins of the leaves
  - relatives of insects usually only visible with a hand lens
  - sucking bugs that feed on plant tissue fluid
  - true mites that feed on plants and produce webbing around where they feed
  - usually more of a problem on house plants that remain indoors year round
* are very active and some spraying has occurred
  - small and are frequently blown from plant to plant
  - tiny and extremely difficult to see
  - worst in the driest conditions
* attack the plants when weather is hot and dry.
* begin infesting evergreens now.
* can also attack ivy
  - become a problem on indoor plants
  - be a problem during hot weather
* can be a problem in hot, dry weather
  - the deep South
  - problem, especially in hot, dry conditions
  - serious problem on corn, particularly silage and sweet corn
  - an especially tricky pest in the grow room
  - deadly to houseplants
  - problem in summer after hot dry weather
  - serious corn pests in Colorado, especially during hot, dry years
  - become a nasty pest in greenhouses, patios and plant rooms during the late summer
  - build up to damaging numbers
* can cause plants to lose their green color and appear dusty or speckled
  - yield reductions as long as green pods are present
  - devastate marigolds in hot, dry weather
  - give plants a hazy, brown cast
* cause an autumn like yellowing of the leaves
  - older needles to lose green coloration and become yellowed
  - yellowing or stippling but are very difficult to see
* continue to be a problem in soybeans
  - busy, particularly if plants are located under eaves
  - build populations on spruce and fir at many locations
  - populate many soybean leaves, although fungus has reduced the population
* do better in some environments than others
  - infest some varieties
* feed externally on the foliage of nearly all vegetables, flowers, trees and shrubs.
* flourish on plants under stress.
* have a rapid life cycle under ideal environmental conditions
  - slight preference for plants that are already infested with conspecifics
  - an incredibly large number of natural predators
* is especially troublesume during the hot summer months.
* leave a yellow, stippled-effect on the leaves, like tiny yellow spots.
* move more and feed less if a predatory mite is near.
* prefer conditions
* produce webbing that is often filled with cast skins, dust, and other debris
  - webs on the leaves to hide and feed under
* remain a minor concern.
* reproduce rapidly during hot, dry weather
* resemble tiny spiders, no larger than a pin head.
* show up when the plant is very dry.
* suck out plant juices.
* tend to favor warm, dry weather.
* use their mouthparts to pierce plant cells and suck out the contents.