Cactus mites

[Tina]

much better

[Pattock]

The company Dragonfli is now a subsidiary of Koppert and claims that Amblyseius andersoni "has been proven to be effective" against the cactus/russet mite as well as a range of other mites of various sizes, the red spider mite and carmine mite (very similar to but harder than the red spider mite and quite common in horticulture), thrips and whitefly egg. Optimum temperature 10-28°C, active between 6 and 40°C. Relative humidity of 65% preferred but negotiable. They should get into those hard-to-reach crevices where the cactus mite lurks.

Three different formulations and many sizes to suit every collection:
https://www.dragonfli.co.uk/collections ... ni-sachets

https://www.dragonfli.co.uk/collections ... ite-killer

https://www.dragonfli.co.uk/collections ... -andersoni

Amblyseius andersoni is a UK native.

[habanerocat]

The company Dragonfli is now a subsidiary of Koppert and claims that Amblyseius andersoni "has been proven to be effective" against the cactus/russet mite as well as a range of other mites of various sizes, the red spider mite and carmine mite (very similar to but harder than the red spider mite and quite common in horticulture), thrips and whitefly egg. Optimum temperature 10-28°C, active between 6 and 40°C. Relative humidity of 65% preferred but negotiable. They should get into those hard-to-reach crevices where the cactus mite lurks.

Three different formulations and many sizes to suit every collection:
https://www.dragonfli.co.uk/collections ... ni-sachets

https://www.dragonfli.co.uk/collections ... ite-killer

https://www.dragonfli.co.uk/collections ... -andersoni

Amblyseius andersoni is a UK native.

What do you mean by harder?

[Pattock]

and carmine mite (very similar to but harder than the red spider mite and quite common in horticulture), thrips and whitefly egg.

What do you mean by harder?

Tougher armour.

[EdMcKenna]

I might be a bit late to this thread but I have just discovered what may be the beginning of an infestation of Brevipalpus mites.
I have puffed with Sulfur powder and I regularly spray with water but I'm aware of the need to stop watering now.
Can anyone tell me how spraying with oil ( a suggestion) leaves the plants, I can imagine it leaving them very messy and possible open to mould growth.
Anyhow any treatment ideas are welcome. I've attached some photographs for reference.

[iann]

Definitely looks like mite damage

[Ali Baba]

That’s definitely Brevipalpus you can clearly see the red oval eggs in your photo. I’ve used sprays based on rapeseed oil on orchids and it doesn’t leave a sticky residue. By the way if you can see that many mites that’s not the start of an infestation, they will have been there for quite a while as they are hard to spot and increase slowly compared to two spotted mites. So you will likely find them on other plants.

[EdMcKenna]

It's definitely them and and they must have been there for a while. I can see them moving under the microscope, I have spotted them on three pots with seedlings.
The damage is not really noticeable with the naked eye, just a slight orange discolouration.
I can't go round every pot with a microscope so I'll need to look out for signs but by that time damage has been done.
I don't know if cooler temperatures i.e. winter will slow or stop them.
I'm starting to consider a Sulfur burner for fumigation but I'm considering everything at the moment to halt the spread.

[iann]

It's definitely them and and they must have been there for a while. I can see them moving under the microscope, I have spotted them on three pots with seedlings.
The damage is not really noticeable with the naked eye, just a slight orange discolouration.
I can't go round every pot with a microscope so I'll need to look out for signs but by that time damage has been done.
I don't know if cooler temperatures i.e. winter will slow or stop them.
I'm starting to consider a Sulfur burner for fumigation but I'm considering everything at the moment to halt the spread.

With a 10x lens, you can go around each plant. Either that or you have to spray the whole lot. Often. Even if you kill them now, the appearance will become much worse over the next few months. The damage even a small number of these things can cause is incredible.

[SimonT]

Another option I've been trying is a clip-on macro lens for a smart phone cameras.
The one I have does not magnify much but you get a narrow field of vision and a flat focal plane.
Autofocus can then give a decent image even if you can't perfectly hold the camera still.
So it is easy to go around and use the camera to scan your plants.

It is just good enough to make out the mites but for me the images I get are not as clear as the one in the post.
If it is a warm bright day they will tend to move about more and then they are easier to see.