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Cyclamen mites

Also known as Strawberry mite, Phytonemus pallidus, Tarsonemid mite

PestHarmful
Bell pepper plant with distorted growth from cyclamen mite damage Photo: Hardyplants · CC0

In short

Cyclamen mites are microscopic relatives of broad mites that hide in plant crowns, unopened leaves and flower buds. Unlike spider mites they like cool, humid conditions, and they leave the centre of the plant stunted, crinkled and thickened, with withered flowers.

How it looks

About 0.25 mm long, so they need 20–40× magnification. Adults are glossy, creamy to pinkish orange, pale yellow or translucent, with a parallel-sided body. Females have thread-like hind legs; males have pincer-like hind legs. Eggs are translucent and comparatively large. At low numbers they sit along the midvein of young, still-folded leaves and under the calyx of newly emerged flower buds; in heavy infestations they spread across all unexpanded tissue.

Signs

New leaves are stunted, crinkled, thickened and sometimes bronzed, forming a compact mass in the centre of the plant. Buds deform or drop, flowers wither, internodes shorten and the plant looks dwarfed. On strawberries the fruit is small with prominent seeds.

Life cycle

Egg, larva, nymph and adult. Egg to adult takes from about 5 to 21 days depending on temperature, so populations build quickly; most offspring are female. On strawberries adult females overwinter in the crowns.

What favours it

Cool, humid conditions; unlike spider mites they favour humidity rather than dry air, which makes them mainly a greenhouse pest. They are carried on infested plants and transplants, and on people, equipment, bees and birds.

Prevention

  • Start from mite-free plants, and examine the crowns and newest leaves of new purchases with a strong lens.
  • Quarantine new plants and discard any with stunted, crinkled centres.
  • Because damage appears only after mites are established, manage susceptible crops preventively.

Treatment

Start with the first step and move down only if the problem persists.

  1. Isolate or discard heavily infested plants.
  2. Predatory mites, including commercially available Neoseiulus (Amblyseius) californicus, feed on cyclamen mites and suit small, localised populations.
  3. Horticultural oil, insecticidal soap, neem oil or wettable sulfur can be used; sprays must reach deep into the crown and be repeated. Follow the product label.
  4. Commercial strawberry growers dip dormant transplants in precisely controlled hot water before planting; this is a specialised technique, not a general houseplant remedy.
  5. Registered miticides are the last step; follow the product label.

Pros and cons

Cons

  • Can stop flowering and fruiting entirely if left unchecked.
  • Invisible without magnification, so damage is usually the first sign.

Look-alikes

Broad mites
Near-identical damage; broad mites prefer warmer conditions, are oval with a white back stripe and lay bumpy, diamond-patterned eggs.
Spider mites
Visible as specks, feed on older leaves in dry conditions, and cause pale stippling and webbing rather than crinkled centres.

Affected plants

Cyclamen, African violet, strawberry, begonia, gerbera, fuchsia, carnation, chrysanthemum, snapdragon, impatiens and pouch flower (Calceolaria).

Sources

  1. Broad Mite and Cyclamen Mite — UC IPM Home and Landscape
  2. Cyclamen Mite in Strawberry — UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines
  3. Cyclamen Mites Found in Strawberries — University of Maryland Extension

Written in our own words from these sources. Check a product label before using any treatment.