What are Micromites?
Micromites are organisms almost invisible to the human eye (0.2 mm), translucent with yellowish hues, that cause significant damage to indoors and outdoors plants.
They do not tolerate light and dryness well. Since they require high humidity, they hide in the center of plants: in buds, newly emerged leaves, at the apex of the plant, and in calyxes. They move very quickly.
Adults live between 5 and 15 days, and each female will lay between 30 and 75 eggs during this period.
What are the visible signs of a Micromite infestation?
Visible symptoms during the vegetative cycle include:
- Reduced plant development.
- Abnormal tissue dev elopment: deformed, stretched, wrinkled and wavy leaves.
- Browning or necrosis while the undersides of the leaves become shiny.
- Plant dwarfing; new shoots are aborted, leaves turn yellow and fall.
Visible symptoms during flowering cycle include:
- Fast oxidation of the pistils; they turn brown.
- Plant and flower development stops.
- The number of pistils and trichomes decreases dramatically.
In the worst case a Micromite infestation will cause the death of the plants.
How to eliminate Micromites?
There aren’t much solutions to this but the most effective remedy is:
- Eliminate all affected plants with the growing substrate included.
- Clean the entire growing area thoroughly with bleach. Not a single egg or larva should remain anywhere!
