mitey small

They’re tiny creatures but mites can have a devastating impact,

Most of you have seen or heard about spiders, scorpions and ticks. Those interested in arachnids may even know about whip spiders, solpugids and vinegaroons... and then there are mites. A mite is an arachnid in the subclass Acarina. The largest Australian species is about 1cm long but most are less than 1mm in length. They have a fused head and thorax section, equally fused with the abdomen so, when viewed from above they appear to be a single unit with legs attached. There are hundreds of species, and their biology ranges from air-breathing terrestrial to water-breathing aquatic; from parasitic on animals or parasitic on plants to predatory on other animals; from starting out as parasites and ending up as predators to scavenging on dead organic matter.

The varroa mite is a parasite of bees (pictured above on a European honeybee), and it has the potential to destroy bee colonies and wreak havoc on the Australian honey industry. Dust mites feed on house dust and create misery for people with dust mite allergy, while spider mites can cause serious damage to commercial crops and garden plants.

One of the best controls for spider mites is predatory mites. Available from biological control companies, several species of mites are used by mushroom farmers, greenhouse farmers, home gardeners and even keepers of reptiles and invertebrates, as the mites will happily climb all over a snake infested with snake mite and devour the parasites. Predatory mites aren’t cheap but they come in a fair bulk, so people can pool together to buy enough for their needs. Remember that these are living animals – not chemical insecticides – so they must be liberated where they are needed on the day you receive them. If you put them on the shelf for a couple of days, they mite all be dead.