Peach Silver Mite

Hosts

Nectarine, peach

Biology

Worm-shaped microscopic mites called eriophyid mites; related to blister and rust mites.  They overwinter as females in buds, just beneath the outer scales; they crawl to new leaves after budbreak.

Symptoms/Damage

Heavy feeding causes “silvering” of leaves, reduced fruit size, and premature fruit drop.

Monitoring

Because these mites are so small, they are difficult to see with a hand lens, which makes monitoring difficult.  Starting in mid summer, check the leaves for the silvering symptom.

Treatment Threshold

No threshold determined.

Degree Day Model

None

Management Considerations

Moderate populations are a good food source for predatory mites, especially early in the season. Peach cultivars vary in susceptibility to the mite: ‘Red Haven’ is a poor host while ‘Elberta’ is a good host.