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Scientific Names
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Biology
Eggs are laid by females on the underside of the leaf. The eggs are attached with webbing and look pearly white. The eggs are about 1/4 the size of adults and hatch within 3-4 days. The entire life cycle can occur in as little as 11 days. Spider mites feed by sucking juices out of the leaves of the plant. They feed on the underside of the leaf. When feeding begins the leaf may turn yellow in color. If the infestation is large enough it can leads to reddening of the top of the leaf and eventually browning. Large infestations normally occur after grain heads emerge.
Positive Identification
Banks grass mites are very small arachnids. After feeding the mites’ body turns a deep green color. The front legs and mouth part are a light salmon color. These arachnids are very small and almost undetectable in small groups. The usage of a hand lens can assist in the identification of these pests. Heavily infested leaves have a dense coating of webbing on the underside. These mites seem to prefer hot and dry conditions.
Regional Information
These pests are more commonly found in the arid areas of Texas.
Other Important Hosts
Wheat and other small grains.
Scouting Tips
Spider mites cause the most damage when sorghum is in the developmental stages. Scout for spider mites by looking for them on the underside of leaves. Colonies will normally occur starting at the midrib and then spread outwards from there. Use lower leaves for scouting purposes as these pests colonize from the bottom up. Webbing can also be used to detect spider mite presence. Mite presence will typically start on the edges of the field.
Although we tried to include the most significant pests related to sorghum our tool cannot help you identify every insect found on sorghum. This tool is built to inform you of the most common and significant pests of sorghum in Texas. If the insect you are dealing with does not match the description above then talk to your extension agent or visit this page to look at all the different important potential pests of sorghum. For management information of a specific pest talk to your local extension office.