THE SPECTACULAR DEFORMATION OF THE FRUITS AFTER THEIR ATTACK

It is technically known as  Aceria sheldoni,  but everyone knows this pest as a wonder mite . Its particular and curious name is due to the spectacular nature of the forms that the fruits develop once the citrus has been attacked. It is nothing more and nothing less than an eryophytic mite that is found between the buds and flowers of citrus fruits.

THE DAMAGE IT PRODUCES

The most common damage caused by the marigold mite occurs especially in lemon cultivation , producing characteristic and easily identifiable deformations in the fruit.

So far we have mentioned a lot that this mite ( Aceria sheldoni)  attacks citrus fruits in general (especially lemon), since cases of attack of the wonder mite have been seen in orange trees, producing deformations in shoots and fruits. However, this situation is quite rare and only occurs when there are orange or mandarin trees close to lemon trees.

The bites that the wonder mite produces on the buds cause cell damage. This negatively affects the future development and setting of the fruit, presenting malformations such as those that can be seen in the images.

If there is a lot of presence of this mite on shoots and buds, they can fall off, even with abortion of wood and flower buds.

 CONTROL AND TREATMENTS AGAINST  ACERIA SHELDONI

CHEMICAL CONTROL

One of the most effective treatments against the wonder mite consists in the application of authorized active ingredients

These are the active ingredients authorized for the control of the marigold mite in lemon tree.

We also have an article where we mention some ecological products against red spider mites.

BIOLOGIC CONTROL

For biological control, some species that attack the spider mite ( Tetranichus urticae ) are sought , such as Amblyseius californicus or Stethorus puncttillum . However, the biological control of this pest is currently quite limited, having to resort to chemical treatments to stop the advance of the mite.