Litinsects #50: Month of Mites, Part 6 Here's to 50 posts! And how cool is it that this milestone lines up, completely coincidentally, with the species I wrote my thesis on? So, in my last post I told you about spider mites. They are crop pests found on plants all over the world. Now I want to introduce you (finally) to some “good” mites! The heroes that might finally be able to change the mite reputation: PREDATORY MITES, also known as phytoseiid mites from their family name Phytoseiidae. A couple quick facts before I explain why they’re great: There are a few thousand species of predatory mites. They live on plants and are found on all continents except Antarctica They are between 0.2-0.5 mm in size and usually have shiny, teardrop-shaped bodies All phytoseiid mites are EYELESS! They are light sensitive but they sense their prey purely through chemical cues. It has even been shown that these mites can localize prey by honing in on the chemical signals that plants emit in
Weekly fun facts about the world of insects