red spider

mite family
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/animal/red-spider
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Print
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/animal/red-spider
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Also known as: Tetranychidae, spider mite
Also called:
spider mite
Related Topics:
chigger

red spider, any of the plant-feeding mites of the family Tetranychidae (subclass Acari). Red spiders are a common pest on houseplants and agriculturally important plants, including the foliage and fruit of orchard trees.

The life cycle of the red spider from egg to adult takes about three weeks. Adult mites measure about 0.5 mm (about 0.02 inch) in length. Contrary to what their name suggests, all species are not red in colour; some are green, yellow, or orange. The mites are sometimes mistaken for small spiders because of their habit of spinning a loose silk webbing on infested plants. A heavy infestation can cause complete defoliation. Spider mites have become difficult to control because of their increasing resistance to pesticides. Various alternative methods of treating infestations have been investigated, the most effective of which involves the use of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus similis.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.