> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://badixth-dc85e378.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Diagnose and Respond to Mites in Pineapple

> Identify pineapple mite damage from fine yellow stippling and webbing on leaves under dry conditions, and control with abamectin, spiromesifen, and predator conservation.

Mites (mainly the **red spider mite Tetranychus** and **broad mite Polyphagotarsonemus latus**) build up on pineapple in hot, dry weather. Damage shows as **fine yellow stippling** on leaves, sometimes with visible webbing in severe cases. Broad mite also distorts young leaves and can damage fruit skin. Mite outbreaks are often triggered by broad-spectrum insecticide sprays that kill predator mites.

**Regional priority:** Moderate to high during dry season across all regions; higher on blocks with heavy insecticide history.

## When pineapple is most vulnerable

During prolonged **hot-dry weather** at any phase. Broad mite damage on young leaves is most damaging at early vegetative; spider mite damage on canopy leaves peaks at late vegetative and fruit development.

## How mites show in satellite data

* Not detectable at Sentinel scale in early stages.
* Advanced infestations cause block-wide slight NDVI shortfall in dry weather; hard to separate from drought.
* Ground scouting with a 10x hand lens is essential for detection.

## Field symptoms

* **Fine yellow stippling** on leaf surfaces
* **Bronzing** in advanced spider mite infestation
* **Fine webbing** on leaf undersides (spider mite)
* **Distorted, cupped young leaves** (broad mite)
* **Russeting or bronzing on fruit skin** if broad mite feeds on developing fruit
* **Confirm with hand lens** - spider mites are 0.5 mm red-orange dots; broad mites are 0.2 mm and nearly invisible without magnification

## Reduce the damage by

* **Conserve predators** - avoid broad-spectrum pyrethroids and carbamates that kill predator mites (Phytoseiulus, Amblyseius).
* **Miticide when threshold is met** - abamectin, spiromesifen, or bifenazate. Rotate modes of action.
* **Water-stress management** - well-irrigated blocks have lower mite pressure.
* **Overhead irrigation** briefly disrupts mite populations on the leaf surface.
* **Scout during dry spells** - every 2 weeks with a hand lens, focus on leaf undersides and the center whorl.
* **Threshold** - action at more than 10 spider mites per D-leaf, or any observable broad mite damage on young leaves.
* **Do not apply sulfur** in hot weather - phytotoxic on pineapple.

## Set an alert for early warning

<Tip>
  Turn the diagnosis into a trigger. Mite outbreaks track hot-dry weather, so use a weather trigger plus a scheduled hand-lens scout.
</Tip>

Recommended settings for mites on pineapple:

* **Weather alert** - 14 or more consecutive days above 30 C with rainfall below 20 mm triggers a mite scout.
* **Post-insecticide alert** - schedule a mite scout 3 weeks after any broad-spectrum insecticide application.
* **Broad mite alert** - flag any block where young leaves show cupping distortion for immediate hand-lens inspection.

## Related

* [Pineapple Diagnosis](/guides/Crop/Pineapple/pineapple-diagnosis)
* [Thrips](/guides/Crop/Pineapple/biotic/insects/thrips) - overlap silver-fleck symptoms; mites show webbing.
* [Drought](/guides/Crop/Pineapple/abiotic/drought) - predisposing condition.
* [Set up automated crop alerts](/guides/alerts-notifications)