two-spotted spider mite

[ too-spot-id ]

noun

1. a widespread web-spinning mite, Tetranychus urticae, that is a pest of fruit trees and houseplants.

Word History and Origins

Origin of two-spotted spider mite¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The two-spotted spider mite is one of the most economically damaging pests -- it's not fussy and attacks a broad range of more than 1000 plants, including 150 crops.

From Science Daily

A 10x-magnifying hand lens may be required to confirm the identification of smaller arthropods, like the two-spotted spider mite that flourishes in hot, dry conditions, because each adult is maybe a 50th of an inch long.

From Seattle Times

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, is a cosmopolitan agricultural pest belonging to an assemblage of web-spinning mites.

From Nature

The genome of the two-spotted spider mite, together with the favourable biological features of the spider mite as a laboratory model including short generation time, easy rearing and tools for gene analysis and gene silencing, provide a novel resource for agriculture that should allow the dissection of pest–plant interactions and development of alternative tools for plant protection.

From Nature

The two-spotted spider mite and related species, as well as the European red mite if it is not controlled with the dormant spray, can be controlled with a spray containing 1 pound of a 15-percent parathion or 1-1/2 pounds of a 15-percent Aramite wettable powder per 100 gallons.

From Project Gutenberg