Nevertheless, all varieties will be thinned by a mite infestation.įigure 1. However, some popular cultivars, such as ‘Tifway’, might produce fewer witch’s brooms. This damage causes a witch’s broom effect (see Figure 1) on bermudagrass stems as the mite feeding reduces the elongation of grass stems and causes a swelling of leaf sheaths.Īll bermudagrass cultivars are susceptible to bermudagrass mites. Bermudagrass leaves die back to the stems as mites feed under the bermudagrass leaf sheaths, where they suck plant sap from the stems.
This turfgrass pest is present throughout the Southern US.ĭamage to lawns affected by bermudagrass mite becomes noticeable in late spring, as some areas may be yellow with low vigor or fail to become green out of winter dormancy. Additional generations (from eggs to adults) of mites can occur every 7 to 10 days, meaning that populations can increase rapidly. This eriophyid mite is very host specific, as it only feeds on bermudagrass. The bermudagrass mite ( Eriophyes cynodoniensis), also called bermudagrass stunt mite, is a very small, elongate, creamy white or translucent-colored mite that requires a magnification of 15x to 20x to see.
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