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pest

Spider mites

Tetranychus urticae

Tiny mites colonising leaf undersides. Croptimus catches the first stippling patches before webbing sets in.

  • Acarid
  • Sap-sucker
  • Dry-conditions
  • Fast-multiplying

Signs Croptimus looks for

  • Fine yellow-white stippling on upper leaf surface from underside feeding
  • Bronzing on heavily-fed leaves
  • Fine silk webbing in colonised areas
  • Visible mites and eggs on leaf undersides
  • Plant decline starting from the bottom of the canopy

Recommended action

Release Phytoseiulus persimilis at first stippling detection, increase relative humidity to slow mite reproduction, and remove badly-infested leaves. Croptimus localises the focal point so beneficial release targets the actual hot spot.

Spider mites are the classic “too late by the time you see them” greenhouse pest. By the time webbing is visible on a walk-through, populations are exponential and beneficial release won’t catch up – chemical intervention becomes the only option.

Croptimus’s continuous leaf-level monitoring catches the first stippling phase, which is the window where beneficials still work.

Frequently asked

  • How does Croptimus tell spider-mite stippling from nutrient deficiency?

    Pattern + colour. Stippling is fine and even across the leaf; nutrient deficiency tends to follow venation patterns. The model uses both class-specific imagery to disambiguate.

  • Can it detect mites at low populations?

    Stippling is the first symptom and appears at ~10 mites per leaf – well below the populations needed for the human eye. The model is calibrated to that early-stippling threshold.

See Croptimus catch this live.

20-minute call. We run this exact class on a frame from your crop, send detections back within the week.

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