Winter Grain Mite – Panthaleus major

Winter Grain Mite – Panthaleus major

Common Name: Winter Grain Mite

Latin Name: Panthaleus major

Appearance:

• The phytoplasma is known to be carried by the white-banded elm leafhopper (Scaphoideus luteolus), although other leafhoppers and spittlebugs can spread the illness to test plants.
• Elm yellows phytoplasma persists in the roots of American elm. When new growth begins in the spring, insect carriers pick up the phytoplasma by feeding on young shoots of infected elms. Later, when these carriers feed on a healthy tree, they inject the elm yellows phytoplasma into it.
• Furthermore, elm yellows are spread by root graft connections between infected and healthy plants.
• The elm yellows phytoplasma incubates for many months in small trees and up to a year in big trees before signs of infection appear.

Host plant:            

Winter Grain Mite is a significant lawn insect that may cause seasonal damage to lawns over most of North America. This lawn pest, also known as Penthaleus major, usually infects Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Fescues, and Creeping Bentgrass.

Territory:

Winter Grain Mite are found throughout in United States

Damages caused by Winter Grain Mite:

Adult and immature mites feed on the chlorophyll in tiny grains, causing the plant to appear silver or frosted. Severe feeding can result in dead or stunted plants and a considerable reduction in output. Young plants are more vulnerable to feeding harm than older, more potent plants. Drought-stressed or nutrient-deficient plants suffer from more severe feeding damage than unstressed plants.

Life history and habits:

The eggs deposited by this generation give rise to the second generation. These eggs are winter eggs that hatch in 25 to 35 days. The second generation grows the same way as the first, with peak feeding occurring between March and May. This generation is responsible for the overwintering eggs. Each generation lasts around 100 days, from egg to adult mortality.