Agave Mite

[dontwaterme]

Visited Waterwise botanicals in Bonsall yesterday and noticed some Agave Colorata with some agave mite lesions. I'd say 99% of their agaves looked healthy but just a heads up for anyone buying agave from Waterwise/Altman.

[Gee.S]

Good job of recognizing mite damage. Don't bring home anything even close (within 100' say) to those plants.

[bigdaddyscondition]

Timely posts, it seems. I just finished spraying most of my collection with Avid plus surfactant. One new agave I have in the ground is an A. potatorum var. verschaffeltii, and it has developed a few grease stains since the weather turned warmer. I'm keeping a close eye on it. If it becomes a continuing source of worry about recrudescence of infestation, I won't hesitate to dig it up, bag it, and dispose of it. I've done it before with a havardiana and a deserti that had more advanced mite sign, and after that went without seeing mite sign at all in any of my agaves for several years.

[jdavidstarr]

Looking for advice, is this mite damage? Seems like it has gone dormant. Not dying but not growing.

[Gee.S]

Could be, tho I would like to see the backs of leaves.

[bigdaddyscondition]

Usually the signs of mite infestation show up first on the abaxial surface (the side facing away from the center of the plant) of the leaves. The lesions in your photo look suspicious, but I would look on the other side of the leaves too, as Gee advises.

Last summer I bought a beautiful A. horrida in a one-gallon pot that the seller disclosed up front he had treated for mites. When I bought it, it showed only a tiny rust streak on the abaxial surface of one leaf. I was waiting until this spring to plant it. When I inspected the agave again just recently, it had developed several more rust spots and a few grease stains. I bagged it, pot and all, and put it in the trash. Not worth any more uncertainty or the increased risk of infesting my collection.

[Gee.S]

I've actually found agave mite pretty straight forward to deal with -- once you shell out the coin for two or three translaminar miticides. Though I'll admit, it has taken me a while to work out the finer points of treatment. But I have been seriously considering digging up and disposing of mealy-infested agaves.

[熊仲麟]

These are the most useful pics of mite infestation I've seen. I never quite understood the "grease stain" until now.

I used to describe it as "water stains".

[alice320]

Long time reader, first time poster here -- can agave mite can affect yuccas? hoping to rely on the expertise in this forum to help diagnose what's causing this leaf damage on my yucca? there's scarring, mainly on the under sides near the stem and the plant looks (to my beginner eye) a little stressed but has been growing. this is my only yucca so not sure if its growth is relatively fast or slow. the telltale grease stains are for some reason easier for me to identify on agaves and harder to tell on this yucca. there's also some crusty residue near where the leaves connect to the trunk.

this is in a new bed i planted this past winter / spring. there are a few agave a few feet away that so far all look healthy (sebastiana, montana and a couple tiny medio picta alba pups a neighbor gave me) so I want to be cautious about doing what i can to limit the spread if it is agave mite.

thanks in advance for any advice!

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[Gee.S]

No, agave mite is specific to agaves, and does not attack yuccas. I have however, heard of "yucca mite", but have no experience with it.

[alice320]

No, agave mite is specific to agaves, and does not attack yuccas. I have however, heard of "yucca mite", but have no experience with it.

good to know, thanks! at least that means my agaves are safe

[Samhain]

Correct to assume mites?

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[bigdaddyscondition]

Sorry, but yes. The grease stain-like markings and rust-colored streaks on the abaxial surface of newer leaves are pathognomonic for agave mite. What species is this?

[Gee.S]

100%

[Samhain]

Sorry, but yes. The grease stain-like markings and rust-colored streaks on the abaxial surface of newer leaves are pathognomonic for agave mite. What species is this?

I believe it’s weberi. Good sources for miticides? Quick search has me coming up with $100+ bulk sizes.

[Gee.S]

This is about as inexpensive as it gets...

Avid Generic

[Samhain]

Thanks, I’m not seeing the quantity on that and they don’t ship to ca. here’s another generic $82/32oz currently.

https://diypestcontrol.com/abamectin-0-15-ec

[bigdaddyscondition]

I buy my miticides through Rosemania.com. Here's the page for miticides https://rosemania.com/page9.html . Abamectin (Avid) 8 oz. is priced at $118, and California adds a $2.48 pesticide surcharge. Forbid (spiromesifen), further down the page, is way pricier at $281 for 8 oz. An 8 oz. container of each lasts me several years, so that's the upside.

Remember to rotate your miticides. Over the last several years we have thoroughly discussed agave mite control, and there are several excellent resources here on agaveville. I'm sure Gee.S has the links memorized.

Hey Gee, I see Rosemania https://rosemania.com/page9.html has some new formulations, including a Pylon product that doesn't cost a king's ransom and a different formulation of Avid. Do you have any words of wisdom about these?

[Gee.S]

Sorry, I do not. To tell the truth I already have far more experience with this issue than I care for, and am in no hurry for more. Good info tho, thanks.

[Gee.S]

A. parryi found in natural habitat today. A. parryi normally demonstrates pretty decent resistance to mites, so this was an extraordinary find.

A. parryi

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[bigdaddyscondition]

Yikes, that plant is riddled with those little beasties. I've never seen mite infestation in my own Agave parryi truncatas (fingers crossed), and first saw mites in this species some months ago at a local big box store.

[Gafoto]

I have quite a few plants that lived indoors under lights during the winter. Mealybugs were a constant struggle but the damage I’m seeing on a few plants looks like it could also be mites. New growth and the transition from indoor lights to sun complicates things too.

This is spotty and inconsistent on front and back with minimal around the base of the leaf. Old mealy damage?

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This is more concerning with damage right up to the base. Damage is generally stippling without real lesions but they could just be mild infestations and we haven’t graduated to anything awful yet.

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Same plant from above:

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Do folks have mealybug damage photos to compare to mite damage?

It is very possible plants had one and then the other which is like having two cancers at once. Yay. I started the whole collection on a round of Avid so we’ll see if that can nip things in the bud.

[Melt in the Sun]

I don't think that looks like mites. Can't tell you what it is though.

[Gafoto]

Yet another possible culprit. Scale found on a few plants:

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They look directly connected to the glaucous layer being stripped away but it could incidental.

[Gee.S]

Little utahs could be mites, but VERY unlikely (like 1 in 10,000). The second bears no resemblance to mite damage whatsoever. Look at mite photos in the Gallery, Until you see lesions like that, I wouldn't give 'em a second thought.