Latest Arboricultural News & Views

Here we present links to interesting articles and other news/views:

New study links sycamore tree to Atypical Myopathy - BEVA
From British Equine Vetinary Association (BEVA).

Mites on Conifers

Evergreen conifers start off looking pristine, providing an attractive barrier/border in your garden. However, you may have noticed them start to develop bronze/rusty patches ultimately leading to defoliation. This is often as the result of spider mites.

Mites are not actually insects, but are members of the spider family. They are less than a mm in length and vary in colour. They have sharp mouth parts which have evolved specifically for biting and piercing plant tissue. It is their feeding activity that results in tiny yellow/brown flecks appearing on the needles and giving the conifers the rusty discolouration when viewed from further back.

The females lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves. The lifecycle from egg to adult can take as little as 5-20 days (dependent upon weather conditions). They can live for 2 to 4 weeks, the females laying 100s of eggs in their lifetime.