Peanut farmers now have diggers near fields if not easing into them as they eye harvest, but fields with time to go before maturity need to be watched for spider mites. Another spray might seem too costly but might payoff, according to a University of Georgia entomologist.

Mark Abney, UGA Cooperative Extension peanut entomologist, in his Sept. 10 blogged warns growers:

"Peanuts with two or more weeks to go before digging are still at risk of losing yield to a late infestation of two spotted spider mites. We really need to be watching our non-irrigated peanuts and the dry corners of our irrigated fields for the initial signs of mite infestation.

Mite “hotspots” will show up first as yellow circles in the field. These spots will then turn brown, and the yellowing will spread out from the source as the mites migrate to new plants.

Because mite populations can explode rapidly, damage can go from barely noticeable to severe in only a few days. No one wants to make another pest spray this late in the season, but we cannot afford to let fields with good potential get defoliated with three weeks to go before harvest.

Management decisions will need to be made on a field by field basis taking into account profit potential, mite densities, and time to digging. Keep in mind that catching mites early is important for good control, but spotting signs of infestations is complicated when plants are suffering from drought stress."

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