Spider Mites Avoid Leaves Visited by Caterpillars

[deluxestogie]

Caterpillars are herbivores, and don't seek out spider mites for food. But if a tiny spider mite and its even tinier babies happen to be on a leaf that a (comparatively) huge caterpillar is eating, the spider mites end up consumed along with the leaf.

This study demonstrated that spider mites avoid leaves which bear chemical markers of caterpillar traces.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-28861-0.pdf

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

I wish I had known this years ago. Could have saved soooooo many plants. The mites are a plague in central Texas.

 

[MadFarmer]

I wish I had known this years ago. Could have saved soooooo many plants. The mites are a plague in central Texas.

One could, in theory, shepherd a tiny hornworm to select new growth on a tomato for an observed amount of time...

 

[GreenDragon]

I was thinking more along the lines of chucking a few into a blender with water and making a spray solution.

 

[Homegrowngoodnes]

Mmm, hornworm smoothies!