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Privet mite

Brevipalpus obovatus[3]

The privet mite is a tiny, reddish false spider mite, or flat mite, that sucks juices from the leaves of privet, azalea and many other woody ornamentals; the damage builds slowly until shrubs look reddish-brown and winter-burned.[1][2]

Group
Arachnid
Order
Trombidiformes
Family
Tenuipalpidae
US records
1 state
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-19

No licensed photo of this species is available yet; the identification notes below describe what to look for.

On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are about 0.3 mm long, flat and reddish, from light orange to dark red, with a strongly textured top you can only see under a microscope; immature mites are orange-red.[1][2]
  • Unlike spider mites, flat mites spin no silk, so there is no webbing on infested leaves.[1][2]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Spider mitesSpider mites cause similar stippling but spin fine silk and build up much faster, with 18 to 36 generations a year compared with four to six for the privet mite.[1]

Where it lives

It has been recorded on every inhabited continent, from the United States, Canada, Argentina and Venezuela to Spain, France, Egypt, Kenya, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and NC State reports four to six generations a year in North Carolina.[2][1]

US map: public records from 1 state since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Eggs take 20 to 21 days to hatch at room temperature; the larva feeds about two weeks, the protonymph about 15 days and the deutonymph about two weeks before the mite becomes an adult. Development is slower outdoors in cold weather.[1]

It has four to six generations a year in North Carolina.[1]

Hosts number more than 50 and include privet, azalea, rhododendron, boxwood, viburnum, English ivy, hibiscus, fig, grape and garden herbs such as mints and thyme.[2][1]

Damage and signs

  • Feeding punctures the leaf surface and leaves pale spots that later turn brown; infested shrubs slowly turn reddish-brown and look as if they have winter injury.[1]
  • Privet mites can also carry certain plant viruses.[1]

Health risk

It feeds only on plants; NC State and Florida's Division of Plant Industry mention no risk to people.[1][2]

Control

Pesticides

Flat mites haven't been reported to resist pesticides. NC State suggests a thorough spray of insecticidal soap, horticultural oil or a pyrethroid labeled for mites; keep pyrethroids away from pools, ponds and streams because they are very toxic to fish.[1]

Common questions

Why is my privet turning reddish-brown when there's no webbing?
Privet mites may be the cause. They are flat mites that spin no silk, and their slow feeding makes shrubs turn reddish-brown in a way that looks like winter injury.[1]
Is a privet mite the same as a spider mite?
No. It is a false spider mite in a different family; it spins no silk and has far fewer generations a year, so damage builds more slowly.[1][2]

Sources

  1. NC State Extension, “Privet Mite (PDIC Factsheet).” content.ces.ncsu.edu/privet-mite-1 (accessed 2026-10-19)
  2. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, “False spider mites of the genus Brevipalpus, Entomology Circular No. 69 (February 1968, revised February 1984; copy hosted by the Florida State Collection of Arthropods).” thefsca.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ent069.pdf (accessed 2026-10-19)
  3. iNaturalist, “Brevipalpus obovatus taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/263065 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-19. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.