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Beech tree spider mites?

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  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Bump
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited October 2022

    Beech Mite 

    Greenhouse red spider mite put paid to my fair size collection of Auriculas.  Predators were expensive and didn’t work for me, nor did any of the insecticides I used, contact or systemic.  I have also stopped growing Brugmansias, which seem to be magnet for mites. 

    So when about 20 years ago I got the typical symptoms on my beech hedge, I thought I recognised what it was.  I contacted the RHS Wisley problem solving service for advice.  My main question was: how to you treat several square metres of hedge, some parts of which were  inaccessible from my side. 

    Without any pre-notification an RHS Entomologist arrived one evening.  He said it was not red spider mite, but a similar European mite.  He promised to come back to me but never did. 

    I have had off and on attacks since. Wet summers, none; hot summers yes. 2021 I was free of it, 2022 was very bad.  I can now see it in neighbours’ hedges and as I drive around.

    I am no longer a member of the RHS, so I don't know threir latest thinking on the subject.  If any forum member is a member and asks the question, I would like to learn the answer.

     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    Huge sections of my 75m 30 year old beech hedge look exactly like that - as do all the beech hedges around the village and in our nearest town😕

    I assumed it was primarily down to the extraordinary high temperatures (high 30's) and extreme drought we've endured in this part of the country. We've had no sustained rainfall for a year now and ground water levels are at an all time low. My research indicated that beech is not a top plant for enduring a prolonged drought.

    If it is these mites are causing the damage do they inflict permanent damage on the hedge or should it recover with cooler, damper weather? I am certainly resigned to a nearly bare hedge through the winter - but there are quite a lot of fattening buds suggesting the hedge might survive into next year.


    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    It may well be that the drought has weakened the plant and the mites have taken advantage of the weakness and moved in en-masse thereby weakening the plant further.
    Other than keeping it hydrated there's not a lot you can do I suspect.
    They're pretty tough though so I'd guess that they'll be back next year ok in Spring, assuming we have some rain - as for next summer....
    Still exceptionally dry here too.



    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited October 2022
    In the past my beech hedges have not been affected long term.  The damage to the leaves happens late, at about the same time as normal senescence, and only the way the leafs shrivel up and drop is different.  Probably less actual damage than hedge cutting.

    In my hedge the affected parts are localised.  And mainly the sunny side, which suggests sun and heat are the cause, rather than dry at the roots.  My North facing hedge shows little damage, but dead leaves are blowing through from the South side.

    Clearing up all dead leaves might be a good idea to reduce overwintering  mites/eggs, if impossible to get all.  Keeping a moist atmosphere is supposed to discourage greenhouse red spider mites, so will be worth trying on the beech mites.  ie.  water the leaves not just the roots.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    dump
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • WoodgreenWoodgreen Posts: 1,273
    Or 'bump'? @bede
    Threads don't generally get dumped, they just disappear further and further down the pages.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    bump, dump, schtump, who cares as long as the thread reappears at the top.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited May 2023
    My beech hedges have all resprouted and are looking great.  No sign of any permanent damage in the areas affected by the dreadred mite.

    But just a reminder that the sooner one gets on top of a 2023 attack the better. Be on the look-out for the early signs: slightly lack-lustre leaves, webbing (esp on the underside of leaves) and under a magifying glass, a lot of little 2-spot b*gg*rs rushing about, plus eggs and larvae.  Spraying with water alone is a deterrent, but not a cure.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I had several years when my beech hedge was covered in white fly. I ignored it and the blue tits got on top of it.  If you stop spraying everything, a balance is achieved within a year or two.
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