Pink mite in tea: how to identify and control Acaphylla theae

Photo at the top: A healthy tea shoot, two leaves and a bud. This mite feeds on the underside of young leaves like these, in the top 10 to 15 cm of the bush, Photo: Nborkakoty, CC BY-SA 3.0

Quick answer

Pink mite (Acaphylla theae) is a tiny mite, orange to pink in colour, that sucks sap from the underside of young tea leaves. The leaves turn pale and curl upward, and in a heavy attack they become leathery and brown. Check the tender shoots often, keep natural enemies alive, and spray a miticide labelled for tea when numbers rise.

How to identify pink mite in tea

This mite is also called the orange mite. In Hindi it is called gulabi mite (गुलाबी माइट), and in Telugu gulabi nalli (గులాబీ నల్లి). Mites are not insects. They are relatives of spiders. It belongs to a family of very small mites called eriophyid mites. Unlike most mites, which have eight legs, eriophyid mites have only four legs, all near the front of the body.

The mite

• Adult: very small, orange to pink in colour and shaped like a carrot: wide at the front and narrow at the back, as TNAU (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University) describes it. You cannot see it clearly with the naked eye. Use a hand lens.
• Egg: shiny and round, laid one by one on the underside of the leaf, as UPASI Tea Research Foundation notes.
• Young stages: white. There are two young stages before the adult.
• Where: on the underside of young leaves. The damage stays in the top 10 to 15 cm of the bush, on the tender shoots.

Damage signs

Because the mite is so small, you will usually notice the damage first. TNAU and UPASI describe these signs:

• Young leaves turn pale and lose their fresh green colour.
• The leaves curl upward at the edges.
• In a heavy attack the leaves become thick and leathery, and turn brown.
• The damage is on the tender shoots at the top of the bush, the same leaves you pluck. So the attack cuts the amount of green leaf you can pluck.

Turn a pale, curled young leaf over and look at the underside with a hand lens of 10x or 20x. Small orange or pink specks that move slowly, with white young stages and shiny eggs nearby, point to this mite.

Look-alikes and how to tell them apart

Tea has several mites. They look alike to the eye, but they feed on different leaves and leave different signs. UPASI gives these differences:

• Purple mite (Calacarus carinatus): purple, spindle-shaped, with white waxy ridges on its back. It lives on the underside of mature leaves, which turn coppery brown. Many white cast skins lie on the leaf. See our guide to purple mite in tea.
• Red spider mite (Oligonychus coffeae): red and easy to see with a lens. It starts along the midrib and veins on the upper side of mature leaves, which turn reddish brown. See our red spider mite guide.
• Yellow mite (Polyphagotarsonemus latus): found on the top two or three leaves and the bud. Leaves become rough and brittle, with corky lines or patches. Read more in our yellow mite (broad mite) guide.
• Scarlet mite (Brevipalpus australis): bright red. Brown patches start on both sides of the midrib and spread over the leaf, and heavy attack makes leaves fall.

The quick rule: pale, upward-curled young leaves with orange specks underneath point to Acaphylla theae. Bronzing on older leaves usually means another mite.

Life cycle and when it attacks

The life cycle is very short. UPASI reports that eggs hatch in 2 to 3 days, and one full generation, from egg to adult, takes only 6 to 9 days. So numbers can rise very fast in a few weeks.

In South India, UPASI notes that the population starts to build up in November and December, peaks in February and March, and falls in May and June. So in South India the months from November to March need the closest watch. UPASI calls it an important mite pest of tea in southern India.

Crops it attacks

Tea: pink mite is a pest of tea. It attacks the tender shoots, the part of the bush that is plucked. Both TNAU and UPASI note that Assam-type tea (Assam hybrids) is more prone to attack. In India, tea is grown mainly in Assam and West Bengal in the north-east, and in the Nilgiris and other hill areas of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka in the south.

When to spray

We could not confirm an economic threshold for this mite from a recognised public source, so we do not give one here. (The economic threshold is the pest level at which spraying starts to pay for itself.) Instead, check the tender shoots in every section of the garden once a week from November to May, the period when UPASI reports this mite is active in South India. Look at the underside of young leaves with a hand lens. If you see pale, upward-curled leaves and the mites are spreading from bush to bush, it is time to act. Your tea board advisory officer or local KVK (Krishi Vigyan Kendra) can help you decide.

Pink mite control without chemicals

UPASI advises these steps against tea mites, including this one:

• Watch regularly: check the young shoots each week from November onward in South India. Early action on a few patches is easier than a spray over the whole garden later.
• Manage shade trees: keep and lop shade trees as recommended for your area.
• Protect natural enemies: predatory mites (phytoseiid mites), predatory thrips and small predatory fly larvae (cecidomyiids) eat tea mites. Avoid spraying broad-spectrum insecticides when there is no real need, because they kill these helpers too.

Tea research bodies also list neem-based and sulphur sprays among the options for tea mites. Ask your tea board advisory officer or KVK which one is labelled for tea in your area, and at what rate.

Chemical control of pink mite in tea

Mites are not insects, so you need a product that acts on mites (a miticide, also called an acaricide) and whose label lists this mite on tea. Spray so that the liquid reaches the underside of the young leaves at the top of the bush, where the mites live. Use one product at a time.

Tea

• Mit 505 Insecticide (ethion 50% EC): label dose 202 ml per acre in 200–400 L water, as a foliar spray immediately after plucking.
• Mitigate Insecticide (fenpyroximate 5% EC): dose 120–240 ml per acre, as printed in the company's product sheet for this mite on tea. The sheet gives no water volume, so follow the pack leaflet.

For more products, see all insecticides and miticides. If you need a product that is not listed here, ask your local agriculture officer or KVK for one labelled for tea.

Rotate to avoid resistance

This mite completes a generation in about a week, so it can build resistance fast if you spray the same kind of product again and again. IRAC (Insecticide Resistance Action Committee), the international body that groups pesticides by how they act, gives each active ingredient a group number. Do not spray the same group twice in a row.

IRAC group	Active ingredient	Product in this article
1B (organophosphates)	Ethion	Mit 505
21A (METI acaricides)	Fenpyroximate	Mitigate

The two products are from different groups. So if you need a second spray after Mitigate, the next one can be Mit 505, and the other way round. Keep the gap between sprays and the number of sprays within each label.

Safety and waiting period

• The waiting period is the number of days between the last spray and plucking (PHI, pre-harvest interval). In tea this matters a lot, because the leaf you pluck is the crop. Our label record does not give a waiting period for this mite on tea for either Mit 505 or Mitigate. Check the pack label before use and follow it.
• Wear gloves, a mask, full-sleeve clothes and boots while mixing and spraying. Do not eat, drink or smoke while you work. Wash well afterwards.
• Spray in the morning or evening, not in strong wind or hot afternoon sun.
• Fish: both ethion and fenpyroximate are toxic to fish. Keep sprays and washings away from streams, ponds and wells.
• Read the label and leaflet before use.

Frequently asked questions

What is pink mite in tea?

It is a very small mite, orange to pink in colour, Acaphylla theae, that feeds on the underside of young tea leaves. The leaves turn pale, curl upward and, in a heavy attack, turn leathery and brown.

Why are my young tea leaves pale and curling upward?

This mite is one common cause. Turn a few leaves over and check the underside with a hand lens for small orange specks. If the damage is on older leaves, or the leaves are rough with corky lines, it is more likely another mite.

Is pink mite the same as red spider mite?

No. Red spider mite is larger, red, and feeds on the upper side of mature leaves. The pink one is much smaller, orange to pink, and feeds on the underside of young leaves.

When is the mite season for tea in South India?

UPASI reports that numbers start rising in November and December, peak in February and March, and fall in May and June. Start weekly checks in November.

Will any insecticide control tea mites?

No. Many insecticides do not act on mites, and some kill the predatory mites that keep them in check. Use a product whose label lists this mite on tea, such as Mit 505 or Mitigate, and change the IRAC group between sprays.

Related reading

• Purple mite in tea: how to identify and control it
• Red spider mite: symptoms, treatment and control in crops
• Yellow mite (broad mite): symptoms and control
• Tea mosquito bug: identify and control it in tea
• All insecticides

Sources

• Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, TNAU Agritech Portal: Pink mite (or) orange mite: Acaphylla theae
• UPASI Tea Research Foundation: Pests of tea
• Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC): Mode of action classification
• Product label and leaflet for Mit 505, and the company product sheet for Mitigate.