Spider Mites, Aphids, and Whitefly—Early Squaring Through Boll Development
Each name links to more information on identification and management.
Click on photos to enlarge
Spider mites Identification tip: To the naked eye, spider mites appear as tiny moving dots. Adult females
are about 0.01 inch (0.3 mm) long. Spider mites live in colonies, mostly on the lower surfaces of leaves,
and produce a webbing that can cover much of the undersurface of the leaf. Adults have 8 legs and an
oval body, usually with 2 red eyespots near the head. Eggs are spherical and translucent. Immatures resemble
adults and feed on leaves in the same way.
Cotton aphid Identification tip: Cotton aphid is highly variable in body size and color, and adults may be winged
or wingless. Nymphs and adults of wingless cotton aphids vary in color from yellow to green to nearly black.
Whitefly Identification tip: Silverleaf whitefly adults are tiny (0.06 inch, 1.5 mm long), yellowish insects with
white wings. Their wings are held somewhat vertically tilted, or rooflike, over the body and generally do not meet
over
the back but have a small space separating them. Greenhouse and bandedwinged whiteflies may also infest cotton.
