By RQS Editorial Team

Infestations are, at the very least, a nuisance when growing weed. At worst, they can ruin a grow completely and reduce a lot of effort to nothing. And when it comes to infestations, there are few that are less welcome than broad mites, which are notoriously hard to get rid of.

In this article, we take an in-depth look at broad mites, their life cycle, how to identify them, and what to do if you find they’ve colonised your beloved crop!


What Are Broad Mites?

Broad mites, also known as Polyphagotarsonemus latus, are a garden pest that can be regularly found on a variety of plants, including grape vines, apple trees, and, of course, cannabis.

Despite their name, broad mites are tiny, with female mites measuring roughly 0.2mm and males measuring only 0.1mm. They can be found around the world, especially in greenhouses.

On cannabis plants, broad mites tend to lay eggs on the underside of new leaves. This is usually where they dwell and feed, leaving behind a toxic saliva that causes malformations and stunts the development of cannabis plants. Mostly, they are found on the newer growth, near the tops of plants.

Broad Mites

How to Identify a Broad Mite Infestation

If you know how to identify a broad mite infestation, you'll be able to act fast and effectively. If you spend too long trying to figure out what’s going on, or otherwise treat the wrong problem, then the infestation might get worse and do a lot more damage to your plants than necessary.

The symptoms of russet and broad mites are usually characterised by yellowing foliage and stems, curling and/or drooping leaves, and stunted growth. Foliage affected by these mites might appear glossy or wet-looking, while buds will begin to brown and eventually die. Sad!

Symptoms of Broad Mites on Weed Plants

The symptoms of a broad mite infestation on cannabis plants include:

🪲 Visible mites and eggs

🟨 Yellowing foliage and stems

🥀 Curling and drooping leaves

📉 Stunted growth

💦 Glossy, wet-looking foliage

🍂 Buds may begin to turn brown and die off

Detecting Broad Mites With a Microscope

If your plant is showing signs of an infestation, you should get close to it and investigate what’s going on immediately. Due to their minuscule size, broad mites are invisible to the naked eye. So to spot them or identify their age, you'll need some kind of microscope or magnifying glass.

Looking out for eggs is one of the easiest ways to identify them, as they have peculiar tufts and can be found stationary on the underside of leaves rather than moving around. If you can find eggs, then look for anything crawling about on your plants that matches any of the descriptions we mentioned above.

Broad Mites

Life Cycle of Broad Mites

Including the egg, there are four stages to a broad mite's life cycle:

  1. Egg: Eggs are laid in clutches on the underside of leaves and covered with 29–37 white tufts. They hatch after 2–3 days.
  2. Larvae: Once the eggs hatch, the larvae of the broad mite emerge. These have only three sets of legs and appear to be white due to the ridges along their bodies. This stage lasts one day.
  3. Nymph: Next, they enter the nymph phase. At this point, they are clear and pointed at each end. Usually, they are found hidden in depressions on fruits and flowers, but the females can also be found being carried around by adult males.
  4. Adult broad mites: After only three days of hatching, the broad mites reach adulthood, and feed and breed until they die. Males live for 5–9 days, and females for 8–13.

Anatomy of Broad Mites

Knowing how to spot broad mites, and how to identify them at each stage of their life cycle, is key to identifying an infestation and figuring out how progressed it is. For instance, finding young broad mites means that adults have arrived and already started breeding. Whereas, if you only find adults, it might mean that it is relatively new, and therefore might be easier to treat.

Here’s how to identify each stage:

  • Larvae: 0.1–0.2mm long. Whitish, with ridges along their bodies. Slow-moving, with only three pairs of legs.
  • Nymphs: Clear and pointed at each end. 0.1–0.2mm long.
  • Adult broad mites: Short, oval bodies, broadest in the middle. Four sets of legs that are long and spindly and well-defined.
Broad Mites Stages

Feeding Habits of Broad Mites

Broad mites feed on the plant by penetrating the surface of leaves and fruits. Not only can a large infestation damage plants by sapping their energy (and sap), but broad mites' saliva is toxic and causes leaves and flowers to grow malformed, which ultimately stunts growth and reduces the final yield.

They tend to feed on tender, younger leaves first, and this is also where they are most likely to be found. Younger leaves have softer skin, which is easier for the broad mites’ mouthparts to penetrate.

How to Get Rid of Broad Mites

Broad mites are feared by cannabis growers as they are known for being one of the hardest pests to deal with or get rid of. Tough and hard to kill, once they’re on your plants, you’re going to have a hard time getting them off—but it's not impossible!

Speed is absolutely essential here, and this is why it’s so important to identify the problem quickly, so you can deal with it before it gets out of hand!

Again, it can be done, and we’re here to show you how.

1. Remove Affected Areas

First, remove any leaves or buds that have mites or eggs on them. This is going to hurt your soul and your plants, but it’s a necessary way to immediately remove a large amount of them. As they are tough to kill by other means, simply removing the majority of them will make the rest of your task significantly easier. Let go!

Removing Affected Areas

2. Neem Oil

Once you’ve removed the affected areas, you’ll still need to spray the rest of your plant with something to get rid of any lingering mites or eggs.

Neem oil is a go-to organic pesticide used by many growers. It’s effective at killing pests, but doesn’t pass up the food chain, nor does it pollute the wider environment. So, it is a much better option than synthetic alternatives.

Using neem oil is simple; just mix it in a mister according to the packet instructions and apply to the affected areas of your plant.

Keep in mind that neem oil will leave behind an unpleasant taste, so always avoid spraying it on your buds.

To limit your use of neem oil, we recommend applying it to your plants once, then monitoring their progress over the next 1–2 days before applying the oil a second time.

If you’re dealing with a hardcore infestation, feel free to apply neem oil on a daily basis. This will eventually kill them off (fingers crossed). Just remember that it’ll also put your plants under a lot of stress, so they’ll need a bit of extra love after the treatment is through. Doable.

3. Insecticidal Soap

Insecticidal plant soaps are great for spot-treating parts of your plants affected by broad mites.

In that way, they are ideal for use on smaller infestations as well as flowering plants. Just make sure to avoid getting the soap on your buds. Consider using them multiple times for best results.

You can also give your entire plant a wash with insecticidal soap. This works best when you don’t have flowers developing yet. As it’s not very harsh, you can use it at the slightest sign of an infestation. In fact, commercial growers sometimes wash their plants on a regular basis, as a preventative measure.

4. Predatory Mites

Alternatively, you can introduce predatory mites such as Amblyseius andersoni, aka broad mite killer, which will kill the broad mites themselves. Ha!

These should be applied to the top of the plant, where the newest growth is, as this is where broad mites are most likely to be found. Predatory mites can be pretty effective, especially in the earlier stages of an infestation. Still, repeat applications might be necessary to sort out an infestation.

5. Miticides/Pesticides

Unfortunately, sometimes mites can be so hard to deal with they leave you no choice but to turn to time-tested chemical insecticides and broad mite miticides.

While these products contain harsh chemicals that’ll stress your plants and produce potentially toxic runoff, they are extremely effective at dealing with a wide variety of garden pests. Only use these as a last resort, though. They're powerful chemicals.

Most of these products are designed to be applied to the affected parts of the plants and left to work for extended periods of time. In some cases, you may need multiple applications to ensure the mites have left your plants.

After that, remember to thoroughly flush your soil. Then you can pump up your nutrient routine again.

Miticides

How to Prevent Broad Mites on Cannabis Plants

When it comes to dealing with garden pests, it's always better to prevent than treat. Therefore, always make sure your plants are growing in a good environment with plenty of ventilation/circulation and the right temperature/humidity levels.

Plus, always make sure to inspect your plants regularly and act quickly as soon as you see any signs of stress. Mite infestations are much easier to handle when caught early.

1. Start From Seed

If you start from seed, you know for sure that your plants won’t begin life infected. Clones, on the other hand, can come already-infected with broad mites (or any other pest), and then you’ll have problems on your hands from day one.

Of course, sometimes there are good reasons to buy clones rather than seeds. So, if you’re getting clones, ensure they’re from a highly trusted source that will check them for pests before giving them to you. Crucial.

2. Periodic Preemptive Sprays

As mentioned, sometimes commercial growers will wash their plants as a preventative measure using insecticidal soap, or even neem oil. You could do this yourself, especially if you grow outdoors. But in most cases it isn’t necessary and involves a lot of extra effort.

Broad Mites on Cannabis: Prevent First, Treat Later

Broad mites are one of the worst infestations a cannabis crop and its grower can face. And while, of course, there are effective steps you can take if one does happen to occur, it’s much better to prevent it in the first place.

With this article, you should find yourself better armed to identify and treat this problem if it does enter your life. Good luck!




Cookies settings

We are requesting your permission to use your data for the reasons stated below:

Functional cookies

Functional cookies help our website to function optimally and allow us to personalise certain features.

Preference cookies

Preference cookies allow us to remember information that influences the way our website looks, including your preferred language based on your region.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies give us insights into website traffic and customer behaviour, including how many people visit our site, how long they browse for, and which parts of our site they visit.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small pieces of data from a particular website that get stored on a user’s computer while they’re surfing the internet. Cookies have several different functions. Some of them track browser activity that enables businesses to deliver targeted advertisements. Other cookies serve to remember user login details to different websites to make jumping on social media, or other sites, a more fluid process. Because each cookie has its own unique ID, these pieces of data allow website owners to measure the unique traffic coming into their site.

Why do we use cookies?

Cookies come in handy when you visit our website. They ensure you stay logged in, that you can shop safely, and that the items you add to your cart stay there before you make a purchase. But cookies also help us. The data they provide allow us to improve our website and enable us to present you with targeted advertisements that are compatible with your interests.

What kind of cookies do we use?

Functional cookies

Functional cookies help our website to function optimally and allow us to personalise certain features.

Preference cookies

Preference cookies allow us to remember information that influences the way our website looks, including your preferred language based on your region.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies give us insights into website traffic and customer behaviour, including how many people visit our site, how long they browse for, and which parts of our site they visit.

How can I disable or delete cookies?

Not a fan of cookies? No worries. You can disable them (with the exception of necessary cookies) in your browser settings. However, blocking cookies may impact your browsing experience and prevent you from enjoying all of the technical features of our site.

Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: