Mite Watch: Spider Mite Management Secrets from 45 Years in the Greenhouse with Dr. Lance Osborne

Описание: Blooms and Beyond - Season 1, Episode 8

Episode Title:



“Mite Watch: Spider Mite Management Secrets from 45 Years in the Greenhouse with Dr. Lance Osborne”


Episode Description



What do you get when you combine 45 years of greenhouse research, a PhD on whiteflies, and an unstoppable curiosity about every tiny creature crawling through Florida’s ornamental industry? You get Dr. Lance Osborne—one of the true icons of greenhouse pest management.



In this episode, Dr. Ping Yu sits down with her former colleague at the University of Florida’s Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) to dig deep into the world of spider mites. From their rapid life cycles and sneaky dispersal tactics to the “six-bullet” chemical rotation strategy and the power of predatory mites like californicus and persimilis, Lance brings decades of field-tested wisdom that every grower can put to work. Along the way, you’ll hear why sticky cards are useless for mites (use beans instead!), how banker plants revolutionize biocontrol, and why the best career advice from a 45-year veteran starts with “be a pain in the ass” and ends with building trust.



Plus: Lance reveals his newest excitement—discovering unknown natural enemies of mealybugs by hiding plants in the bushes and seeing what shows up. That’s real plant power in action!



Listen Time: ~50:46



Consulte las Notas del Programa (https://site.caes.uga.edu/yulab/bloom...)


In This Episode

Guest




• Dr. Lance Osborne — Entomologist and Researcher, Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC), University of Florida, near Orlando. Nearly 45 years of greenhouse pest management research with expertise in spider mites, whiteflies, and biological control. PhD from UC Davis on greenhouse whitefly biocontrol using Encarsia formosa.


Host




• Dr. Ping Yu — Assistant Professor and Ornamental Horticulture Extension Specialist, University of Georgia



Lance’s Journey to Entomology (01:00 – 03:25)




• Growing up as a “wild kid” in Cape Canaveral, Florida—running around outside all day collecting insects


• Headed to UC Davis for pre-vet, but couldn’t handle the blood and gore


• Switched to working with other organisms, but they kept going extinct—so he turned to insects (“I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about losing them”)


• PhD on greenhouse whitefly biocontrol with Encarsia formosa, followed by a mosquito postdoc (“It’s no fun collecting 10,000 mosquitoes off my leg every morning”)


• Hired at MREC for spider mite work and has been there ever since


Florida vs. California & Favorite Pest (03:25 – 05:50)




• Florida described as “a zoo” with something crawling everywhere—perfect for someone with a short attention span who loves variety


• Favorite pest leans toward whiteflies, but spider mites were the job he was hired to do


• Told he’d “never work on whiteflies” in Florida—five years later, whiteflies arrived anyway (“I didn’t bring them, I swear”)


Why Spider Mites Are the Top Greenhouse Challenge (05:50 – 08:24)




• A Georgia study by Will Hudson confirmed spider mites are the most-sprayed pests in ornamentals nationwide


• Spider mite management is the foundation of any IPM program


• Florida’s year-round warm temperatures mean no diapause, no winter break in the life cycle


• As you reduce pesticide pressure for one pest, others emerge—it’s been “an ongoing saga”


Spider Mite Life Cycle (08:24 – 09:45)




• Five stages: egg → larva → protonymph → deutonymph → adult


• Generation time as short as two weeks in warm conditions, up to 40–50 days in cold


• Temperature is the primary driver of development speed


• Each immature stage has a resting/molting phase where it doesn’t feed


How Spider Mites Damage Plants (09:45 – 12:10)




• Mites penetrate plant cells and remove fluids, killing cells one at a time


• Damage appears as yellow stippling that coalesces as populations grow


• All life stages feed and cause damage—adults just cause the most because they’re bigger


• Lance’s memorable analogy: “I do more damage on eating the steak at my house than my kids do—because I’m bigger”


Webbing, Silk & Dispersal (12:10 – 13:31)




• Heavy populations produce webbing as a dispersal mechanism when the plant declines


• Silk strands carry mites on wind currents to new plants


• Mites hitchhike on clothing, pets, and equipment


• If you can see webbing, you’re already in trouble—the damage won’t go away
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