Timerite®
Decision aid tool Monitoring tool
Photo by Andrew Weeks, Cesar Australia
Timerite® is a tool that predicts the best date for spraying in spring to control redlegged earth mites the following autumn. The prediction is based on when redlegged earth mite diapause eggs will likely be produced for any particular location.
The importance of reducing diapause eggs
Over the summer period, redlegged earth mites exist as diapause eggs (a period of suspended development) to avoid the heat and lack of food. Diapause eggs can withstand summer conditions and persist into the next winter growing season.
Diapause eggs are produced during spring and then hatch in the next autumn once the environmental conditions are met. Limiting the number of diapause eggs produced during spring helps to reduce redlegged earth mite abundance the following autumn.
If you have a paddock that is at risk of redlegged earth mite, mite control might be necessary to avoid high pest loads the following season.
This tool provides a location-specific date for when spraying should occur if required. This gives growers a window of opportunity to strategically target redlegged earth mite-problem paddocks.
The development of this tool was funded by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and CSIRO.
- Published
- Categories
- Integrated pest management