Bulb mite (Eriophyes tulipae)

Symptoms

• Bulbs infested with bulb mites may rot and fail to produce new growth, or new growth may be off color, stunted, and distorted.
• Once the mites are inside the bulb, they rapidly turn the bulbs into rotten pulp.

Management

• Avoid planting garlic after cole crops, as decaying cole crops, especially cauliflower, may harbour very high bulb mite populations in the field.
• Avoid planting successive onion or garlic crops.
• Flood irrigation reduces mite levels in the soil.
• Sow clean seed cloves.
• Conserve predators such as anthocorid bugs (Orius spp.), mirid bugs, syrphid/hover flies, green lacewings (Mallada basalis and Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi), predatory mites (Amblyseius alstoniae, A. womersleyi, A. fallacies and Phytoseiulus persimilis), predatory coccinellids (Stethorus punctillum), staphylinid beetle (Oligota spp.), predatory cecidomyiid fly (Anthrocnodax occidentalis), predatory gall midge (Feltiella minuta), spiders etc.

Chemical Control

Extremely Toxic

Highly Toxic

Moderately Toxic

Slightly Toxic