Cyclamen mites are tiny sap-feeding pests that attack the newest growth on houseplants, leaving leaves stunted, curled, and distorted. They are far too small to see with the naked eye, so most people notice the damage long before the pest. They are stubborn, but manageable once you know what you are dealing with. This guide covers how to identify cyclamen mites, treat an infestation, and stop them coming back.
What Are Cyclamen Mites?
Cyclamen mites (Phytonemus pallidus, also known as Steneotarsonemus pallidus) are members of the tarsonemid mite family. Adults are around 0.2 to 0.3 mm long, semi-transparent, and glossy, which makes them effectively invisible without magnification. Unlike spider mites, they produce no webbing, so an infestation is easy to miss.
They thrive in warm, humid, still conditions and avoid light, hiding deep in unfurling leaves, buds, and growing tips. They most commonly affect African violets (Saintpaulia), Cyclamen, Begonia, ivy, and gerbera, but will move to other soft-leaved plants nearby.
Life Cycle of Cyclamen Mites
Females lay eggs in the protected folds of new growth. The eggs hatch within a few days into larvae, which feed and mature into adults in one to two weeks under warm conditions. A whole generation can complete in a fortnight, so populations build quickly and overlap, with eggs, larvae, and adults present at once. This is why a single treatment rarely works and why timing repeat treatments matters.
Identifying Cyclamen Mites
Physical Characteristics
You will almost never see the mites themselves. Adults are pale, oval, and under a third of a millimetre long. Diagnosis comes from the damage pattern, not from spotting the pest. If you have a hand lens of 10x or more, check right down in the crown and newest leaves.
Where To Look
Focus on the youngest growth: the centre of the crown, unfurling leaves, and flower buds. Cyclamen mites always attack new tissue first, so the oldest leaves often look fine while the heart of the plant is deformed.
Where Do Cyclamen Mites Come From?
Almost always on a new plant. They spread on infested nursery stock, on cuttings, and by direct leaf-to-leaf contact between plants kept close together. They can also travel on your hands and tools as you move between plants, which is why a single infested African violet can pass them along a whole shelf.
Damage Caused by Cyclamen Mites
The signs are distinctive once you know them:
- New leaves that emerge stunted, cupped, curled, or twisted rather than opening flat.
- Darkened, thickened, brittle new growth, sometimes with a greyish or bronzed sheen.
- Flower buds that fail to open, or open deformed and discoloured.
- A stalled, congested crown while older leaves look normal.
Crucially, there is no webbing. That absence, combined with damage concentrated on the newest growth, separates cyclamen mites from spider mites, which produce fine webs and stipple older leaves.
How To Get Rid of Cyclamen Mites
Immediate Steps
Isolate the affected plant straight away, well away from anything else, and wash your hands before touching other plants. Cut off and bin the worst of the distorted growth to reduce the population. Be honest about badly infested plants: cyclamen mites are hard to eradicate, and a cheap, heavily damaged African violet is often best discarded rather than nursed.
Natural Treatments
For plants worth saving:
- Neem oil. A diluted neem oil spray, applied to reach right into the crown and new growth, disrupts feeding and breeding. Repeat every 5 to 7 days for at least three cycles to catch newly hatched mites.
- Insecticidal soap. A contact treatment that works on the same repeat schedule. Cover the growing points thoroughly, as that is where the mites hide.
- Hot water treatment. A traditional and effective method for African violets: immerse the whole plant, pot and all, in water held at around 43 to 44 degrees Celsius for roughly 15 minutes. This kills mites in the crown without harming a healthy plant, but the temperature must be accurate.
You will find suitable sprays and treatments in our fungal and pest control range.
Biological Controls
Predatory mites are an effective option, especially across a larger collection. Neoseiulus cucumeris and Neoseiulus californicus both hunt cyclamen mites and their eggs, working into the same tight crevices where the pest hides. Introduce them early, before an infestation gets out of hand, and avoid spraying oils or soaps at the same time, as those will also harm the predators.
Prevention
Prevention is far easier than a cure with this pest:
- Quarantine new plants for two to three weeks and inspect the new growth before letting them join the collection. This applies to susceptible plants like African violets and begonias especially.
- Wash your hands and clean tools between handling plants, particularly after touching any plant with suspect growth.
- Avoid crowding susceptible plants together in warm, still, humid spots, which are exactly the conditions cyclamen mites prefer.
- Inspect regularly. Catching distorted new growth early, on one plant, is the difference between a quick fix and losing a shelf.
Cyclamen mites test your patience, but with isolation, repeated treatment, and good quarantine habits they can be beaten. If you are not sure whether twisted new growth is mites or something else, send us a clear photo of the crown and we will help you work it out.