Wind Dispersal of Brown Soft Scale Crawlers, Coccus hesperidum (Homoptera: Coccidae), and Texas Citrus Mites, Eutetranychus banksi (Acarina: Tetranychidae) from Texas Citrus1

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Abstract
The Texas citrus mite, Eutetranychus banksi (Mcgregor), and crawlers of the brown soft scale, Coccus hesperidum L., were wind-transported for at least 179 feet from a test grove in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The mites were dispersed and caught on Tree Tanglefoot® traps in greater numbers than the scale crawlers. No eggs of the mite were found on the trap surfaces. Small gusts of wind dispersed more mites than constant wind at higher velocities. A sharp decrease in the number of individuals trapped was noted at the locations more distant from the population source (the test grove). The numbers of these 2 citrus pests found on the traps indicated that an infestation could be wind-borne from a neighboring grove or within an infested grove area, or, in the case of the scale, from alternate host plants.

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