Biology of the Brown Wheat Mite

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Abstract
In greenhouse studies brown wheat mites (Petrobia latens (Mull.)) were confined individually in cages suspended on small gain plants. The average incubation period of active eggs ranged from 8.5 to 11.2 days. The time from hatching to adult required 9.8 to 11.0 days, two-thirds of this time being spent in quiescence between instars. The egg incubation period was more dependent on temperature than the larval and nymphal periods. Adult life ranged from 21.5 days in 1955 to 10.6 days in 1957. Egg production also varied greatly from year to year. Diapause eggs required moisture for hatching, but excessive amounts were detrimental to the other stages. In field studies in Utah and Idaho diapauses eggs were found to be the source of overwintered populations as well as populations that developed on grain crops in the fall. Mite populations on the plants varied greatly throughout a day, being greatest in the morning and evening when temperatures were between 70° and 80°F.