Abstract
Abrupt declines in populations of Tetranychus urticae Koch are frequently associated with epizootics of the pathogen Neozygiles floridana Weiser and Muma. Use of benomyl and chlorothalonil to exclude the fungal pathogen from twospotted spider mite populations in field corn plots did not prevent this population decline. Environmental monitoring revealed that periods of cooler tempertures and high relative humidity (>90%) prevailed for ca. 40 h before a noticeable increase in the incidence of the pathogen. A small percentage (2.7) of the spider mites that dispersed from the corn on wind currents were infected with the pathogen and transported it to new host sites.

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