Fuchsia gall mite
Description
This is a microscopic mite, the adults are creamy white in colour and about 0.25mm long, too small to be seen without a microscope.
Symptoms
They invade the new growth at the tips of shoots where they suck sap and secrete toxins that prevent the normal development of leaves and flowers. This leads to stunted, distorted shoot growth which often has a red or greenish yellow colour. Flowers are often so badly deformed the will fail to develop. These mites are most active between late-spring and late-summer.
