Control Methods and Technical Key Points for Mushroom Mites

Mites include red spider mites and mushroom lice. Their breeding environments are mainly hidden in manure, feed and compost, chicken coops and livestock sheds, grain warehouses, or places with poor environmental conditions and rich humus, where large numbers of mites are often present. Mites are extremely tiny and are often overlooked in the early stages of infestation; once they break out, they can easily cause major damage. Mites can cause damage at all stages of shiitake mushroom production, feeding on shiitake mycelium and fruiting bodies. 

Maintaining good environmental hygiene in the mushroom cultivation site can effectively eliminate the occurrence of mite damage. For cultivation rooms where mite damage has occurred, fumigate with dichlorvos and other chemicals to kill mites before reuse. During the mycelium cultivation period, spraying 1000x diluted dicofol or 500x diluted propargite gives better results. Chemical application is not suitable during the fruiting body cultivation period, otherwise the mushroom bodies are prone to chemical damage, and consuming them poses a risk to human health.