How to prevent and control mushroom mites? A detailed guide to practical prevention methods

Mites feed on the mycelium and fruiting bodies of many kinds of edible fungi. Among these, damage to button mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, tea tree mushrooms and straw mushrooms is the most common and most serious. When mites gather at the base of the mushrooms and feed on the mycelial roots, the base becomes bare and the mushrooms dry up and die. Damage to the mycelium causes mycelial regression, and the growing medium turns black, wet and loose, with only mycelial strands remaining; the mites also carry pathogens, leading to disease infection in the mushroom bed.

The control methods are as follows:

(1) Select mite-free spawn: mite-infested spawn is the primary cause of mite outbreaks in mushroom houses.

(2) The growing medium must be thoroughly and strictly fermented: when sowing in summer, the mushroom house should be thoroughly cleaned, and the shelves in the mushroom house should preferably be made of inorganic materials, to reduce places where mites can breed and to make disinfection easier.

(3) When sowing at high temperatures in summer and autumn, to ensure the safety of the mycelial growth period, a preventive pesticide should be mixed into the growing medium. A 2000-fold dilution of Gujing can be mixed into the material when building the pile, which can effectively control mites and various insect pests during the fermentation period.

(4) When mites damage the mushroom base and caps during the fruiting period, the harvestable mushrooms should be picked in good time, then sprayed with a 1000-fold dilution of Gujing or pyridaben, and sprayed again after about 5 days; 2 to 3 consecutive treatments can effectively control the degree of mite damage.