Tropical Research And Education Center

collage of symptoms affecting lychees, including leaves, stems, and fruit

Lychee Erinose Mite

General Information

Aceria litchii, a mite affecting production of lychee

The Lychee Erinose Mite (LEM) (Aceria litchii) was found in a 3-acre commercial lychee orchard in Lee County on Pine Island, Florida in February 2018. Infestations were recorded on young leaves, stems, and inflorescences of the lychee varieties, ‘Mauritius’, ‘Hak Ip’, and ‘Sweet Heart’.

Recommendations and Control

Lychee trees in Florida tend to flush new growth repeatedly after harvest. To reduce the potential of repeated flushing:
- Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer to mature trees (unless leaf testing shows they are deficient).
- Stop irrigation of mature trees after harvest.
- After harvest – synchronize all the tree shoots by pruning lightly so that all the shoots flush simultaneously (i.e., synchronize your trees growth pattern).
- The aforementioned practices will help reduce the number of times lychee trees flush after harvest, help set up the tree to go dormant during fall and winter, and reduce the number of vegetative flushed that need protecting from LEM.
To further reduce the number of sulfur applications, only protect the major leaf flush after pruning (after harvest) and from panicle emergence to fruit set.

Presentations

2019 - New serious pest of lychee and longan found in Florida
2023 - A comprehensive Lychee Erinose Mite (LEM) management update