[smweaver]

I don't have any pictures of the leaves, but on a couple of the plants the leaves had minute yellow speckling on them; the tips also started to brown and die back. Additionally, the effected leaves seemed to stop growing (didn't expand or fill out like their neighbors' leaves). One species in particular, Cycnoches chlorichilon, appeared to be the favorite of the mites. Strangely enough, a couple of Cycnoches hybrids that sat on either side of the chlorichilon had negligible damage. All plants sit on the same galvanized steel bench between mid April and late September, receive the same amount of light, water, humidity, etc. And while most plants didn't show any signs of the mites, the couple that did (most notably the chlorichilon) REALLY did. I got a couple more chlorichilons over the winter. So it will be interesting to see whether or not they also turn into mite magnets. Right now growth has just started, and even though the plants are indoors, I've purchased a couple of ten and twenty power loupes (the same ones field geologists use) and have been diligently inspecting every plant for the mites. So far, so good--but with spring approaching, the opportunities for wildlife showing up increase enormously. I'm going to look for Kelthane, and if all else fails, dip into my wallet and pay for the expensive Avid. I'd rather gripe about the investment in miticide than lament the preventable loss of plants.