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AWEX EMI 1132 +7
Micron 17 1658 +9
Micron 18 1499 +13
Micron 19 1401 +19
Micron 20 1336 +28
Micron 21 1301 +20
Micron 22 1251n +15
Micron 26 608 +10
Micron 28 402 +7
Micron 30 355 +10
Micron 32 310n +3
MCar 678 +7

Timerite

CALCULATE YOUR BEST REDLEGGED EARTH MITE SPRAY WINDOW

TIMERITE® predicts your best spray window and ideal spray date this spring to control redlegged earth mites (RLEM) next autumn on your property.

TIMERITE® was developed and funded by AWI and CSIRO. Updates and improvements were made by Cesar Australia and CSIRO, with funding from AWI, GRDC, MLA and Cesar Australia.

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Redlegged earth mites are an introduced pasture and crop pest in southern Australia. They are estimated to infest over 20 million hectares of pasture and crop causing over $200 million damage by way of failed plant establishment and reduced productivity in pastures (Ridsdill-Smith 1991) and over $44 million damage in grains crops annually (Murray et al. 2013).

The first step to managing redlegged earth mites (RLEM) is good monitoring. Once RLEM are identified, it is important to understand the risk level for RLEM damage next autumn before spraying.

Spraying according to your spring TIMERITE® Best spray date will help minimise the damage to your pastures and crops next autumn. Your TIMERITE® calculation is based on using a long residual pesticide for control (e.g. omethoate). Other pesticides with shorter residual activity may have reduced efficacy.

RLEM life cycle

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Image with thanks to Cesar Australia.

Know your mite

TIMERITE is effective against RLEM, but not against blue oat mite – so it’s vitally important you know which pest you’re dealing with!

RLEM

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Blue oat mite

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Images with thanks to Cesar Australia.

When should I use the TIMERITE® spring spray?

Only spray if you need to. Overuse of spraying can lead to insecticide resistance, which is becoming more widespread in RLEM.

First reduce RLEM risk with the following strategies:

  • avoid sowing highly susceptible pasture species or crops into paddocks known to have high mite numbers
  • incorporate a cereal crop into your rotation to reduce mite numbers
  • manage weeds, especially broadleaf weeds in fencelines, which favour RLEM
  • heavy pasture grazing in spring, stubble burning, or cultivation can help reduce mite numbers in the following autumn.

Spray according to your TIMERITE® Best spray date if:

  • You can see high numbers of RLEM on plants or significant feeding damage across paddock in spring;
  • You are planning to reseed clover pasture; or
  • You are planning to plant a mite-susceptible crop next year, such as canola.

Find your TIMERITE™ Best spray date

Type your postcode into the box below, select your locality from the list, then click ‘Calculate TIMERITE’ to get your TIMERITE™ Best spray date.

Green line = Best spray date
Red line = User selected spray date (you can move this to different dates to see the effect on diapause and population recovery below)
Grey box = Best window of opportunity

Mite control efficacy (%)

Mites going into diapause

Mites in diapause (%)

Mite population recovery following control

Relative population size from time of control

Successful control of RLEM depends on the right timing. Spraying too early in spring allows populations to recover before the season end, while spraying too late means the populations will already be in diapause (eggs are ready for ‘oversummering’).

The TIMERITE® Best spray date is the calculated point of maximum control.

The TIMERITE® Best window of opportunity is the period where control is still very high (at least 95% as good as the TIMERITE® date).

The graphs above show the RLEM diapause status and relative population abundance through time following spraying (control), as marked by the red line.

Change the TIMERITE® User selected spray date red line on the first graph (by clicking on the circles on the black line) to observe the effect of different spray dates on population recovery and the importance of using the TIMERITE® Best window of opportunity to your advantage.