Nov. 29, 2011 A University of Utah biologist and an
international research team decoded the genetic blueprint of the
two-spotted spider mite, raising hope for new ways to attack the
major pest, which resists pesticides and destroys crops and
ornamental plants worldwide. The voracious mites, which
technically are not insects, can eat more than 1,100 plant
species -- a rare trait. The mites' newly revealed and sequenced
genome contains a variety of genes capable of detoxifying
pesticides as well as toxins plants use to defend themselves,
the scientists report in the Nov. 24 issue of the journal
Nature. "One key thing that makes spider mites unique is they
can eat many, many different plant species," says Richard M.
Clark, one of five main authors of the study and an assistant
professor of biology at the University of Utah. "These mites are
often house plant pests -- a major cause of people's house
plants turning yellow and getting sick. They also are a major
problem for agricultural nurseries and greenhouses, a