Lychee erinose mite

Erinose mites cause hairy, blister-like galls on the upper side of the leaves, thickening, wrinkling and distorting them, and brown, felt-like wool on the underside. The mites feed on 'felt' the underside of the leaves. The production of erinose disrupts the ability of the leaves to photosynthesise.

DAMAGE
Major and frequent pest of foliage, flowers and fruit.
Lychee erinose mite is a serious pest that deforms the plant and produces reddish-brown velvety growth on the underside of the leaves. In severe cases flowers are destroyed and fruit-setting prevented. The mites are invisible to the naked eye and live on the underside of the leaves amongst the erinose.
Heavy infestations of the foliage reduce photosynthetic activity and so debilitate the tree. New flushes do not get the chance to contribute energy to the tree if they are infested immediately they emerge. Heavy infestations on foliage below flower panicles will inevitably result in flower damage with the likelihood that little or no fruit will set. Set fruit may also be damaged cosmetically.