Most mites, such as this Phytoseiulus persimilis, hatch from eggs and develop through three immature stages before becoming an adult. The adult female lays a light-orangish egg near prey that darkens before hatching. A six-legged mite larva emerges and in many predaceous species is relatively inactive, apparently not feeding before molting to the nymph stage. The eight-legged protonymph, deutonymph, and adult are active searchers and begin feeding almost immediately after molting.

Adapted from Denmark, H.A., and E.Schicha. 1983. Revision of the genus Phytoseiulus Evans (Acarina: Phytoseiidae). Internat. J. Acarol. 9:27-35