Adhesive Force of a Spider Mite, Tetranychus urticae, to a Flat Smooth Surface

The adhesion of a spider mite to a surface of a flat smooth plate is investigated as a model for micromachine parts to adhere to and move on such surfaces. The measurement of adhesive force is carried out under various conditions in which plate material, surface roughness of a plate and environmental humidity are differed. The adhesion mechanism is also discussed. Of the forces acting between a spider mite and a surface, one from dispersion interaction is the most dominant because (1) there is a high correlation between the adhesive force and the dispersion force component of surface energy with adhesive forces of 8.2µN for glass, 9.7µN for mica, 9.9µN for silicon and 12.1µN for gold, and because (2) high humidity and high surface roughness reduce the adhesive force. For strong adhesion based on work of adhesion, spider mites have tenent hairs with a bell-shaped end.