[3] It is white or pale yellow in colour and has a wormlike or spindle-like body shape, with two anterior (front) pairs of legs.

[2] It produces chemicals that interfere with the plant's normal growth, which instead becomes a distorted mass of reddish-pink or yellowish green tissue.

[5] The mite's cold tolerance is not known; it may remain active over winter if temperatures are high enough, though in cooler areas overwintering occurs beneath bud scales.

In 2006 the mite was identified as present on the Channel Islands, and in 2007 it was found in two private gardens in southern England, where it has since been discovered in several locations.

[5] Fuchsia tissue becomes so distorted as a result of gall mite infestation that affected plants fail to produce normal growth and flowers, which seriously impacts their horticultural amenity value.

[5] Products that contain abamectin or spirodiclofen provide some control,[4] though repeated applications at four-day intervals may be necessary to break the mite life cycle.

[5] Fuchsia cultivars that have been listed as being resistant or less susceptible to gall mite damage include 'Baby Chang', 'Chance Encounter', 'Cinnabarina', 'Englander', 'Golden West', 'Isis', 'Mendocino'/'Mendocino Mini', 'Miniature Jewels', 'Ocean Mist', 'Space Shuttle' and 'Voodoo'.