[2][3] They are commonly found on a variety of conifers, including hemlock, spruce, balsam fir, and pine.

[3][5] Nalepella mites are vagrants, meaning they circulate around the tree; females overwinter in bark cracks.

[2][9] The mites feed on the cell sap of the tree's needles, sometimes causing severe damage.

[8] Another study in 2009 found that some compounds emitted by infected spruce attracted or repelled Hylobius abietis, another pest of conifers.

[12] Nalepella mite eggs overwinter on needles, then hatch early in the spring.

[23][25][26] It causes small rusty brown to bronze spots on the needles of its host plant, but a severe infestation can result in defoliation.

[25][26] Nalepella ednae is distributed across the central and Northwestern United States, as well as in British Columbia.

[3] Their colour varies throughout the year; during the growing season, they are colourless to pale yellow, but in the fall they turn reddish-purple.

[9] Nalepella shevtchenkoi lives around the bases of the host plant's needles, as well as on its stems.

[37] They infest fir, hemlock, larch, and yew to high densities- there may be as many as 100 mites on one needle.