The Dominican Republic was the first producer of organic bananas during past years but in 2023 it was displaced by Ecuador. A new invasive pest, the banana russet mite, is causing havoc in this country and farmers are not able to control this new pest. Yields are being reduced more than 30% in 2023 compared with 2022. This pest was identified for the first time in this republic in 2020 as the banana rust mite, Phyllocoptruta musae. I visited this country from the 28th to 30th of November, invited as a key speaker to provide my expertise in this group of pests. There, I participated in a conference where >200 farmers attended as well as government and industry personnel. Then a visit to a farm was conducted. Farmers recognized and acknowledged the support of the University of Kentucky in this endeavor. In the picture included in this story a high number of banana russet mites are observed in a folded leaf, the initial damage when leaf is unfolded, and necrotic damage on leaf that reduced the photosynthetic capacity of the plants that lead to the reduction of yields and economic losses to banana producers.