As spring becomes more definite, and you start watering and fertilizing your lawn more, you might notice the teeny-tiny little red or black bugs in your windows. Some people mistake them for dirt until they really concentrate on them and realize that they’re moving. Do you know what they’re called? If you guessed CLOVER MITES! You are correct!
Clover mites are not actually an insect at all. They are true mites. Other true mites are bird mites, rodent mites, chiggers, scabies, itch mites and house mites AKA dust mites. Clover mites are tiny and red or black but sometimes green or brown. Their two front legs are twice the size of their other legs but they’re so small you won’t be able to tell. Clover mites lay their eggs on the edge of the grass line and feed on foliage and fruits and veggies. Like us, clover mites favor fertilized lush lawns. In other words, it’s possible that the better your lawn looks the more clover mites you’ll have.
Usually, these little guys crawl up the sides of your house and into your windows. You will often find them on the south and southwestern sides of your home. As abundant as they get they do not actually cause harm to anything or anyone and do not pose any kind of threat – they are just annoying. One good way to temporarily rid them from your window sills and tracks is to vacuum them up. Be warned that if you decide to smash them like the game Whack-a-Mole you will replace them with fallen red shadows (not blood) which are hard to clean!
If you want to further protect your home from these resilient, pesky bugs contact us at Barrier Pest Control.
Blog written by Austin, of Barrier Pest Control.
CC image by Judy Gallagher at Flickr
