What are these tiny red bugs?
The spring season in Boise is a colorful time of year, full of bright shades of various pigments. You may have noticed tiny bright red bugs crawling along your sunny window sills, or seen them crawling up walls on a sunny day. Those are clover mites, and as the name implies they are plant eaters, particularly clover and grass. It is important to understand that in spite of their body pigment and color, and while closely related to ticks, they do not feed on blood. Although they are Arachnids (in the same family as spiders, scorpions, and ticks), they will not bite humans or pets, they are simply a nuisance pest.
So, why do you have them inside then? Clover mites are definitely plant eaters, yet every spring hundreds of them are found in windows, around doors and around sinks. A few possible reasons may include having a well fertilized healthy lawn that grows right up to the foundation below your window. They can lay thousands of eggs, almost invisible to the naked eye, on flat surfaces covered by moss. Warm springtime temperatures are telling them that it is time to migrate in large numbers, to find food sources. However, going inside was a wrong choice, you’ll often find them not moving. That is because without a water source they will dehydrate and die.
What can you do to reduce a clover mite infestation? Keeping your lawn trimmed short on that side of your house will help, but removing all weeds and grass two feet from your foundation is even better. You can clean up the mites on your window sills with a wet towel. You’ll want to use a wiping motion to avoid crushing them. This can help prevent red stains. Using a vacuum cleaner is also effective. There are a few other preventative measures and home remedies, but they likely do not have a residual effect. That is where our pest control treatment can be more effective. We can use a few different options and lay down barriers around your home’s entry points. This is one of the most efficient forms of pest control in southern Idaho and a great way to stay rid of those clover mites!
Kirk Dean
Barrier Pest Control
CC image by Judy Gallagher at Flickr
