Red Spider Mites ?

Nightforce 65X55

There seem to be a lot of these around this year , they are on every wall and Rock Ive looked at , but I know very little about them , what do they eat ?





These are macro shots , these little insects are very small I would say less than .5mm

blatantrereg

I think they're clover mites. According to Wikipedia:

"Clover mites are polyphagous, feeding on a wide range of plants including "lawn grasses, ornamental flowers, clover, dandelion, shepherd's purse, strawberry, daffodil, Salvia, Alyssum, and primrose"

Nightforce 65X55

blatantrereg wrote: »

I think they're clover mites. According to Wikipedia:

"Clover mites are polyphagous, feeding on a wide range of plants including "lawn grasses, ornamental flowers, clover, dandelion, shepherd's purse, strawberry, daffodil, Salvia, Alyssum, and primrose"

I have never seen them at grass or any plants to be honest , only on stone or concrete, I think they probobly live on Lichen or moss ....

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

They are Clover Mites. Quite harmless. They feed on grass and weeds like dandelion. They will also eat apples and strwberries. They are often found in warm sunny spots, like rocks and walls.

Woodville56

Thanks for that info on these little critters ! Seeing them everywhere these days - one even managed to make it into the kitchen - probably from the window sill when window open !
Was curious as to what they were , as other posts here say, they appear to be very plentiful lately.

Day Lewin

Once when I was living in a flat without a garden, I had lettuces growing in a box on a sunny windowsill. They became over-run with red spider mites, scurrying all over them: the plants became wilted and sickly.

Nowadays I usually see these on top of sunny walls. The tiny red dots look good on whitewash, LOL

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

katemarch wrote: »

Once when I was living in a flat without a garden, I had lettuces growing in a box on a sunny windowsill. They became over-run with red spider mites, scurrying all over them: the plants became wilted and sickly.

Nowadays I usually see these on top of sunny walls. The tiny red dots look good on whitewash, LOL

Are you sure they weren't clover mite?

Day Lewin

@Srameen - you may have the advantage of me there in insect knowledge.

The ones I mean are like tiny scuttling scarlet spiders and always on walls - I never knew the name "clover mite"!!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

katemarch wrote: »

@Srameen - you may have the advantage of me there in insect knowledge.

The ones I mean are like tiny scuttling scarlet spiders and always on walls - I never knew the name "clover mite"!!

See above.

RoadRunner

Anyone noticing large amount of these in the last week or two. (I noticed them around where I live in north dublin)

Sephiroth_dude

When I was a kid we called them blood suckers and we all thought they sucked your blood if they got on your skin .

poker--addict

They have taken over this year