Tiny red creatures often appear around homes and gardens. While commonly mistaken for spiders, these small arachnids are primarily mites. They are generally harmless to people and pets, posing more of a nuisance or threat to plants and property.
Common Tiny Red “Spiders”
The tiny red creatures frequently observed are typically mites, belonging to the class Arachnida. Two common types are clover mites (Bryobia praetiosa) and spider mites (Tetranychidae family). Clover mites are oval-shaped, smaller than a pinhead, and range from reddish-brown to dark greenish-brown, with their front two legs appearing notably long. They are commonly found outdoors on lawns and other landscaping plants, feeding on grass, clover, dandelions, and ornamental flowers.
Spider mites are very small, often less than 1 millimeter, appearing as tiny moving dots. They vary in color, including red, and are known for spinning fine silk webbing, which gives them their “spider” name. These mites reside on the undersides of plant leaves, where they feed and lay eggs. Both types are widespread and often noticed when populations increase during favorable weather.
Assessing the Threat to People and Pets
These tiny red mites do not bite humans or pets. Their mouthparts are designed for piercing plant tissues and extracting fluids, not for biting skin. They are not venomous and do not transmit diseases to people or animals.
Concerns about allergic reactions are minimal from direct contact. While some individuals may experience mild skin irritation or general sensitization to mite allergens, this is distinct from a bite or a direct health threat. Unlike other mite species that can bite humans, such as chiggers or bird mites, clover mites and spider mites pose no direct health risk. Therefore, encountering these mites does not require medical attention for bites or disease transmission.
Assessing the Threat to Plants and Property
While not a direct threat to people or pets, these mites can cause issues for plants and property. Spider mites damage plants by piercing individual plant cells and sucking out the chlorophyll and cell contents. This feeding leads to visible signs such as pale, yellowed, or stippled leaves with tiny white or yellow spots. Severe infestations can cause leaves to turn bronzed, curl, drop prematurely, or become covered in fine webbing, stunting plant growth or even leading to plant death.
Clover mites, on the other hand, are primarily a nuisance pest indoors. When crushed, their bodies release a red pigment that can leave noticeable stains on light-colored surfaces such as walls, curtains, carpets, and furniture. These stains are not from blood but from their body fluids and can be difficult to remove. While they do not damage the structure of homes, their presence can be distressing.
Managing Their Presence
Managing these mites involves both removal and prevention strategies. Indoors, vacuum clover mites using a hose attachment rather than crushing them, which avoids staining surfaces. Wiping surfaces with a damp cloth can also remove them. For spider mites on plants, forceful water sprays can dislodge them, especially from the undersides of leaves. Horticultural oils and insecticidal soaps can also be applied to plants, as these work by suffocating the mites or disrupting their protective coatings.
Prevention is essential for long-term management. Creating a vegetation-free zone of 18-24 inches around a home’s foundation can deter clover mites, as they struggle to cross bare soil or pea gravel. Sealing cracks and openings around foundations, windows, and doors helps prevent mites from entering structures. Avoiding over-fertilization of lawns near the house reduces conditions favorable to clover mites. For persistent or widespread infestations, consulting a pest management professional is advisable for effective resolution.