About Clover Mites
Clover mites are teeny, tiny little bugs that are smaller than the head of a pin. They are actually not technically insects, but instead are arachnids, just like spiders. They are red and look like moving, red polka dots when they are crawling around. If you squish one, it will leave a red stain that is not blood, but just the color of the bug. Clover mites like to eat clover and some grass and they are not a threat to buildings, furniture, people or pets. Clover mites will not bite you or your pets or eat your clothes or get into your food.
General Appearance
If you were to look at a clover mite under a microscope, you would see a red arachnid with a body that resembled a horseshoe crab. Clover mites have small heads, with two very long antennae that are even longer than the mite's body. They also have eight short legs. Females can lay 70 eggs that are so small that you can only see them with a microscope, but they will only lay their eggs outside.
Some people do not like clover mites because they leave red stains. If you squash them, you need to clean up the red spots they leave right away with a wet paper towel and maybe some soap. If the stain dries, it will be difficult to remove. Clover mites usually stay near windows or doors, so you pretty much are only risking staining your walls or possibly your window sills.
What Attracts Clover Mites
Clover mites hate hot and cold temperatures and cannot breed in temperatures lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher than 86 degrees. During these times, they might become an accidental pest when they move into your house to avoid either heat or cold. They are most likely to be found in homes that have lush, fertile lawns because these lawns provide them with their preferred food source. For reasons unknown to scientists, clover mites prefer to enter homes with shiny surfaces, like lots of glass, pale colored paint or even aluminum siding.
Some plants are even more likely to attract clover mites than others. Clover mites favor clover, dandelions, poppies, phlox, bleeding heart, primrose, alyssum, salvia, daffodil and legumes. They seem to have no interest in zinnia, chrysanthemum and geraniums though. Even when living in ideal conditions outdoors, clover mites can only live for about two weeks.
Prevention
You can prevent clover mites from entering your home by building a gravel moat. Creating an 18 to 24 inch band of gravel, sand or lava rocks all the way around the perimeter of your home will prevent clover mites from entering, since they have a tough time crossing these barriers. If you already have a clover mite infestation in your house, you can treat it with a chemical pesticide. This is really totally unnecessary though, as clover mites cannot survive for long periods of time in your house. If you are just patient, the clover mites will either die off or leave on their own, usually within two days. Clover mites don't have any negative effect on your yard or home though, so you should just ignore your clover mites until they go away.
