The unusual length of the clover mite's legs, which are two times as long as their other legs, is what distinguishes the clover mite adults. You will typically see clover mites first invading your house near window frames prior to them completely invading homes.
Clover mites live beneath loose bark, where they can hide and lay their eggs. They infest plants because they survive by sucking plant juices.
Clover mites do not bite humans, nor do they create indoor damage to human health. Yet they are a nuisance, particularly when staining carpets, drapes, and important documents red.
As clover mite populations grow, the damage they create to lawn grasses increases too. Vast numbers of clover mites turn certain parts of the lawn brown, causing extended harm to any foliage. Turning it brown or yellow and eventually causing it to wilt.
What do Clover Mites in my House Feed on?
Clover mites are plant feeders. Eating clovers, grasses, and a variety of other vegetation, clover mite activity is found around the foundation perimeter and exterior walls of a home. These pests crawl into cracks and crevices to molt and lay eggs. While in the egg stage, they seek a dry, protected location for warm-weather hibernation.
The red stains are not created by blood. Diet clover mites are not blood feeders, getting their nutrients by feeding on grass and plant juices. Overwintering mites, or bryobia praetiosa, hatch in the spring. They are becoming a problem due to urban sprawl and an increase in lawn fertilizers and well-fertilized lawns. Although not dangerous to human health, they do create a serious nuisance.
What Do Adult Clover Mites Look Like?
The adult clover mites are reddish brown to dark green-brown in color. They are eight-legged, with a greatly elongated first pair of legs distinctively longer than the rest. Often people who diet clover mites mistake their front legs for being antennae.
A clover mite body is around 0.75 to 0.85 millimeters long and oval-shaped. The abdomen has plates that are similar to feathers.
The adult clover mite is one of the biggest mites of any other species of plant feeders. You don't want to squish adult clover mites in your house because they leave a bright red stain behind on things like wallpaper, curtains, rugs, or other lighter-colored objects. To avoid these red stains, you should always vacuum clover mites up rather than squishing them.
Once the thermostat gets above the freezing mark, clover mite overwintering eggs hatch early in spring, and adults become active. The first overwintering clover mites lay eggs that will hatch in the early spring. When temperatures get over 45 degrees Fahrenheit, the overwintering eggs hatch early, sometime after the beginning of April.
How To Get Rid of Clover Mites a few Easy Steps | DIY Clover Mite Control
The main thing on your mind when made aware of a clover mite infestation is how to get rid of them! These tiny pests quickly become difficult to handle once they get inside your home. Thus, the first rule to prevent getting rid of clover mites in your house is to never allow them to get inside! Here are the most effective steps for getting rid of a clover mite infestation.
- Create a barrier of pea gravel that is 18 to 24 inches in width to avert access to your home and lawn.
- Use a miticide to spray the walls of the foundation and barrier strip.
- Some effective miticides are synthetic pyrethroids and pyrethrins. Ensure to follow the instructions on the label to use the correct concentration levels.
- Spray or paint all the window and outer frames when you first notice signs of clover mites infestation in your house. It is also imperative to treat any obvious points of entry and repeat treatment frequently.
- When indoors, you can eradicate mites by using sprays that contain synergized pyrethrins. However, it needs to be certain regarding the amount of permanent guarding and contact that is required. Using a vacuum will give you temporary relief from these pests short term.
Clover Mite Chemical Treatments
There isn't any reason to panic just because clover mites have found a way into a home's perimeter around the area. You have options, and one of those options is Pyrid Aerosol. This is a rapid-acting spray that kills their populations quickly upon contact. Use this aerosol spray in all the cracks and crevices you have noticed clover mites.
Tips for Preventing Clover Mites from Coming into my House
When you lower the amount of grass and areas shading a yard, you can avert clover mite infestations. In addition, also eliminate any potential entry points by sealing cracks and crevices with caulk.
To avert simple access for mites, lay out an eighteen to twenty-four-inch wide barrier of pea gravel along foundation walls. If you cannot utilize pea gravel, place bare soil along the wall voids and around flower beds to create a barrier.
How to Prevent Clover Mites from Invading Homes
In attempting to control a population of clover mites invading your house, prevention is the most effective way. In order to avert these pests, you must get rid of any lush vegetation within a circumference of eighteen to twenty-four inches around the perimeter of the building's foundation walls.
This is a plant-free area that discourages clover mites feedback from moving into a building, providing a treatable area.
Lawn, Landscape and Ornamental Plants Pest Management
The best removal of large populations of clover mites is using a vacuum cleaner. A vacuum cleaner gets rid of them without crushing them. After collecting clover mites, leave them in the vacuum bag. Sweeper bags must be empty containers that can be destroyed safely by removing or burning them.
Large mite populations may be decreased by providing supplemental watering in places where clover mites can develop. These areas are usually dry-protected locations with thick vegetation at the base of sun-exposed walls near evergreens.
In addition, plants less attractive to clover mites include plants like geraniums, chrysanthemum, zinnia, marigold, salvia, rose, petunia, or shrubs.
Call the Professionals to Get Rid of a Clover Mite Infestation
If you have a problem with bryobia praetiosa or clover mite populations, call A.N.T. Pest Control at 815-215-7211 today!
