Learn all about clover mite bite, size and the sprays used to get rid of it. Clover mites are accidental invaders that can be a nuisance during the early spring and occasionally in the fall.
They are very small, reddish-brown creatures that appear only as moving dark spots to the naked eye. Sheer numbers, plus the resulting red-brown stain left behind if they are crushed, make them unwelcome visitors. The red stains are not blood; they are the mite’s body pigments. Clover mites are not blood feeders and will not harm people or pets, nor will they infest household products. Once inside a home or building they will soon die.
As the name implies, clover mites feed on clover and grasses. They can be especially abundant in the heavy, succulent growth of well-fertilized lawns. Clover mites usually enter a home around windows or doors so they are usually seen crawling along sills or thresholds. Clover mites can crawl up outside walls and may enter the buildings at upper levels.
When using your hose-end sprayer for lawn and shrub application, use 1 ounce of Talstar per thousand square feet of area to be treated. Talstar can be applied to lawns, shrubs, trees and flower beds.
Clover mites are a temporary nuisance; they appear suddenly and then are gone. A soapy rag or wet sponge can be used to clean mites off of surfaces. Wipe carefully to avoid crushing the mites and causing stains. The crevice tool of a vacuum cleaner may also be used to pick up mites. Rely on non-chemical control indoors. Do not apply insecticides to kitchen counters or other interior surfaces.
What is Clover Mite?
Clover mites are a common nuisance in and around Minnesota houses. This pest is not an insect but a true mite, slightly smaller than the head of a pin with a reddish or reddish-brown body. When the mites are crushed, they leave rusty or blood-red spots. Clover mites actually do not damage a house, its furnishings, or even humans or animals. They feed primarily on the lawn where they suck sap from grasses, clover, and other plants. In the fall they sometimes gather in tremendous numbers on walls, windows, tree trunks, and other outside surfaces where they seek protected hiding places. They crawl into cracks around windows or in foundation walls and under siding, shingles, or shakes.
Clover Mite Pictures
Clover Mite Bites
Clover mites do not bite humans or animals. They will however, attack plants, grass and leaves. Clover mites are extremely small arachnids. They are closely related to the spider and tick. Though they do not bite or cause health-related problems, clover mites can be a nuisance.
Clover Mite Size
Clover mites are 0.75–0.85 mm (0.030–0.033 in) long, oval shaped arachnids with a pair of long legs pointing forward often mistaken for antennae. They are reddish brown; the younger ones and the eggs are a bright red. They are extremely common in late spring.
Clover Mite Spray
Talstar Concentrate is an odorless synthetic Pyrethrin product that can be used indoors and has a very broad label for spraying turf and ornamental plants for mites, mole crickets, ants and many other listed pests. Use Talstar for both indoor mite treatment and outdoor treatment for clover mites. When treating indoors, use only 1/2 ounce of Talstar Concentrate per gallon of water in a pump type garden sprayer. Broadcasting the mixed solution on walls and floors is not necessary.
Simply spot-treat base boards, window sills and other such areas. If there are clover mites crawling on walls and ceilings, it is best to vacuum the mites. For heavy indoor infestations use a Pyrethrin aerosol for a quick kill on these larger surfaces. Combining Talstar Concentrate with a Pyrethrin aerosol will greatly reduce numbers of indoor clover mites and other indoor pests. Treating exterior of the home is necessary to keep additional clover mites from migrating indoors.
Mixing 1 ounce of Talstar per gallon of water, treat all possible entry points (around windows and doors, etc.) on exterior of structure. Broadcast or fan sprays the lower portion of the exterior walls, beginning about three feet high and spraying down to the ground level. You should also treat a band of soil, mulch or grass at least six feet out from the building and to the base of the building. If there any trees on your property, spray the bark of the tree about head high and down to the surface of the soil at the base of the tree.
Clover Mite Control
Clover mite control includes the following steps;
- Remove all grass and weeds within 18 to 24 inches of your home.
- Put out a band of coarse sand, gravel, or wood chips immediately surrounding the foundation. This will keep clover mites from entering the structure.
- Apply Talstar or Bifen IT using a hose end sprayer to exterior foundation walls, up to the height of the first floor windows, and extending 10 feet out into the lawn. Walls should be sprayed to the point of runoff and surrounding vegetation thoroughly wet.
- If Clover Mites have migrated indoors, you can also spray along the baseboards with Talstar.
- However, a vacuum cleaner will likely be sufficient to pick up live clover mites. Be careful not to crush the mites to avoid stains. Dispose of the vacuum bag immediately.
Clover Mites vs Chiggers
A clover mite is closer to 1mm and can be seen, especially when they are moving around. The adult chigger is .4mm long. This is too small to be seen by the naked eye for most people. Clover mites are most commonly seen on sidewalks, stone or concrete walls and the exteriors of houses on warm sunny days. Chiggers are most commonly found in brush thickets, blackberry patches, and the margins at the edge of a wooded area.
