Identification

• very tiny; about the size of a period on a typed page
• green to black, sometimes with red/orange markings/legs
• very long front legs that look like antennae
• use a hand lens to identify

Nesting Habits

• live primarily in turfgrass

Diet

• primarily turfgrass

Significance

• migrate indoors in the late spring and fall (often up the exterior sides of buildings and through windows)
• mites numbering in the hundreds or thousands can be a major nuisance
• can stain fabric when smashed
• not a health threat

IPM Recommendations

• Create a turf- and weed-free boundary around buildings 3-5 feet wide minimum.
• Within boundary, use pea-gravel or mulch to retard mites.
• Within boundary, use plants that are unattractive to clover mites, such as geranium, chrysanthemum, zinnia, marigold, salvia, rose, petunia or shrubs such as barberry, juniper and yew.
• Ensure that seals around windows are in good repair.
• Vacuum mites indoors and outdoors.
• Double-sided carpet tape can reduce numbers coming into buildings. Place tape as a barrier to building entry.
• Use supplemental irrigation in drought-stressed or hot parts of the turf to suppress mite migration.