Every spring and fall HomePro Pest Control receives numerous calls about little red bugs that invade by the thousand. The sight of this red moving cloud is enough to make anyone panic. The culprit is the clover mite.
Clover mites are not a mere insect but rather an arachnid, in the same family as spiders and ticks. Luckily, this pest isn’t as sinister as its relatives and has no known way to harm people or pets. Clover mites feed on grasses and clover, as their name suggests, and are found in lawns that are regularly fertilized. When the temperature rises these pests will seek out the sunny and warm side of the house. As they climb the side of the home often they will enter tiny cracks and crevices. They aren’t seeking anything that is inside the home but just sorta wandered in during their travels.
What can you do?
1. Reducing moisture close to the home.
2. In some instances, a gravel barrier between the lawn and grass has been effective.
3. Reduce the frequency of lawn fertilization. (although this could result in a less than stellar lawn)
4. Call HomePro Pest Control to apply a pest barrier to prevent and eliminate these and other pests. Our pest control treatment is not only effective against clover mites but also ants, roaches, silverfish, earwigs, spiders, fleas, ticks, and many other insects.
What not to do:
1. Don’t squish or try to wipe them away. They will leave a stain on the surface that they are wiped from. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove them from interior surfaces or a water hose on exterior surfaces.
2. Don’t rely on over the counter insecticides. Clover mites are best handled with pesticides designed for tiny insects that have large populations. Most do-it-yourself pesticides are primarily designed with larger pests, such as roaches, as the main target and are not as likely to be effective.
If you’d like a free pest evaluation or inspection please call our office at 757-499-1078. If you’d like us to contact you go here.
Here are some clover mites on a blade of grass. Call HomePro for all your pest control needs including pest control barriers to prevent bugs like this one. We serve the entire Hampton Roads area including Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, and Norfolk, Virginia.
