Clover Mite

Bryobia praetiosa

Adult clover mite

Adult clover mite (Rayanne Lehman, Pennsylvania Deptartment of Agriculture, Bugwood.org)

Clover Mites

Clover mites (Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org)

Clover Mite with eggs

Clover mite adult and eggs (J. Kalisch, University of Nebraska)

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.

For more information, see our Clover Mites fact sheet.