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How To Stop The Tiny Red Bugs In My Home
8/15/13
Have you heard of clover mites? If you don’t know the name of these mites, you’ve most likely come across them before. They are the tiny red bugs you often find on your lawn, crawling across a leaf or even on windowsills, in basements or other areas of high moisture inside your home. But clover mites are tiny- really REALLY tiny. About the size of the period at the end of this sentence. When you start finding clover mites inside your homes, especially in large numbers, you may become concerned, because it’s never nice having pests invade your home, no matter how small they are. And because they can leave a red smear or stain on furniture, clothing and even your window sills when you kill them, they can become a nuisance. Here are some basic things you need to know about clover mites to keep them from becoming a serious problem inside your home.
Clover mites are pretty easy to identify, but it helps to use a magnifying glass because they are really hard to see with the naked eye. They are a close relative of ticks and spiders and are actually considered true mites, rather than insects. When you look at them under a magnifying glass, you can better see their 6 yellowish legs and their red bodies. You will also notice that their front legs are longer than their other legs.
Why do you have clover mites inside your home? Well, it’s probably nothing you did to invite them in! These mites are so tiny that they can crawl through your window and door screens, even if they are free from rips or tears. You may see them crawling around your window sills, along walls and in your bathroom; they like to crawl up the sunny side of your home during the summer months and look for a way to get into your warm and protected home.
Because clover mites are so tiny, it can be difficult to keep them from entering your home. The regular techniques of blocking up holes and gaps aren’t as effective for keeping clover mites out, because these pests can get through holes too tiny for your eyes to see! But luckily there are a few things you can do to keep them from entering your home. These include:
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Use weather stripping around windows and doors; this can keep out a majority of invading mites as well as other insects looking to enter your home.
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Smear cooking oil or mineral oil on window sills that appear to have a lot of clover mite activity. The oil will catch mites and keep them from entering and you can then simply wipe them up.
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If you see a lot of mites, the best way to get rid of them is to vacuum them up. This is the quickest way to get rid of them.
If you have followed these prevention techniques and you are still experiencing a clover mite problem inside your home, your next step should be to contact a pest management professional for proper control treatments. You should never have to suffer with a pest problem, which is why pest control pros can offer solutions to eliminate the problem as well as any environments inside your home that are allowing the problem to persist. Don’t just deal with these pests inside your home; contact a pest control expert today for clover mite control solutions for your home and property.
If you live or work in Maryland, Virginia or DC, contact American Pest for control of all your pest problems, including clover mites. American Pest has been providing exceptional pest control solutions since 1925 and can offer eco-friendly pest control services to effectively get rid of your pest problem and the environments that cause them.