Red Velvet Mite

Typically found in leaf litter, soil, and on the surface of rocks or wood in forests, gardens, and grasslands.

Adults are predators that eat small invertebrates and their eggs; larvae are parasites that attach to other insects like grasshoppers.

Active during daylight and often emerge after rain. They have a complex life cycle involving egg, pre-larva, larva, protonymph, deutonymph, tritonymph, and adult stages.

Benefits: They are beneficial to the ecosystem as they help control populations of pests. Risks: They are generally harmless to humans, though their larvae can cause minor skin irritation if they attempt to bite human skin.