Clover Mite (Tentative Identification)
Scientific Name: Bryobia praetiosa
Order & Family: Trombidiformes (Order), Tetranychidae (Family)
Size: Approximately 0.75 mm to 0.85 mm in length (barely visible to the naked eye, smaller than a pinhead).
Natural Habitat
Often found outdoors on lawns, clover patches, and ornamental plants. In spring and fall, they frequently migrate indoors through windowsills, cracks, and doors.
Diet & Feeding
Herbivorous. They feed on the sap of grasses, clover (Trifolium), and many types of ornamental plants, sucking the juices from the leaves.
Behavior Patterns
Active during cooler weather (spring/fall). When crushed, they leave a distinctive red streak, which is actually their own body pigment, not blood. They often invade structures in large numbers seeking shelter but do not reproduce indoors.
Risks & Benefits
Risks: They are a nuisance pest indoors due to large swarms and the red stains they leave when squished on fabrics or walls. They do not bite humans or pets. Benefits: None significant to humans, though they are part of the soil food web outdoors.
Identified on: 2/7/2026