Red Velvet Mite

Found in soil, leaf litter, and on garden plants such as the pepper leaf shown here.

As adults, they are predatory, feeding on insect eggs and small invertebrates like aphids. Larvae are typically parasitic on other arthropods.

They are active during the day and often emerge after rain. They have a complex life cycle moving from parasitic larvae to free-living predatory nymphs and adults.

They are beneficial to ecosystems and gardens as they control pest populations by eating insect eggs. They are harmless to humans and do not bite or transmit diseases.