I'm hoping you can positively identify these for me.
Spider Mites?
These look more like velvet mites, which are predators on other small arthropods, and not plant pests...
That would be nice, Flapdoodle! What is it about these pictures that makes you lean more toward the Velvet Mite than the Red Spider Mite?
Primarily their size and general shape/appearance; true spider mites are barely visible to the naked eye - see http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Tetranychus_urticae_%284883560779%29.jpg for an image of a red spider mite. Also, it would be very unusual to see spider mites moving about and not on their host plant,
Check out this link for all you ever wanted to know about velvet mites: https://www4.uwm.edu/fieldstation/naturalhistory/bugoftheweek/red_velvet_mite.cfm
...including their breeding habits, which are quite interesting! ---> "A male places his sperm droplets on elevated surfaces like twigs and grass blades, creating what Heneghan calls a “love garden” and Hammond (possibly not a sentimentalist) compares to “tiny golf balls on tees.” Then the male issues an invitation to the female in the form of an intricately woven trail of silk (“In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree”). If she is dazzled by his artistry, she will enter the garden and sit on/pick up the sperm. If a rival male encounters the “garden” he will trash it and substitute his own. Eggs are deposited in the soil, where a newly-hatched larva will find its first meal ticket."
These were definitely tiny and looked like little red dots moving quickly on the surfaces of flower pots and patio stones. I didn't look to see if any were on the leaves of the plants.
I've done a little more digging on these and now believe that they are in the family Erythraeidae (that belongs to the superfamily known as the long-legged velvet mites). More precisely, they may be in the genus Balaustium (see http://www.pbase.com/agfloridia/image/148255339 for an image). These are known as concrete mites; some are predatory while others appear to be exclusively pollen feeders. In any case, they do not appear to be any threat to your plants.
This message was edited Apr 27, 2015 1:23 PM
Thanks, Flapdoodle -- and thank you for the lovely romantic portrait of these critters, plant_it!
Post a Reply to this Thread
More Insect and Spider Identification Threads
-
Spider Mites?
started by klego
last post by klegoApr 17, 20255Apr 17, 2025 -
Spider Mites?
started by ivk
last post by ivkApr 23, 20252Apr 23, 2025 -
Spider Mites?
started by ivk
last post by ivkApr 23, 20252Apr 23, 2025 -
Spider Mites?
started by emblue
last post by emblueApr 24, 20253Apr 24, 2025 -
Spider Mites?
started by PitterCol
last post by PitterColApr 30, 20252Apr 30, 2025