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Mitesplease i.d. bug in photo
Location: Ohio
April 8, 2011 9:51 pm
I took this picture snowdrops (the flower) in Dayton, Ohio at a park. This red bug was crawling on the stem. Can you identify it?
Signature: Kathy Shafer
Velvet Mite
Hi Kathy,
This is a Velvet Mite in the family Trombidiidae. Though they have a wide distribution range, most of our identification requests for Velvet Mites come from arid regions. According to BugGuide: “Larvae are parasitic on insects. Adults eat insect eggs.”
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Comments 4
The correct spelling of the family is Trombidiidae (no “h”). There has been confusion over this for many years.
Posted 02 May 2011 at 9:05 pm ¶Thanks for the correction.
Posted 02 May 2011 at 9:14 pm ¶This is most likely a species of Allothrombium. These mites are quite common in the midwest. The larvae are parasites of aphids, and the nymphs and adults are predatory.
Posted 23 Oct 2011 at 2:14 pm ¶Thanks for the information. Gardeners with Aphid problems should learn to recognize these mites.
Posted 24 Oct 2011 at 9:06 am ¶Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.
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