small mite type bug in reptile cage?
What is it? Are they harmful? There were a bunch in the snake water bowl where the snake was laying. They are quite small, less than 1/2 mm.
Thanks!!
Kevin

Hi Kevin,
It is our suspicion that these Mites are up to no good in the reptile cage. You should try to get rid of them.

Mite Remedy (12/31/2005)
Hello WTB, I ran across your wounderful website today while trying to save the life of a missunderstood house centiped that had been called a silverfish by a staff member today. The critter ran past us and avoided a near squishing foot by ducking under our surgery table. I had seen this guy or his relatives in our basement from time to time and though they can move very quickly and startle me they have never seemed to have any intentions of harming anyone. I managed to capture our visiter in a urine cup…it’s all I had and it was sterile =x and decided I would try to identify him so that he would not be sentenced to death simply for being scary. Well your website saved his life and proved he was not a silverfish, but a house centipede that would take care of any spiders or other insects he could find. I released him in our basement and the other staff memebers agreed he was scary but better than having spiders around. His new name is Fluffy. After work I revisited your site, I’ve been a long time fan of bugs and can still be seen with my head in a bush if I see something interesting. As I browsed around I saw a post from someone named Kevin on 11-30-05 on your mite page. His snake’s cage has been invaded by some mites. While I do like bugs and insects, I realy hate ectoparasites. My columbian red tail boa, Link, had a similar problem this spring. While our office does not see reptiles we researched the topic and came up with a plan to free my snake of his friends. I changed his cage completely, discarded all items that could harbor mites, branches, sticks and the like. Link himself was treated with Frontline Spray (fipronil), this is an off lable use, and Merial the company that makes the product has not tested it for use on reptiles. Kevin should check with a local reptile vet before treating his snake. We sprayed a paper towel with frontline and gently wiped Link down then returned him to his cage. In cats and dogs you have to wait 24 hours before giving them a bath after applying frontline. I did not want to deprive my snake that long so I returned his swimming pool after about 6 hours. The mites have not been seen or heard from again. I hope this helps Kevin’s poor snake.
Jessica Leonard, CVT

Thank you Jessica for your awesome solution as well as the anecdote of the House Centipede in the operating room.

Update from Barry M. OConnor (05/23/2006)
Mites on reptiles and remedy (11/10/05). This is the "snake mite", Ophionyssus natricis (family Macronyssidae). This is a very serious, blood feeding pest of many snakes, especially captive individuals. They can be a mortality factor if the owner lets numbers build up in the enclosure. These mites feed only on blood, but remain off the host unless feeding. They can quickly build up a significant population. Keeping the snake enclosure clean is the best preventative.

whats that bug
Hello There,
I was hoping you could help me out. I was out at my grandparents house in New Mexico taking pictures of various things. I noticed a tiny red dot moving in the dirt and found this spider. It’s a very interesting spider to me, I have never seen anything like this. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of it, I find it to be kinda cute haha. Please tell me what this spider is called, Thank you so very much.
Angel =)
(Sorry about the blur, first time using macro on my new camera and no tripod. I hope these pictures are usable.

Hi Angel,
This Velvet Mite is your namesake, the Angelito. They are predatory mites living in desert areas and they feed on grasshopper eggs.

Love your site! A new website record for you–number of bugs per inch
Here’s a picture that has got to be a record for the number of bugs per square inch. A bug buddy of mine tells me this is a Nicrophorus (negrita?) carrion beetle (about the size of a large bumblebee). Hard to tell with all the pinhead-sized phoretic mites covering it. After some "Googling", I found that the mites actually have a mutual symbiotic relationship with the beetles (although they really were a hindrance to this beetle!). The mites use the beetle for transport and then destroy blowfly eggs and other competitors of the beetle at the carcass. This beetle could hardly get in the air, but it managed to fly through my back door (buzzing loudly) and crash around before I could catch it. I’m not normally scared of bugs, but this was a little creepy. Since they’re all good guys, back out the door they go! I’ll try to get a few more pix before I do that. The mites kept running around quite rapidly as well, which probably didn’t help.
Janet Sugino
Brinnon WA (Olympic Penninsula area)

Wow Janet,
A killer photo as well as the research that needs to accompany it. You are awesome.

Update from Barry M. OConnor (05/23/2006)
Mites on burying beetles. These are as you indicate, phoretic mites in the family Parasitidae, genus Poecilochirus. Species in this genus all have obligate relationships with silphid beetles. Although they will feed on fly eggs, they also feed from the vertebrate carrion as well.

Mites
Dear whatsthatbug.com,
Our apartment has been infested by what we think are mites. The small ones are white-ish, whereas the slightly larger ones are brown. They are about the size of a period at the end of a sentence. Both of us have been bitten all over and the rash and level of itchiness, is about the same as that of a mosquito bite. We see the mites in close proximity to the windows facing the alley between our building and the next. We live in Manhattan so it is not hard to suspect we’ve become the target of either rat- or bird-mites. Could this be the case and if so – what should we do?
Thanks,
Andrea & Jon

Hi Andrea and Jon,
We are cleaning out the mailbox and just discovered your letter. You do have Mites and Bird Mites or Rat Mites are a good guess. It is difficult for us to tell the species based on photographs. Mites are difficult to eradicate and professional assistance is recommended.

Red dots on daddy longlegs
Dear Bugman ,
I saw this daddy longlegs in a trumpet vine flower near Richmond , VA. Not all that interesting except he (or she) had several red dots attached to his legs. What are those dots? Babies, eggs or some kind of mite? I find your website very informative since I discovered it a few days ago.
Gregg

Hi Gregg,
You are correct with the Mite choice. Your photo is superbe.

Update from Barry M. OConnor (05/23/2006)
Mites on harvester (6/28/05). These are parasitic larvae in the family Erythraeidae, genus Leptus. Leptus species can be found parasitizing a wide variety of arthropods in their larval stage. Post- larvae are predatory.

please identify these bugs
Hello,
My property has become infested with millions of little vibrant red bugs. The look like tiny spiders or mites. if you squash them, they leave bright red marks like blood stains. They are everywhere on our driveway, the exterior walls and windows of the property. Absolutely everything outside is covered with them. They appeared last summer and were gone before winter. They have returned about 2 months ago and are much worse than last year. I have washed the driveways down with pesticides and soap which kills them off, but by the next morning, they are all back again. Please help me to get rid of them. My house is located next to allotments and there is about 1/2 acre of lawn in my backyard. a few trees and small shrubs. I think they might be red spider mites.
Thank you in advance,
Lee

Hi Lee,
Your Mites are the good guys, Predatory Running Mites. If they are plentiful, there must be a food source, possibly damaging insects or other arthropods, upon which they are feeding. Sorry we do not offer extermination advice.

Update From Barry M. OConnor (05/23/2006)
Predatory running mites. All of the mites in the photos you call by this name are species in the family Erythraeidae, genus Balaustium. I think you have these confused with species in the family Anystidae, genus Anystis. Both of these mites are relatively large (for mites!), red in color, and commonly occur in aggregations. Anystis are the very fast moving, predatory mites. Their body is almost circular in outline. They run in what appears to be a random fashion until they encounter small arthropod prey. These are harmless to people. Balaustium, on the other hand, are more elongate as seen in your photos, with a distinct gap between the 2nd and 3rd legs. Species of Erythraeidae have piercing mouthparts and are also predatory on small arthropods or eggs in their post-larval stages, but Balaustium are unusual in being pollen feeders. They can be found in large numbers in flowers, but are most often seen by people on flat surfaces where pollen falls. These mites have been reported to bite people, causing some irritation, although why they do this is uncertain since they’re not parasitic.