please 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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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination
Location: Ohio
The correct spelling of the family is Trombidiidae (no “h”). There has been confusion over this for many years.
Thanks for the correction.
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.
Thanks for the information. Gardeners with Aphid problems should learn to recognize these mites.