Subject: Unusually bright red bug
Geographic location of the bug: Accra, Ghana, West Africa
Date: 03/17/2019
Time: 10:27 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hello, seeing this beautiful creature for the first time, wondering what it is.
How you want your letter signed: TF
Dear TF,
This is a Velvet Mite in the family Trombidiidae. North American individuals are often found in arid environments and they emerge after rains. According to BugGuide: “Larvae parasitize insects and arachnids of all major orders. Adults eat insect eggs.” Grasshoppers are the preferred hosts of many species of Velvet Mites. There are many images of African Velvet Mites on iSpot.