When numerous tiny, red spiders populate the garden or patio floor again from early summer, many a garden owner worries about their plants. This is usually not necessary at all, because the red velvet spider is a predatory walking mite and very useful.

Red velvet mites are useful creatures

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. What is the red velvet mite?
  3. Is the red velvet mite dangerous?
  4. Control red velvet mite
  5. Get rid of red velvet mite
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • Red velvet mite is one of the beneficial insects in the garden, as it destroys plant pests and their eggs.
    • It is particularly common in warm and dry places, e.g. B. on the terrace or in the living room.
    • However, it can be kept away with simple means (insect screen, pollen net).
    • The species is easily associated with externally very similar pests, e.g. B. the fruit tree spider mite.

    What is the red velvet mite?

    The bright red red velvet mite (lat. Trombidium holosericeum), between one and four millimeters in size, is a native representative of the so-called running mites. The animals are popularly known as velvet mites or mites and are widespread.

    In the summer months - but especially in autumn when it gets cooler - they like to make themselves comfortable in houses and apartments, after all they are looking for a suitable place to spend the winter. The red velvet mite is one of the predatory mite species and feeds primarily on other insects and their eggs.

    Small red spiders in the garden or on the terrace? Recognizing and distinguishing species

    Not every red arachnid that crawls in your garden or on the living room carpet is a red velvet spider. There are many different types of small, red arachnids, and some of them are actually undesirable in the garden. So before you pull out the bug spray or want to fight the red velvet mite in some other way, first find out which species it is. View the article

    The useful red velvet mite is often confused with the fruit tree spider mite or red spider. Therefore, the following table gives you an overview of the respective species-typical characteristics for a better differentiation.

    Red velvet mite fruit tree spider mite
    Latin name Trombidium holosericeum Panonychus ulmi
    popular names velvet mite, mite, blood animals Red Spider
    size 1 to 4 millimeters 0.5 to 06 millimeters
    hairiness densely hairy body, appears velvety none, but females have clearly protruding bristles on their backs
    color scarlet carmine
    Typical body features long front legs, scissor-like jawed claws, enlarged abdomen little pronounced, clumsy
    head relatively large, small eyes much smaller head
    Happen often on walls, terraces, dry lawns primarily on woody plants, e.g. B. fruit trees and vines

    Is the red velvet mite dangerous?

    The velvet mite is not dangerous to humans or pets

    No, the red velvet mite is not dangerous - at least not for humans, pets or garden plants. The little animals are actually only interested in other soft-skinned insects that live on the ground, which they hunt and suck. However, they prefer to eat insects, especially pests that are often found in the garden, and thus contain their population.

    If the species is often found on your terrace or even in your apartment, then there is a very simple reason: it is already warm and dry there. The mites prefer such a climate, not only (but especially) in autumn when they are looking for a suitable place to overwinter.

    How do I recognize a red velvet mite bite?

    Since the red velvet mite does not have a stinger, it cannot sting. In addition, their mouthparts are not developed enough to penetrate human skin. This means that this species cannot bite either! A possible mite bite is due to completely different types, such as these:

    • Autumn or harvest mite: yellow to pale red, tiny mites, which prefer to stay in damp places in the garden (also in the compost) and are often responsible for severely itching bites
    • Grave or itch mite: Sarcoptes scabiei, caused by burrows in the skin scabies
    • fowl mites: Infestations are more common among bird keepers (chickens, pigeons, etc.), but can also be transmitted by infested garden birds (e.g. through contact with contaminated nests)
    • grass mites: Grass mites are very common in the garden and like to bite

    Characteristic of mite bites are:

    • red spots on the skin
    • often do not occur individually, but multiple times (multiple bites)
    • itch badly
    • The culprits have often already disappeared, which is why itchy spots are usually inexplicable

    digression

    Does the red velvet mite actually transmit Lyme disease?

    It is often claimed that the red velvet mite transmits Lyme disease. However, the probability of this happening is negligible - after all, the little animals are not bloodsuckers that would bite or sting people. However, the disease can certainly be transmitted by other mite species (see above) or ticks in particular.

    Do I have to fight the red velvet mite?

    Red velvet mites should not be fought but encouraged

    The red velvet spider is considered to be a very beneficial animal, because the busy little creature eats all kinds of insects that are harmful to garden plants, such as aphids or snail eggs, with great appetite. For this purpose, the adult animals run around not only on the ground, but also on walls and plants. So if you spot red arachnids on your vine or apple tree, it is not automatically a fruit tree spider mite - instead it can also be a red velvet spider hunting for the fruit tree spider mite.

    Incidentally, it is sometimes claimed that the little animal itself would occasionally tap off plant sap. This is incorrect as it is a pure hunter. The error is probably caused by the confusion with the fruit tree spider mite, which is also known as the "red spider" and is externally quite similar.

    As a result, fighting the red velvet spider makes little sense, after all you would be depriving yourself of an important competitor against the pest plague in the garden.

    The following video shows fascinating footage of hunting red velvet spiders:

    youtube

    Red velvet mite is important for a healthy soil

    Not only does the red velvet mite destroy harmful insects and their eggs, it is also important for the garden for another reason: it is part of the soil arthropods, which maintain the structure of the soil and are also relevant for the formation of humus. The species spends two stages of development in the soil surface, where it feeds on bacteria and fungi in addition to soil-dwelling insects and insect eggs. It therefore contributes to the breakdown of the soil components and thus to the formation of humus, which is so important for plant growth.

    Red velvet mite in the house? This is how you get rid of the animals

    Sometimes, however, the animals are too numerous on the terrace or even in the apartment that one would like to get rid of them despite all the advantages. This works best with the following methods.

    digression

    Red arachnids in the chicken coop

    If you see small red arachnids crawling around in the chicken coop or even on the chickens, it could possibly be the red mite. You should fight these immediately, as this small bloodsucker causes considerable damage to the chickens. Red mites grow to a maximum of about one millimeter and are not velvety hairy.

    Spray down the terrace with water

    Red velvet mites like to stay in dry places. So you can easily drive the little animals off your terrace or living room by keeping the surfaces moist. Therefore, spray stone surfaces in particular regularly with a garden hose, whereby you should focus your attention on buildings made of natural stone. Water the garden - and especially the lawn! - more frequently during more intense dry periods and don't forget to wipe down the garden furniture too.

    Build a thick glass barrier

    A protective barrier made of thick glass (e.g. thick-walled glass blocks) embedded in the floor has also proven its worth, because the red velvet mite (and also some other annoying insect and mite species) find it quite unpleasant to walk over such a surface. In this way you keep the little animals on the terrace and in the house at bay and also create an attractive decorative element.

    Keep doors and windows closed

    Velvet mites are reluctant to be seen indoors

    So that the little crawlers do not get lost in your apartment, you should keep doors and windows closed, especially at night. During the evening hours, red velvet mites look for a warm place to spend the night and therefore like to migrate into houses. However, if all openings are closed, the little animals have to stay outside. Caution: Red velvet mites can also get through cat flaps and doors or windows that do not close tightly. Because of their small size, they can exploit virtually any gap. Another disadvantage of this method is that very few people like to close all doors and windows in summer.

    digression

    Do not crush red velvet mite

    If you see a red velvet mite crawling around, don't crush it! The little creatures leave behind red stains that are very difficult to remove from (light-colored) clothing or patio floors. It is not for nothing that they are also popularly referred to as "blood animals".

    Install insect screens

    Especially if you live on the ground floor or the mezzanine floor of a house or have a terrace overlooking the garden, you can sometimes be teeming with small red arachnids. It is warm and dry in your apartment, which the red velvet mite appreciates very much and is therefore happy to take advantage of. It is therefore best to keep the arachnids away from the outset with a close-meshed insect protection net or screen. Devices of this type are easy to install and also offer the advantage that they also reliably keep other annoying species of insects away. In addition, you can now leave doors and windows open to your heart's content.

    Vermin spray - yes or no?

    "Do you really have to kill everything just because you're disgusted with it?"

    If nothing else helps, you can also use pest spray to spray an odor barrier around the patio or in front of the patio door. These are more effective than traditional bug sprays, which try to kill the mites (and aren't really successful). However, do not use these remedies indoors under any circumstances (toxic substances!) and think carefully before using them. Biocides are not only effective against the red velvet mite, but also have other serious disadvantages:

    • Depending on the product, the effect lasts between six weeks and six months.
    • Biocides are also effective against other insects (bees, bumblebees), some of which are important for the garden.
    • They are also extremely toxic to aquatic organisms.
    • As a result, they may heavily contaminate garden water sources.
    • Biocides irritate the skin and mucous membranes.
    • If used incorrectly, it can cause eczema, rashes or cracks in the skin.

    Nevertheless, such a chemical odor barrier can be useful if, for example, the population of red velvet spiders gets out of hand and you don't know what else to do in view of the sheer mass.

    frequently asked Questions

    How common is the red velvet mite?

    The red velvet mite is widespread in central and southern Europe. It does not prefer any special habitats, but is just as common in mixed forests, between rocks, in the dry desert and in gardens as in apartments and houses. From late spring and throughout the summer, you can see the little creatures scurrying across the ground, sometimes appearing in larger numbers.

    What does the red velvet mite eat?

    The red velvet mite is one of the predatory living mites and lives parasitically on other insects even as a nymph. Here it sucks the tissue fluid of its host for several days - harvest harvestmen (Opilio parietinus), for example, are often affected - but only very rarely blood. As an adult animal, it hunts ground-dwelling insects and their larvae, such as thrips, small caterpillars, grasshoppers, mosquitoes, aphids and phylloxera, other mites and their eggs. The red velvet mite can eat up to 40 aphids per day.

    How can I distinguish harmful from beneficial mite species?

    Red Spider or Red Velvet Spider? Pest or Beneficial? In the garden, this distinction can be very important and should therefore not be made hastily. However, the speed of movement gives you an indication of the possible species: predatory mites (such as the useful red velvet spider) are generally fast on the move and constantly scurrying around in the garden. Pests (such as the red spider or fruit tree spider), on the other hand, are rather slow. No wonder, after all, an apple tree cannot run away.

    Help, I found a red spider in my hair! What should I do now?

    Nothing at all, except maybe carefully prying the little spider out of your hair. Red velvet spiders are not interested in humans, nor will they bite or sting them, even other red spider species are harmless and only landed on your head by accident. So keep calm and don't worry.

    What does the red velvet mite do in winter?

    Red velvet mites like to spend the winter where it is warm and dry. Normally, the little animals bury themselves in the upper soil layers, where they survive the cold season and then appear as adults in the following spring. The little mites can live up to a year.

    tips

    A pollen net, normally intended for people who are allergic to all kinds of pollen, also keeps the red velvet mite out of the house and apartment.

Category:

Animals in the garden