I have these fast tiny bugs seems to come from outside. I noticed alot of them underneath our crown of thorn pots outside our house. They are also coming inside the house but go back and forth on our baseboards. Then I found them on our coffee table when the kids leave food or drinks. I have tried over the counter bug spray but it doesn’t help. These guys don’t fly but they’re fast and move erratically, all over the place. And when you squish them they’re red! Can you tell me what these bugs are?
No doubt these are RED SPIDER MITES. They typically live on plants and from there will migrate to the surrounding areas as their population grows. On the home they commonly live in any crack or crevice where they mostly remain hidden and out of site. They feed on plants and fungi so any kind of mold or moss is ideal food for them. Potted plants will many times harbor both moss too so there appears to be plenty of food around and I’m sure this supply is keeping them happy and thriving.
Unfortunately, once populations get large enough, they’ll migrate out and away from the primary source. This is when they get onto decks, patios and house siding. And once on the home, it’s only a matter of time before they get into the house.
Red spider mites will get very active late winter and early spring. This is when people start seeing them inside the home. The most common sites where they’ll appear are around window frames, door ways and baseboards. Spider mites don’t do well out in the open and when you smash them they’ll make bright red marks which can stain. The best approach to dealing with them inside the home is to treat with TOPIA AEROSOL.
This is a federally exempt aerosol product that uses plant oils as it’s active which means this is a safe product. Topia actually works well for spider mites. It will kill them on contact as well the ones that continue to walk over treated areas. But since there are so many voids and spaces where spider mites can both enter and live, it’s tough to get rid of them with an aerosol alone.
In most cases you’ll need to spray the outside of the home with some BIFEN. This odorless concentrate is mixed with water and can be applied to the side of the home as well as the ground. Spider mites typically live in pine straw mulch, wood chips and plants so it’s important that the areas around the home – especially the side with activity – are thoroughly sprayed. If you don’t spray outside of the home they’ll just keep coming in and the problem will never go away.
For the potted plants, you should mix up some Bifen with water to use in your watering can. Simply water all your potted plants like normal with this mix. The Bifen will trickle down through the soil killing all the spider mites along the way and providing a good 2-4 weeks of residual action to stop new ones from living there as well. If you prefer to use something organic for the potted plants, go with the MULTIPURPOSE INSECT KILLER. It won’t last nearly as long as the Bifen but it does work well on red spider mites.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Topia: http://www.bugspraycart.com/exempt/aerosol/topia-exempt-aerosol-17-oz
Bifen IT: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/bifen
Organic Insect Killer: http://www.bugspraycart.com/organic/liquid/multi-purpose-insect-killer-24-oz
Spider Mites: http://www.bugspray.com/articles99/spidermites.html
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