Clover Mite Control: How To Get Rid of Clover Mites

Clover Mites (also known as red clover mites) are oval-shaped, eight-legged, red-colored mites that are about as small as a pinhead. While they are bright red and small and look similar to chiggers and similar blood-sucking mites, Clover Mites are actually not blood feeders at all and are harmless to humans. However, they are damaging to plants.

They are named clover mites because they primarily feed on clover but are also known to eat other lawn grasses, various trees, ornamental plants, and shrubs. Because of their small size, they do not cause much damage individually but can turn grasses or leaves a silvery color because of the sap sucked up from the plants.

Because they are so tiny, their small size makes it easy for them to enter into homes. Fortunately, they eventually die out in homes because there usually isn't plant life for them to eat nor do they feed on blood.

If you have clover mites and want to get rid of them, our professional DIY treatment guide can help you to get rid of a clover mite infestation yourself. Follow the step-by-step instructions below, which were put together by our lawn care experts, and you will be guaranteed to wipe out the population quickly and affordably.

Identification

Before you can carry out a control program, you need to identify and make sure the pest you are dealing with are clover mites. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment methods, costing you time and money.

• Clover Mites can be tricky to identify because they are so tiny, about 1/30th of an inch long. Observe them closely and you will notice little patterns on the bugs, but from afar they look like little specks.
• They are eight-legged but you will find it difficult to count the legs on them because of their size. Clover Mites have much longer forelegs than their other legs, which helps to set them apart from other bug species.
• Clover Mites are actually not insects but are arachnids from the spider family. They are also confused with similar-looking pests like Chiggers. What differentiates them from Chiggers are their long front legs, which are often mistaken for antennas.
• The best giveaway that they are clover mites is if they don't bite you or your pets like chiggers or other bloodsucking tiny bugs do. They only like to eat plants.

Use our description and image above to help you to identify clover mites on your lawn. If you are having trouble identifying, you can send a closeup photo of the bug to our email address and we will help you to identify the bug properly and offer you control products to eliminate the problem.

Inspection

Once you have determined that you are dealing with clover mites, you can then proceed with an inspection. This will help you to figure out where they are concentrated so you know where to focus your treatment applications.

Where to Inspect

Walk through your lawn and observe lawn damage. Also, check around indoors if you have indoor plants as they can usually be found around potted plants as well.

Clover mites are known to invade homes in large numbers and can be a particularly troublesome pest during the colder weather months when they try to venture on indoors for warmth and shelter. Check around your home's perimeter for entry points such as doors, windows, vents, and any cracks and crevices in the wall.

When clover mites are smashed, they leave an annoying red stain. You can discourage them from coming into the home by clearing away turfgrass from around the foundation of your home.

What to look for

You should be looking for the clover mites themselves, which may be difficult because they are so small. Look for little tiny specks of reddish bugs hanging around grass and plants in your yard. Clover mites can often be found in very large populations in the grass next to foundations of buildings or anywhere they can find a safe place to hide, like walls, windows, and tree trunks.

If you don't see the clover mites themselves, you should look for areas where you see red stains that could be left on your rugs, furniture, curtains or other such areas to tip off where they have been active.

Treatment

Once you have completed the inspection, you should then prep your lawn for chemical treatment. Before applying chemicals, we recommend putting on personal protective equipment to keep yourself safe during application.

To treat clover mites, you will need to gauge first how serious of an infestation you have. The level of severity can be low where you just have seen them outside, moderate severity where you are seeing them crawling on your home exterior, and high severity where they are actually found indoors.

Treat both indoors and outdoors by using Pyrid Insecticide Aerosol and a broadcast insecticide such as Supreme IT. For the Supreme IT, mix the concentrate with water in a handheld sprayer apply as a barrier treatment around the perimeter of your home to keep them from traveling inside the home.

If Clover mites have already found a way into your home, don't panic; use Pyrid Aerosol. This fast-acting spray delivers a quick knockdown, killing Clover Mites with contact as you spray. Use as a space spray as well as on cracks and crevices where Clover Mites are hiding.

Step 1 - Spray Supreme IT around Yard and Perimeter

Supreme IT is a broad-spectrum insecticide that is labeled for treating clover mites. It also has a long residual effect that continues to kill for up to 90 days after application.

To apply Supreme IT, simply mix water in a hand pump or hose-end sprayer then add Supreme IT at a rate of 0.25 to 0.5 oz. per gallon to cover 1,000 sq. ft.

To accomplish uniform control when applying to dense grass foliage, use volumes of up to 10 gallons per 1.000 sq. ft. Measure the square footage of your lawn to determine how much Supreme IT you need to cover the entire area. Shake well and pump your sprayer.

Spray the Supreme IT mixture to the top and bottom of plant leaves by using a fan spray setting to get nice uniform coverage.

Next, you should spray a perimeter treatment of Supreme around the outside of your home and structure to create a barrier that will keep clover mites out. Spray around doors and windows, around the foundation going up 4 to 6 feet then spray any other possible points of entry.

Step 2 - Spray Indoors With Pyrid Aerosol

Pyrid Aerosol is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide that delivers a quick knockdown of problem pests. The product also comes with a straw applicator tip so you can spray the product into cracks and crevices and get good penetration right where the clover mites may be hiding.

Simply shake the can before use and apply the product where you have seen clover mites or where you suspect clover mite activity. Apply the product from a distance of 24 inches to get even coverage. Do not apply more than 10 seconds of spray per room until the product completely dissipates.

Use the crack and crevice tip to spray directly into cracks, holes and other small openings where clover mites may be. Keep all pets and people out of the treated areas until the product dries.

Prevention

Once the Clover Mites have been eliminated from your property, you want to make sure they don't make a return. Here are some preventative measures you can take to discourage Clover Mite reestablishment.

• Lawns that are overfertilizing tend to have rising clover mite populations due to the excess nitrogen. Reduce your fertilizer applications so your lawn gets just the right amount of nutrients it needs to be healthy.
• Clover Mites use tree branches to climb walls and enter through open crevices in the walls or windowpanes. Mowing the lawn at a short height and trimming back shrubs, thick vegetation and tree branches around the perimeter of your home will be helpful.
• To stop clover mites from invading indoors, clear excess leaf litter at least two feet away from your structure and seal any points of entry into your home.
• Additionally, properly lawn maintenance will keep your grass healthy and prepared to fight off minor attacks from pests. Water your lawn once a week with 1 to 1.5 inches of water and mow your grass at a height of 3 to 4 inches to encourage root growth.
• Next, perform some exclusion measures by caulking window and door frames to ensure that any doors or windows that aren't in use are kept closed and sealed. Go around the home exterior and seal any gaps, holes, cracks and crevices to eliminate points of entry for Clover Mites.
• Treat your yard quarterly with Supreme IT to keep clover mites away for good. The great thing about Supreme IT is that it remains effective for up to 90 days and it can kill and repel over 70 different insect pests so you would be protecting your home against a wide variety of pests.

Key Takeaways

What are Clover Mites?

• Clover Mites are tiny red bugs that like to feed on plant sap. They can be found on lawns and also try to move indoors if there are indoor plants to eat. Clover mites are often confused as chiggers but they primarily feed on plants and don't bite humans, while chiggers do.

How To Get Rid of Clover Mites

• We recommend applying Supreme IT outdoors around your home to eliminate the clover mite population in your yard. Indoors you can spray Pyrid Aerosol in crevices or directly to clover mites if you spot a cluster of them.

Preventing Clover Mite Reinfestation

• Prevent a reinfestation of clover mites with regular quarterly preventative treatments of Supreme IT and regular lawn monitoring and maintenance.
• You can also prevent clover mite infestations by reducing tall grass and shady areas around your yard and sealing up cracks and possible points of entry with caulk.