Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 19, 1991 TAG: 9104190255
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV15 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Lelia Mayton
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Clover mites are tiny animals, smaller than a pinhead, with reddish-brown bodies and eight yellowish-colored legs.
They are most common in lawns that are less than five years old. (We don't know why!) They can occur in great numbers on the south side or sunny side of the house.
Although these mites feed on the grass plants - sucking plant juices - their pest status is based on the fact that they occur in large numbers and often invade houses and other buildings.
To quote William H. Robinson, extension entomologist at Virginia Tech: "Clover mites do not bite, sting, carry disease, pay taxes or damage food or household furnishings. They can leave a red stain if crushed, however."
On warm days, mites cross the grass and crawl up to the sunny sides of foundations and walls of buildings and enter through cracks around window and door frames,and other areas. They are so small that screens will not stop them.
When the temperature drops at the end of the day, they stop where they are and remain motionless until it warms up again. This means that thousands of mites can be under the shingles and windows still waiting to resume their searching with the next day's rising temperature.
Controlling these pests is not easy. They are mites (not insects) and may not respond to treatment with insecticides.
Most fruit-tree sprays contain miticides, so it may be worthwhile to try spraying a 2-foot-to-3-foot band around the perimeter of the house with one of these products if you feel you must use a pesticide.
The best thing to do is to control entry points. A temporary method of excluding mites from the house is to use masking tape inside the windows. Sometimes a light coating of cooking oil on the window sill will trap advancing mites, and they can be easily wiped up. A vacuum cleaner is a good method of removing mites that have gotten inside.
\ AUTHOR NOTE: Lelia Mayton is the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service agent for home economics in Christiansburg. If you have questions, call the Montgomery County extension office at 382-5790.
by CNB