Hi everyone!!

I was just outside with the kids and while I was walking back toward the house I put something down on the windowsil outside and saw these itty bitty tiny red bugs crawling around on it.

Does anyone know what these bugs are??

Here's a picture of one I took that was crawling on the window:

These are actually little red mites. They sometimes look like spiders.

They suck the life out of your plants and are commonly found on azaleas, rhododendrons and roses. Check the plants around your house (in the vicinity of where you found them) - they'll usually be on the underside of leaves or all over the stems. Check leaves for dry, pale patches (not brown) that look like they've had the colour sucked out of them.

We usually treat plants with lightly soapy water (dishwashing detergent) in an ironing spray bottle and and spray the underside of affected leaves. You can also buy a mite-specific spray from gardening/hardware shop which works well and doesn't harm your plants. You do have to repeat this every few months though - they're stubborn little buggers and will come back after a while!

I see those everywhere around my work. We have lots of plants and mulch outside the buildings, I guess thats why.

Oh god I hate those...especially when they're running around really fast.

I remember seeing those alot when I was younger and always wondering what they were. Does anyone know if they are harmful to humans/animals or only to specific plants? I've seen little green bugs that look like that, too. creepy.

Were the green ones aphids? I think they just eat plants.

Originally Posted by lv-lover

Were the green ones aphids? I think they just eat plants.

yeah, and ladybugs eat aphids!

though ladybugs freak me out too. :/

Originally Posted by ash14vwb

I remember seeing those alot when I was younger and always wondering what they were. Does anyone know if they are harmful to humans/animals or only to specific plants? I've seen little green bugs that look like that, too. creepy.

They're not harmful to humans/animals - they just suck the moisture out of plants!

The German term is "Rote Spinnmilben", btw

Originally Posted by Onederland

yeah, and ladybugs eat aphids! though ladybugs freak me out too. :/

LOL, but ladybugs are so cute!

I've never seen those red little bugs. Those creep me out! I thought maybe it was a tick. LOL!

I used to see those all the time when I was younger near our plants outside.

Mel, thats a really good pic btw, lol. Good close up!

did you all know that ladies bugs bite?? i had no clue that they could bite until i had one land on my arm and was like "ahh how cute.." and then i felt a pain and got a red bump...im not too keen on lady bugs landing on me any more.

Wow! That is bright red!

Originally Posted by Kittie LaRoche

The German term is "Rote Spinnmilben", btw

Dankööööö

Originally Posted by tmc089

I used to see those all the time when I was younger near our plants outside. Mel, thats a really good pic btw, lol. Good close up!

haha, thanks I got skillzzzzz