I also encountered something I'd never seen before. This spruce(?) tree had little red patches on it which turned out to be remarkable profusions of juvenile _Bryobia_ clover mites!

_Bryobia_ are in the spider mite family Tetranychidae, and I have seen photos of the silk-making spider mites, like gorse mites and two-spotted spider mites, aggregating like this on their webs. But the subfamily Bryobiinae does not make silk and until now I had never seen them swarm like this. They formed great piles staggering above the surface and as I watched one clump fell off entirely. I wonder if they are doing it to disperse, or what?

These mites are only active in cooler spring and fall periods and feed on soft greens like fresh grass (and, of course, clover), where I also saw some. Despite their huge numbers I have never seen them make noticeable cosmetic damage, though apparently it can happen. Honestly there are bigger problems in the world.

#Mitestodon #CloverMites #mites #arachnids #Acari #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

Anyway, #InternationalRockFlippingDay finds: a vine weevil (*Otiorhynchus* of some kind), and a bryobiine spider mite, see e.g. *Petrobia*.

#bugstodon #DailyMitePic #arachnids #mites #SpiderMites #insects #beetles #weevils #Coleoptera #Curculionidae #Entiminae #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

Little red mites of spring!

- A larval sidewalk mite (_Balaustium_) eating pollen
- A young whirligig mite (family Anystidae) eating clover mite eggs (the little reddish balls)
- Sumo mites (_Allothrombium_) wrestling
- and lastly, a clover mite (_Bryobia_), which isn't really that red when full grown but which all of the other mites are frequently misidentified as. They won't be out much longer, they go dormant in the hot months.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Erythraeidae #Anystidae #Trombidiidae #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

#MiteMonday: it's that time of year again! A sheet-web weaver's web in a willow tree crevice is carpeted with tiny _Bryobia_ clover mites.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

I almost forgot it was #MiteMonday! Inspired by @zorbama's shot of a running crab spider, clover mite, and midge all together (https://veganism.social/@zorbama/114373000260983349), here's a running crab spider (_Philodromus_) I found feeding on a clover mite (_Bryobia_). I don't actually often find many arthropods feeding on the adults, though I've seen predatory _Anystis_ mites eating the eggs.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #mites #DailySpiderPic #SpidersOfMastodon #spiders #Acari #Acariformes #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae #Araneae #Philodromidae

#MiteMonday × #LichenSubscribe: we got some flurries today, but at a few degrees above zero the clover mites (_Bryobia_) are still out and about. Here's one climbing over a tiny crumb of lichen.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #CloverMites • #Acari #Acariformes #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

#DailyMitePic × #LichenSubscribe: went out for a walk today but it was colder and rainier than I expected and I had to go home. But I did get this shot of clover mites and their eggs nestled into the folds of lichen on a spruce tree.

#Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #CloverMites #Acari #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

#MiteMonday: stretching its skinny legs, a tiny clover mite (_Bryobia_) barely manages to cross a crevasse (to us, a hairline crack) on a tree trunk.

#Mitestodon #DailyMitePic #mites #Acari #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae