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

#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 × #LichenSubscribe: on a warm (~5°C+) winter day, tiny clover mites (_Bryobia_) stream up and down a lichen-covered tree trunk.

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

WE GOT YOBES

(_Bryobia_ clover mites, that is. They like it cold and disappear entirely during the hot months. I've seen them in early spring, but this is the first time I've noticed them in the fall! They were crawling all over the weeping willow trees down by the lake.)

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