Recent rains and warmer days have been a pleasant introduction to spring. Along with the change in weather comes a visitor not so welcome: clover mites.

Clover mites are tiny, smaller than a pin-head, red creatures with eight legs. Usually found crawling around windows, doors, on patios and walkways, the mites can appear inside homes by the thousands. So if you are trying to use the back deck and have found tiny red bugs covering the patio furniture, here is some information about what to do with these tiny pests.

Clover mites are a natural part of the changing seasons. They are usually most abundant in the spring with fewer being found during other months of the year. As temperatures rise, they usually migrate indoors searching for a more suitable habitat. Clover mites are readily distinguished from other mites commonly found around homes by their long front legs. They do not bite or cause any damage but are extremely annoying, both by their presence and the red stain they leave when crushed.

Once inside a home, clover mites are difficult to control. Although those present can be killed with aerosol sprays containing pyrethrum or allethrin, there is no residual effect, so several applications will have to be made. Household insecticides containing resmethrin have a longer residual effect. When sprayed around doors, windows and other areas where clover mites enter, the insecticides reduce the number of mites in the home.

In this case, prevention is better than the cure — that is, keep the mites from ever entering the home. Begin with habitat cleanup. Grass and shrubbery growing against foundation walls make it easy for mites to get from lawn to house. To prevent easy access, lay a barrier of pea gravel 18-24 inches wide along the foundation walls. If pea gravel is not practical, leave bare soil or use flower beds as the barrier.

Next, spray both the barrier strip and foundation walls with a miticide. Most products available contain synthetic pyrethroids and should be used with caution. Where possible, also treat the inside of the foundation walls, including the sill plate and areas above it. If there is no barrier strip, treat foundation walls and the grass itself for a distance of 10-20 feet outward from the walls. The proper spray concentration will depend on whether or not flowers and shrubs are in the area to be treated. Follow label directions closely.

— Bruce Chladny is horticulture agent at K-State Research and Extension-Douglas County. For more information, call him at 843-7058 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.