How to Get Rid of Soil Mites (If You Must) There is absolutely no evidence they attack or bite humans. In the United States, your chances of getting a tapeworm are very low – only about 1,000 people get them a year, smostly from eating undercooked pork. But you’re not going to eat the mites, are you? Well, you might – if you eat dirt or if you don’t wear gloves in the garden and neglect to wash your hands before you take a lunch break. So why the worry over them? They can carry parasites, bacteria, and the eggs of tapeworms. If you feel the need, there are ways to get rid of them. Some people don’t like the idea of them being in their houseplants. They are very beneficial, and their presence indicates a healthy soil. Those symptoms are caused by pests such as spider mites, aphids, and scale and by plant diseases. But because soil mites don’t cause any problems, you will not see any spots, holes, wilts, webs, or yellowing on your plants. You might see tiny white or brown dots moving on the surface of your soil. These mites are very tiny, with soft bodies, and are usually white in color. They are parasitic, living on small vertebrates and invertebrates. Some eat decaying plant material or fungi and algae others are predators or scavengers.Īstigmatid are usually found in farm soils with lots of rich, moist organic matter and a high nitrogen content. When conditions are right, they reproduce quickly, too. Prostigmata are very fast-moving creatures. Some species of mesostigmata are used as biological controls for garden insect pests. They are quick and efficient hunters some species eat spider mites. They eat smaller arthropods and their eggs and nematodes. Populations take a long time to build – their presence indicates a healthy soil. As they slowly walk along, they disperse nutrients (especially calcium) through their waste.
They are slow in their life cycle (from 2 to 7 years!), reproductive rate, and movements. They also eat fungi, molds, moss, and algae. They are drawn to decaying organic matter – leaf litter, dead plant parts, dead insects, and nematodes. They are sometimes called turtle mites because of their shape or box mites because of the protective flaps on their bodies that can close uptight. They love the compost pile, and you might find them in outdoor potted plants and occasionally in your houseplants’ plants. They live in the top layer of soil in the garden and the lawn. You’ll find different types of mites in different types of soil. The study of mites is called Acarology, and this branch of zoological science has only been around since the 1950s. Soil mites are nature’s recyclers – eating dead and decaying matter and returning it to the soil as nutrients that can be used by plants. Others are scavengers and eat dead insects and whatever they can find. Others are predators that eat garden pests or their eggs. Some species eat decaying organic matter, fungi, and molds. There can be as many as 500 soil mites of 100 different species in a half cup of soil in the garden. Scientists think there may be a least 80,000 species. There are 20,000 identified species found all over the world. You’ll need a microscope to get a good look at them.
They can be white or brown and are 1 to 2 mm in diameter – about as big as the point of a pencil or the period at the end of this sentence. Soil mites are tiny arthropods (invertebrates with jointed legs) that are related to ticks and spiders. Let’s learn a bit about these little guys and the role they play in our gardens before you decide to eradicate them. From tree roots to nematodes, grasses to grubs, worms, and bugs, and yes, even soil mites – they all have a role. These living organisms work in harmony to create a web of life that is mutually beneficial to the flora and fauna in it.
TINY BALLS IN POTTING SOIL FULL
If you’ve read our article about building a living soil, you know that healthy soil is full of microscopic creatures as well as bigger ones too. Mites in the soil? Should you get out the bug spray? Not so fast. Some of these animals are problematic, but many are helpful, eating the “bad guys” and recycling nutrients…Like soil mites.
And they are in our garden soil and potted plants. In our homes and even on us – in our eyelashes and hair follicles. Tiny, microscopic creatures are everywhere – In forests, deserts, and grasslands.
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