I am wondering about these tiny, little red bugs outside.?
Question:The bugs are very small, bright red, jump, bite, seem to be attracted to white or bright colors. The hang around the concrete driveway and seem to be a problem all over the East TN area. They have tiny, hard to see bodies that are thin and long. I would have to say they look like little red jumping lice.
Answers:
Red Spider Mites.
Hose down the affected area, then try some of these remedies:
Rubbing alcohol, vegetable &/or horticultural oils, and soaps will either suffocate or dessicate the mites.
Some people use a 1:3 mixture of rubbing alcohol to water, mixture, to get rid of Red Spider mites.
Also try this solution:
1/3 cup of rubbing alcohol (80% or more)
1/2 tsp of a mild liquid dish soap
put in a 25-32 oz spray bottle
Fill with water, shake well.
Or
Murphy's Oil Soap spray:
1/3 cup Murphy's Oil Soap
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 gallon water.
Insecticidal soaps, derived from organic soaps like Castile soap, kill mites. The usual recipe is about 2-3 drops of castile soap for every quart of water." (1)
The gardenweb.com site debates Old Spider Mite Remedies such as the home-made rubbing alcohol/soap/water mix ... Murphy's Oil Soap spray... and...
even a buttermilk solution. (2)
It works for them! They also discuss Safers insecticidal soap, & Neem oil.
Natural predators such as ladybugs devour many times their weight in garden pests like spider mites.
If all else fails the most common miticides are Avid, Kelthane, and just about anything that contains pyrethoids.
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