Have you ever seen a lawn mite? They are teeny tiny red, green, orange or brown bugs that most people never notice. They are as small as a grain of sand. Every yard has them so do not be worried if you see a few at your home. Photo credit to our 5 year old daughter, who made it her mission, to catch one for this blog.
They can cause serious problems, however, when they get to infestation stage. Because of Colorado’s dry winters a major issue is lawn mites thrive in warm and dry conditions and can be causing damage when your grass is dormant. Damage won’t become evident until irrigation is turned on and sections of lawn did not come back. Mites tend to prefer south or west facing lawns especially sloped areas since they tend to be warmer and drier which is what the mites prefer. Also along edges (driveways, sidewalks) we call hot spots since the edges tend to be warmer.
You can also monitor and check your lawn and water from your spigot during winter to keep your lawn from suffering drought damage, desiccation, and keep lawn mites from getting to infestation stages.
A quick tip, is to take a piece of paper or card stock and swipe it over the grass in that area. If it is streaked with tiny red, brown orange or green dots, you have lawn mites and will need to get it treated.
