Mite Control in Columbus, OH

What are the tiny red bugs on my windowsill?

Pinhead-sized red or rust-colored specks that crawl across a sunny sill or the siding are almost always clover mites. Look closely and you will see that the front pair of legs is much longer than the rest, so they look like they are walking on tiptoe. Crush one and it leaves a red smear.

Clover mites feed on grass and plants, not on you. They do not bite people, do not chew on the house and do not breed in your kitchen. They get indoors by crawling through gaps around window frames, door frames and siding, usually in spring and fall.

• Large numbers of moving specks on a south or west wall in the afternoon
• Red streaks on curtains or sills when someone wipes with a hand or cloth
• Specks that vanish within a few days once the weather shifts
• No bites, no rash, no spots on bedding

If the specks are pale, nearly colorless and only show up in flour, cereal or pet food, you are looking at grain mites. Those belong to our pantry pest control work, and the fix starts with the food, not the window.

Clover mites in Columbus: why the lawn sends them to your walls

Clover mites thrive on lush, well-fed lawn. Many newer Columbus-area subdivisions have grass planted right up against the foundation, and that is a direct highway from the turf to the siding. Older brick homes on the east side have their own version of the problem, with ivy and thick shrubs pressed against the walls.

They gather on the sunniest side of a building because the warm wall draws them. A south or west face with a dense lawn below it is where we expect to find them first. Cool, bright days in spring and fall bring them out, and they slow down in the summer heat.

Spraying the lawn is rarely the answer. The mites live in the turf in huge numbers, and treating the strip along the foundation and the walls they climb is what interrupts the trip to the window.

Rodent mites: when bites point to mice in the walls

A different group of mites lives on mice and rats. They stay on their hosts, but when a rodent dies or the family moves out of a wall void, those mites go looking for a new meal. If that wall void sits above a bedroom or behind a couch, people feel the bites and see nothing to point at.

Clues that point to rodent mites include small, itchy red bites on skin that is usually covered, bites that appear in clusters after several days of quiet, and a recent sign of mice such as droppings, gnawing or scratching sounds in the ceiling. A skin condition can look similar, so see a doctor if the bites persist. We cannot diagnose skin problems, only the pest side.

This is why we ask about mice before we treat for mites. Spraying a bedroom does little when the source is in the wall, so the mouse activity gets dealt with first. The mites have nowhere to go once the rodents are gone, and the bites fade as they die off without a host.

How we handle a mite problem around a Columbus home

The right method depends on which mite you have. We pick from a short list and explain the trade-offs before anyone starts:

Spraying indoors is a last resort for clover mites, since they are on the way out as soon as the weather turns. We read the label for every product, apply it per label directions and give you the re-entry time before we leave.

What does a mite visit look like, step by step?

1. You tell us what you sawA photo of the mites on a white sheet of paper or a piece of clear tape helps us name them before the visit. Note where you find them and when.
2. We ask about bites, pets and allergiesBites change the plan, and so do pets, young children and anyone with asthma. That question comes up again at every return trip.
3. We inspect inside and outWe walk the foundation, window frames and landscaping, then check attics, wall voids and baseboards for signs of mice.
4. We treat what we findThat can be an exterior perimeter treatment, advice on the vegetation strip, or a plan for the mouse problem that is feeding the mites. Products go on per label directions.
5. We schedule follow-up if the plan needs itClover mite jobs often wrap up with one repeat visit in the next season. Rodent-related jobs usually need a few follow-ups, which we space out as the situation calls for.

What affects the cost of mite control?

Pricing depends on the type of mite and the extent of the problem. A clover mite job on one wall is a different quote than a bite problem that traces to mice in a two-story house. We explain the price before work starts, and reviewers describe our pricing as fair, with no surprise charges.

The factors that move the number are the length of foundation to treat, how heavy the vegetation is, whether we need to go into the attic or wall voids, and how many follow-up visits the plan calls for.

How to keep mites from coming back

• Keep a strip of mulch or gravel, about a foot or two wide, between the lawn and the foundation
• Trim ivy, vines and thick shrubs back from the walls
• Caulk gaps around window frames, door frames and utility lines
• Store flour, cereal and pet food in sealed containers to keep grain mites out
• Do not crush clover mites on fabric or walls, because they stain. Vacuum them up instead

If the mites keep returning to the same wall every season, the cause is usually the lawn edge and not the house. If bites keep returning to the same room, start by looking for the pest that is feeding them. Our stink bug and boxelder bug control page covers other pests that gather on sunny walls in the fall.

Mite sprays in Ohio: what the label and the ODA lookup tell you

Federal pesticide law makes the product label binding on every application. It names the pests a product may be used on, the surfaces it may go on and the re-entry time. A product labeled for clover mites on exterior walls cannot be used on a bedroom for rodent mites. Ask any company to name the product and the mite it is labeled for.

Ohio also requires any company that applies pesticides for hire to hold an ODA Pesticide Business License, with a licensed commercial applicator. The Ohio Department of Agriculture runs a public business search, so you can look a company up before it treats your walls. Ohio State University Extension fact sheet HYG-2095 on clover mites also suggests a bare strip at the foundation, which you can build yourself.