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Tiny world
Red velvet mite
Trombidium holosericeum
A bright red dot with eight legs, covered in fine hairs like velvet.
- Real size
- About 4mm long
- Where
- On bark, soil and stones, especially on warm spring days
My spotter's list
Here it is following your pointer, drawn many times bigger than life. Find it at real size with the magnifying glass in the Tiny World.
Good to know
Three things about the velvet mite
Mites are relatives of spiders, so the adults have eight legs, not six.
Its bright red colour is a warning to birds that it tastes bad.
The young hitch a ride on insects for a while. The adults hunt tiny animals and their eggs in the soil.
The real thing
Photos of the velvet mite
Out and aboutHow to spot one
On a warm day in spring, look on sun-warmed soil, stones and bark for a bright red dot walking steadily along.
Lend a handHow to help
Avoid pesticides on soil and paths. Velvet mites eat the eggs of insects and other mites, and help keep them in balance.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
Bees and hoverflies
Butterflies and moths
Dragonflies and damselflies
Beetles, hoppers and ants
Not insects at all
Snails and spiders aren't insects: a snail is a mollusc, and spiders have eight legs.
Garden birds
Pond animals live on the Pond page: choosing one takes you there.
Pond life
Night garden
Seashore animals live on the Seashore page: choosing one takes you there.
Rock pool life
Woodland animals
Under a log
Meadow life
River animals live on the River page: choosing one takes you there.
River life
Mountain and moor
Farmland
Town and city
