Are you willing to know about Soil Mites? Read this entire post and I’ll discuss everything you need to know about soil mites like: What are soil mites? Different types of soil mites, Identification of soil mites, and whether are they harmful or not, and Finally how to get rid of soil mites. Generally, we can not see soil mites with our naked eyes. First of all, we need to identify them and try to kill soil mites, so that our garden soil becomes more fertile and pest-free. Let’s start with what is soil mite.
Table of Contents
What Are Soil Mites?
Simply we can say that the mites that live in the soil are soil mites. They are like fungi, they eat leaves, small dead insects, algae, dead plants, and small living insects. Soil mites can destroy not only your outdoor plants it also your home plants. They can mostly make their home in a pile of compost. They are also found above the potting soil. If you have kept indoor plants then some soil particles can make their way to your house. They can harm human health. There is a quick way to get rid of them. Cleanliness is the first step to getting rid of mites. Always keep your roof and drain clean.
Types of Soil Mites:
Now we know what soil mites are. Let’s discuss the types of soil mites. In the world, there are 80000 types of soil mites are present. They are very small in size so it will be difficult for us to identify them in the soil with the naked eye. If you look very closely at them, you can see visible dots in the soil, and sometimes you might not be able to observe them. They are white, brown, black, or even other in color. You can observe soil mites white and yellow soil mites more. soil mites white are most prominent. These almost 80000 types of soil mites can be categorized into four different types.
#1: Oribatei:
Orbatie is the most common of these four groups. These are very small in size. You can identify them by the shell on their back. Soil mites might look like small turtles as they have a shell in their back as well, thus they are called ‘turtle mites’ as well. They generally do not grow more than one millimeter so you must use a microscope to see them clearly. They prefer eating fungi, dead plants, tiny dead insects or worms, or even algae.
#2: Astigmata:
These are one kind of mites found in soil. You can find them in the soil that is full of nitrogen. Astigmata is mostly found on farms. However, the least common soil mites can be found in abundance in some habitats.
#3: Mesostigmata:
It is also one kind of soil mite. They are mostly predators. They live by eating small dead animals. They are by far the largest group of Parasitiformes.
#4: Prostigmata:
Prostigmata is generally 0.1-2 mm long. They are a suborder of a number of mites. They all feed differently.
How Can You Identify Soil Mites?
In shape, soil mites are very close to spiders and ticks. They look like small dots mostly white and brown. They are very small in size so small that you can find 500 soil mites even in 100 grams of soil. Now come to the question are they important or harmful.
How To Get Rid Of Soil Mites?
#1st Way: Clean The Old Dirt From Your Garden Soil:
Check your soil, if you see a little decaying in it, then filter it. If you are getting plants out of the pot then be careful because the root of the plants can be damaged. Remove bad soil from the soil surface and put pure soil in the pot. Clean all the old frozen water, moss, and dirt from your house. There are some clay particles that hide in the cracks. Throw leaves from the frozen water on your roof.
#2nd Way: Put Fresh Soil In The Pot:
First, inspect the soil thoroughly. After inspecting the soil, start filling the fresh soil in the pot. Remove dead leaves from plants. Soil Mites can make their homes in dead leaves. Remove the old soil particles and re-potting with fresh soil, this will increase the chances of no soil mites.
# 3rd Way: Spray If Needed:
Even after doing this procedure, if you are not sure whether the soil mites are completely clean or not, then you need to spray. Spray prevents soil mites from coming back. You can use organic spray. You can also use chemical pesticides. There are some organic sprays that you can easily make at home.
Some Spray That Can Help You Getting Rid of Soil Mites:
- You can make a good organic spray with a cinnamon solution. Put cinnamon in water and leave it to get wet and sprinkle the same solution on soil and plants.
- You can use a garlic-based spray to get rid of soil mites.
- Leave cloves in the water and spray this mixed water on the soil and plants.
- Mix dish soap and starch with pure water and spray it as before.
#4th Way: Look After Your Garden:
Cleaning your garden is necessary if soil mites are present. The leaves falling from your garden will have to be cleaned, this will also increase the chances of not having soil mites and your garden will also look beautiful. If you have made a pile of compost then remove it, it can give a boost to the soil mites.
#5th Way: Go For Plants That Will Grow Without Soil:
Soil mites are mostly very dangerous if they enter your home. You can find them mostly in plants in homes. So try to grow hydroponically without soil. If there will be no soil then there will no soil mites as they live in the soil.
Some FAQs About Soil Mites:
#1: Are Soil Mites Harmful?
The answer to this question is ‘YES’. But it has 2 sides. Let’s discuss both the good and bad sides.
- Good Side: It is right that we need soil mites as they are very important in the decomposing process of soil. Without them, soil decomposing is not going to happen. They ate dead plants and even animals and as a result, living plants get nutritious soil.
- Harmful Side: Let’s discuss the harmful side of soil mites. If they enter your home they will harm you in many ways. They can bring tapeworms. They carry bacteria to your home and they can be harmful to home plants as well as human beings.
#2: Are Soil Mites Aphids?
The answer to this question is ‘NO’. Soil mites are root Aphids are different so do not mix them up. The basic difference is that soil mites have eight legs whereas root aphids have six legs. Root Aphids are generally found in the roots near the soil surface.
#3: Do Soil Mites Bite?
The answer to this question is ‘NO’. Soil mites are too small to bite human beings.
#4: Are Soil Mites Harmful to Plants?
The obvious answer to this question is ‘YES’. Soil Mites are harmful to plants. They can damage plants by piercing plant cells and sucking the juice of a plant. You can notice the mites attack if suddenly the leaf top turns yellowish or whitish. This means the mites are sucking the juice from under that part of the leaf.
#5: Will Neem Oil Get Rid of Soil Mites?
The answer is ‘YES’.Neem oil can be beneficial in getting rid of these mites. In the above post, I have suggested some organic sprays that can help you get rid of soil mites like cinnamon-based spray, garlic-based spray, etc.
#6: Can Soil Mites Live on Humans?
The answer to this question is ‘NO’. Soil Mites can not live on humans. They need proper damp outdoor conditions and they can not live in indoor conditions and are not known to transmit disease.
Final Words:
Keep your garden away from dirty leaves and moss. You do not need to do this every day, just need regular maintenance. Just keep your garden and surroundings clean to keep the soil mites away from your house. By following the measures mentioned above, you can say you know how to get rid of soil mites fast.
