Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: Seany on 27/04/2007 21:23:23

Title: What are the tiny red spider-like creatures often seen on surfaces outside?
Post by: Seany on 27/04/2007 21:23:23

On garden tables, near outside swimming pools, bricks and everything. In the UK, you can see these TINY red spider like creatures, which just crawl on the floor. They are REALLY tiny and just look like a tiny red blob moving around.

What are these exactly? If I squash them, it makes red marks as it pops. In our school outside swimming pool, there are many red spots on the floor, because we stand on them! I hate them! What are they?

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: ukmicky on 27/04/2007 22:54:51

"What are they?" 


Red spiders

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: paul.fr on 27/04/2007 22:55:12

we call them brick spiders, but obviously that is not their correct name. i actually think they are little mites.

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: Seany on 27/04/2007 22:57:59

Quote from: ukmicky on 27/04/2007 22:54:51

"What are they?" 


Red spiders

So they ARE spiders?

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: ukmicky on 27/04/2007 22:59:27

No sorry there really called red spider mites

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: Seany on 27/04/2007 23:00:18

Oh.. Do they do any harm or anything to us?

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: ukmicky on 27/04/2007 23:04:09

NOT COMPARED TO YOUR THUMB PUSHING DOWN ON THEM MAKING THEM GO POP :-)

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: Seany on 27/04/2007 23:05:07

I see. [;)] They look deadly though! Apart from the fact that they are small.

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: paul.fr on 27/04/2007 23:09:16

they are harmless to humans, i don't know about you though Seany.  [;D]

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: Seany on 27/04/2007 23:09:55

Yes.. Because I'm as small as an atom? [???] [;D]

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: elegantlywasted on 28/04/2007 20:23:06

I think they eat plants, I always have them around my herbs and in my flower bed, but I can't be sure if they are eating them

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: _Stefan_ on 29/04/2007 00:44:23

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mites
http://www.thewaterwisegarden.com/mites.htm

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: tony6789 on 30/04/2007 16:25:10

ha wat a coincidence im looking at 1 rite now in front of my comp!!!!!

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: moonfire on 30/04/2007 17:31:58

Be careful Tony!  It might eat your computer especially if you have any outside pics on the screensaver! lol

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: JimBob on 01/05/2007 01:59:50

Seany, be glad you don't Lie where I do. You cannot see the tiny, red creatures that are in the grass here in the states. They are quite quaintly named "chiggers." I think it may be the noise you make scratching after the millions of bites start to itch. The get in between you pants leg and shoes or when you are wearing short pants and they MOB you. Hundreds can bite at one time and after a summer day being out playing when I was a kid (before World War I :-) my legs would be covered with closely spaced bites, up to 40 per square inch. The legs looked like raw meat! The only relief you could get was to sit in the bathtub with some rubbing alcohol in the water. You get out and the sting was horrible. I couldn't sleep many, many nights and, as I and my brother and sister, got older sitting into the bath together was not a very good solution so we just rubbed rubbing alcohol and suffered. Be glad, be very, very glad, that the British variety of red spider mites don't bite.

I still hate these little creatures with a passion. They still bite me when I am outside. I have probably lost more blood and sleep to these misbegotten creatures than anything else in my life!

If you want to see a US spider mite close up, check the first URL below. The mite is on a 10 cent piece which is about 17.5 mm (11/16^th inch)in diameter. There links to picts and info are below

http://www.mikebaker.com/animals/chiggers.html
http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?fotogID=606&curPageNum=16&recnum=IS0151
http://www.sulfursoap.com/chig222.gif (micrograph)
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/chiggers.html (lots of info)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/images/slideshow/sn22_chiggers.jpg (Chigger bites - very mild case)

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: Seany on 06/05/2007 13:07:36

Oh god.. They look so deadly! Sorry JimBob!!
(By the way.. There were nude pictures on the 4th url! Heehee)

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: JimBob on 06/05/2007 20:14:55

Seany, I did the same thing when I was young (only it was the Sears catalog)and then I obtained my dream. The rest has been a downhill ride. Women will make you crazy but they will not make hair grow on your palms. [;D] If you do not understand it, GOOD!

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: Seany on 06/05/2007 23:36:25

LOL, what is JimBob on about.. [:-\]

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: JimBob on 06/05/2007 23:59:50

It is a grownup thing, Seany. Ask your father - NOT your mom. She will say you are growing up too fast.

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: Seany on 07/05/2007 20:07:17

LOL! I don't even kno what you're talking about so how can I ask... [:-\]

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: Seany on 07/05/2007 20:16:48

Ugh!!! They look cute from far away. Just a moving red blob.. Have you looked closely at them?!

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: neilep on 07/05/2007 20:18:42

Hmmm..don't seem so cute close up do they ?

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thewaterwisegarden.com%2Fimages%2Fredspw01.jpg&hash=c389289b5569673bf655ffe739d41e0d)

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: Seany on 07/05/2007 20:19:40

!!! What on earth is that?! A bunch of em together?

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: neilep on 07/05/2007 20:25:44

Yep...it's an annual PTA meeting of parent red spidey mitey things !!

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: Seany on 07/05/2007 20:27:28

LOL! I've never seen anything like it! Just one little red blob wandering around pointlessly. Not that many!

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: Karen W. on 11/06/2007 12:01:25

they look like the little red chiggers that denty just posted to my  bite thread!! LOL

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: dentstudent on 11/06/2007 12:10:23

Karen, this might (mite  [:D]) be because:

Quote from: JimBob on 01/05/2007 01:59:50

Seany, be glad you don't Lie where I do. You cannot see the tiny, red creatures that are in the grass here in the states. They are quite quaintly named  [:0]"chiggers." [:0] I think it may be the noise you make scratching after the millions of bites start to itch. The get in between you pants leg and shoes or when you are wearing short pants and they MOB you. Hundreds can bite at one time and after a summer day being out playing when I was a kid (before World War I :-) my legs would be covered with closely spaced bites, up to 40 per square inch. The legs looked like raw meat! The only relief you could get was to sit in the bathtub with some rubbing alcohol in the water. You get out and the sting was horrible. I couldn't sleep many, many nights and, as I and my brother and sister, got older sitting into the bath together was not a very good solution so we just rubbed rubbing alcohol and suffered. Be glad, be very, very glad, that the British variety of red spider mites don't bite.

I still hate these little creatures with a passion. They still bite me when I am outside. I have probably lost more blood and sleep to these misbegotten creatures than anything else in my life!

If you want to see a US spider mite close up, check the first URL below. The mite is on a 10 cent piece which is about 17.5 mm (11/16^th inch)in diameter. There links to picts and info are below

http://www.mikebaker.com/animals/chiggers.html
http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?fotogID=606&curPageNum=16&recnum=IS0151
http://www.sulfursoap.com/chig222.gif (micrograph)
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/chiggers.html (lots of info)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/images/slideshow/sn22_chiggers.jpg (Chigger bites - very mild case)

Title: Little TINY TINY TINY red spider things!
Post by: yuzuki on 07/11/2009 19:26:45

am glad i found this post i got bite by one them small spiders today

i was so scared tell i seen this post

i live in Tennessee