Red Velvet Mites popularized thanks to KTB and Buggin Out

[JoeRossi]

http://science.discovery.com/videos/buggin-out-red-velvet.html

I saw the two episodes of Bugging out the 19th and was intreged by these beauty's. Apparently others were as well as it has recieved quite a few hits to come up so quickly in google search http://science.discovery.com/videos/buggin-out-red-velvet.html

Its probabl here some where in the AB archives, but I am intersted to see more information on them. Are they predatory, harmful to T's, etc...

Thanks Ken great show I'll be bugging out alot more

 

[TheTyro]

I saw them in one of the clips on the the science channel website. They are so cool, I WANT SOME. Big red buggers for sure.

 

[Deroplatys]

I've actually got a couple and i've had them for a while. They come out with heavy rain fall, and need to be kept in very deep rainforest style substrate, similar to roaches, millipedes, or beetles. They feed on small flies and aphids or dead crickets. No breeding has been observed yet though.
The only nice looking mites

 

[Protectyaaaneck]

I want some!

 

[Terry D]

Breeding chiggers?

Say no to chiggers! Jk .........but not entirely. Don't know the host of the larval form of this particular Trombidiid, but it's in the same family. Awesome- looking adults but I'll have to pass until I know more.

 

[JoeRossi]

Great pics....

Great Pics and thanks for sharing. I will say however, I am surprised at the rainforest environment comment since they were found in the field expo in Arizona. What part of AZ was this? I have been there quite a few times and have never experienced this climate there. Have they adapted to different climates?

 

[zonbonzovi]

Joe, sasionline.org suggests that they feed only on flying termites after the seasonal rains, while this abstract says the counterparts from Sudan feed on locusts: http://www.springerlink.com/content/q297721k354126g4/

Our Trombidioidea here in WA supposedly feed on small larvae and are found in very moist conditions, esp. rotting surface logs.

Those AZ beasties are too cool.

Edit: Deroplatys beat me to it. Nice pix!

 

[JoeRossi]

Please more pics

Thanks for the input and great to hear from you and I would love to see more pics (your set up perhaps). With this being stated (eat dead locust, crickets, etc) Would they act as Iso's in A T' cage and clean up any left overs or could there still be harm to the T's (I imagine the would be eaten as well like Iso's if there was no harm).

 

[belljar77]

I want some too, they're all kinds of cool.