Sep 28, 2024
Newly installed sod in the Pacific NW came with some sort of mite. Somewhat hard to see, zoom helps, they quickly attached to landscapers hands and clothes while adjusting sprinklers. Sod supplier had no idea and wasn't concerned that bugs are in their product. Any ideas?
Soils in general can have a very diverse mite fauna (see https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/soil-mite), most of which are harmless to humans. Exceptions do occur, such as chiggers in southern and south-central US, and the trombiculid mites that vector scrub typhus in Asia. Your image is not clear enough for me to attempt an identification, but as they appear to be roundish, if they seem relatively hard as opposed to squishy, they might be oribatids, which are harmless detrivores.
