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sunnyg
San Jose, CA
(Zone 9b)
May 2, 2008
10:50 PM Post #4899215
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I’ve found these in several areas of the garden, and my first thought was spider mites. A couple of the plants that I’ve found them on are clearly suffering from something, but the majority of the plants look healthy at this point, including the undersides of the leaves. I do not have any experience with insect IDs, and while some of the info and images I found online still make me think they are red spider mites, there are some things that do not totally match.
These critters are small, but there is definitely no need to use a magnifying glass to see them as some sites suggest with spider mites. They are not on the undersides of leaves, but actively running all over. There are at most 2-3 bugs per plant. These are quite red although some appear to have a little black on them too, and they leave a red mark if smashed. There are some fine cobwebs on a few of the plants I’ve found them on, but when I started to hose off the webbing on one plant I only succeeded in disturbing a spider. I don’t use insecticides, and the garden is full of spiders and spiderwebs right now, so I can’t tell what’s what in terms of webbing. There do seem to be more of these bugs as time goes by, and I think I better determine whether they are/will harm my plants. Thank you in advance for any insight.
Here is one on a foxglove leaf:
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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sunnyg
San Jose, CA
(Zone 9b)
May 2, 2008
10:55 PM Post #4899239
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This one almost looks like it is eating the other insect, which makes me wonder even more about what it is. This is one is on a lily. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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sunnyg
San Jose, CA
(Zone 9b)
May 2, 2008
10:57 PM Post #4899244
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another shot on a mystery plant: 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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carmen57
Santa Teresa
(Venezuela)
May 5, 2008
10:04 AM Post #4909002
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They are not like spider mites. They seem some type of predatory mite, because their long legs and your second picture. Maybe they are velvet mites (Trombidiidae). Have they velvety hair?
[HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
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sunnyg
San Jose, CA
(Zone 9b)
May 6, 2008
3:10 PM Post #4915056
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Carmen, thank you so much for responding! I went out and looked at them again, and they appear to be shiny rather than velvety, but they move around so quickly that it’s hard for me to be certain. Here is a blown up section of the pic of the mite feeding on another insect. It’s blurry, but the mite does indeed seem to be eating the insect. I am quite relieved to learn that they are predatory mites, and I will now just enjoy them in the garden. Thank you again for pointing me in the right direction. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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