Question
My patio table and chairs are surrounded by evergreen bushes.  I recently noticed tiny pinkish crawling things on the dark edges of the table which I think are some kind of spider mite.  I suspect they are coming from the bushes although they don't seem to have any damage and I can't see the mites on the bushes.  There are some white clusters on some of the needles - eggs?  How do I get rid of these?  I find it unpleasant to sit on my patio knowing these tiny creatures are crawling around and I'm afraid that I will bring them into the house. I live on Long Island, New York.  We have had lots of rain recently and not too high temperatures yet.   Thank you.  Bonnie

Answer
Bonnie,

These sound like clover mites, a type of spider mite. See http://www.livingwithbugs.com/clover_mite.html for a picture and if you can get a close look you should be able to see a pair of long front legs that may look like antennae (mites don't have antennae). Treating the area with Insecticidal Soap is probably the best option (see http://www.livingwithbugs.com/insecticidal_soap.html). Don't use household soap as this can damage plants.

Jack DeAngelis