Unfamiliar Bugs in garden.

Question

Hello! I’m new to gardening but have found a pesky little bug in my garden. It’s bigger than mites and causes no webbing. They are red, and I also have some white ones. I’m not sure if they were in a bag of my organic soil or if it’s the area where we live. The weird part is that they don’t bother my plants. I only had one day where I walked out and they were sitting in a cluster on top of my baby cucumber sprout. I didn’t see damage done to the plant but I did spray with an organic pesticide. To be exact, neem oil. I really wanna know if these guys are good or bad for my garden. I have them all over my soil, especially when wet. I promote air flow and allow my soil to dry before watering.

Answer 1

These actually look like they may be mites, though a larger species. Adult mites have no wings and 8 legs- you might be able to tell if that’s what they are under a hand lens. Some mites don’t make webbing.

If they don’t seem to be eating or sucking sap from your plants, they are likely harmless or even beneficial to your garden. Some mites actually eat plant pests:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/predatory-mite-pest-contro.htm