T. urticae was originally native only to Eurasia, but has acquired a cosmopolitan distribution as a common pest in a wide range of agricultural systems.

[1] T. urticae is extremely small, barely visible with the naked eye as reddish, yellow or black spots on plants; the adult females measure about 0.4 mm (0.016 in) long.

[6][7][8] T. urticae reproduces through arrhenotoky, a form of parthenogenesis in which unfertilized eggs develop into males.

The adults are typically pale green for most of the year, but later generations are red; mated females survive the winter in diapause.

T. urticae females apparently are capable of kin recognition and have the ability to avoid inbreeding through mate choice.