A new pest may emerge in Ohio as Brood XIV cicadas conclude their 17-year life cycle.
Oak leaf itch mites can bite people, and cause an itchy, rash-like reaction. They also feed on cicada eggs.
What are oak leaf itch mites?
Oak leaf itch mites are nearly invisible to the naked eye.
The tiny mites commonly feed on fly larvae that form galls, or growths, on pin oak leaves. Ohio State University Entomologist Joe Boggs says they also eat cicada eggs in tree branches.
“They don't really become a problem to people until they start running out of food,” Boggs said.
Once the mites run out of things to eat, they’ll start dropping down out of the trees. Some land on people, who they then bite.
Greater Cincinnati experienced an oak leaf itch mite outbreak in 2008, according to a 2016 article from Ohio State University Extension. Walkers, joggers, and cyclists complained of getting itchy welts after following trails surrounded by oak trees. Brood XIV cicadas also emerged that year.
Where have itch mite bites been reported?
In the past, Boggs says he has received reports of people getting itch mite bites in the Loveland area, near the Little Miami Bike Trail.
“That's telling me, OK, there appears to be kind of an ongoing population, and now there are cicadas, and maybe this will kind of ramp it up,” Boggs said.
He says he hasn’t received any reports yet this year, but it could be too early to tell. The cicadas just recently started dying off, so the mites still have a lot of eggs to eat.
Bites are most common in July and August, according to the Ohio State University Extension article.
Seeing itch mites after a brood of cicadas emerge is relatively uncommon, Boggs says.
The mites have caused outbreaks of human bites in Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, and Pennsylvania, according to PennState Extension.
What do the bites look like? And how to prevent them?
Bites are often red, raised and rash-like. They often occur on the upper body.
“Particularly where your collar meets your neck, that seems to be a place where you see a lot of bites,” Boggs said.
They are itchy, and can be treated with an itch relief cream or calamine lotion.
To prevent the bites, Boggs recommends wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Insect repellents cannot usually deter oak leaf itch mites.
After being outside in a location where the mite may be present, take a shower and use plenty of soap. You also can put your clothes in a dryer on medium to high heat, according to Ohio State University Extension.
Read more: