Red
BugFlorida Pests - Been Bitten Lately?
Red
Bug
WHAT IS A REDBUG or CHIGGER? (Family Trombidiidae) A redbug is actually a baby mite. It is only 1/50 inch long and very hard to see. Mites are a type of arachnid (spider). The grown-up mites do not bite people; they eat insects and insect eggs. The mother redbug will lay about 400 eggs in a damp spot on the ground. This is usually a place with lots of sticks, moss, and shrubs. When the eggs hatch, the babies crawl up on the sticks and the moss. When an animal walks by, they jump on. Redbugs will bite all mammals (including people), birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Redbugs do not burrow into your skin. They attach to your skin in places where your clothing is tight, like your ankles, waist, knees, and armpits. After they are attached, they inject saliva (spit) into your skin. This spit dissolves a little bit of your skin, and they drink up the liquid. So, redbugs DO NOT DRINK BLOOD. After about three days, the redbug is full. It drops off and grows into a nymph (a teenage mite). The itching caused by redbugs is an allergic reaction to the redbug’s saliva. You should try not to scratch it, because it can get infected. To keep redbugs from biting you, you can tuck your pant legs into your socks and use insect repellent, especially on your ankles. You should also stick to nature trails and stay away from areas with lots of moss and shrubs on the ground. Redbugs avoid bright sunlight, so hiking in sunny areas is a good idea too. As soon as you get home, take a hot shower and lather up with soap a few times. This will remove any redbugs that have not bitten in yet. And try not to scratch! You can use some kind of anti-itch medicine to help.
Tick
WHAT IS A TICK? (Families Argasidae and Ixodidae) Ticks are a type of arachnid (spider). The males and females suck blood from mammals (including people), birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Like redbugs, they wait on small bushes, moss, and sticks for an animal to walk by. They jump onto you and bite with their sharp mouthparts. These mouthparts are buried in your skin as long as the tick is on you. They usually bite on the scalp (head), back of the neck, waist, and ankles. They use our blood for food. After they are full, they drop off into the plants on the ground. The female lays a mass of eggs in the moss and shrubs. To avoid getting bitten by ticks stay away from piles of sticks and moss; walk on grass or paths instead. Wear light-colored pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck your pants into your socks. Use a tick repellent (like sulfur powder), and check yourself for ticks every 3 - 4 hours. (Be sure to check in your hair and anyplace that bends.) To get a tick off, try these things. Use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible, but don’t squash him. Do not twist or jerk the tweezers. Instead, pull the tweezers up with even pressure. To kill the tick, drop it in alcohol. Afterwards, be sure to clean the tick bite very well. If the mouthparts stayed in your skin, it may make a sore. Try not to scratch it. Some ticks can carry diseases, but if you make sure to check for ticks and get them off quick, you’re pretty safe.
RESOURCES:
McGavin, George C. American Nature Guides to Insects. New York: Smithmark Publishers Inc., 1992.
Milne, Lorus and Margery. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. New York: Chanticleer Press, Inc., 1995.
Potter, Mike and Townsend, Lee. Chiggers. An internet article, Extension Entomologists at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. 1995.
Chiggers. An internet article by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Services.
Ticks. A pamphlet by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
Ticks and Chiggers. A pamphlet by the Florida Department of Natural Resources.
Tick Talk. A pamphlet by the US Army Medical Department, 1989
Provided by the E. Dale Joyner Nature Preserve at Pelotes Island
St. Johns River Power Park, Jacksonville Electric Authority, Florida Power and Light