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Are Bird Mites Real? Do They Infest Homes?

What are bird mites?   This image below shows a mite, and human hair for scale, that was collected from a hummingbird feeder in mid-summer. The mite was carried to the feeder on the beak of a hummingbird. The dark patch visible inside the mite is hummingbird blood on which the mite had fed. This dark coloration is why the mites are sometimes called " black pepper mites ". Birds/poultry and rodents all harbor a group of ectoparasitic mites that live in their host animal's nest and feed on its blood. When these mites leave the host animal's nest and enter our homes, or we otherwise come into contact with them, the mites are called bird mites , nest mites or sometimes rodent mites depending on which host animal nest they came from. These mites only leave the host animal's nest if the nest is abandoned or if the animal dies. So a typical scenario might be that a bird nest located outside a bedroom window, perhaps attached to the eves, is infested with these parasiti

What are These Bugs on My Deck?

This is a question recently submitted to our main site 'Bugs about swarms of bugs found on a deck : Question: We just noticed the bugs a week ago and they seem to be increasing rapidly. I've noticed that they only seem to be on certain locations all with one thing in common - some variation of man made plastic. They are all over the rails of our resin deck, on the plastic slide on my daughter's play set and the vinyl sheet covering our firewood (which is far from the house). There are a few locations on our vinyl siding that has them as well. They are mostly darkish brown with a few reddish ones. They appear to have wings and hop or fly when I blow on them or touch the area around them. Do you have any idea what they are and should we do anything about them?   My Answer: These are called barklice , or psocids, but they are not related to true lice and are harmless. Barklice feed on the fungi that grows on surface of tree bark, or in this case the mold on your dec

Mysterious Bed Bug Bites At Night

This question about possible bed bug bites was recently submitted to our 'Bugs site: Question: My name is Tiffani and I think I may have bed bugs but I'm not sure because I have all the bites and my 2 year old daughter who sleeps with me most nights has not been bitten once. Yet I wake up with new bites everyday. I have not yet seen a bed bug but I have not had the chance to really search yet. I want to know if it's possible that we have bed bugs if only one person who sleeps in the room is being bitten? Also thank you for your website it was very helpful.   My answer: Tiffani , The first thing to do is to thoroughly check your bed and bed side furniture for bed bugs and/or dropping (dried blood). Left up the mattress and check any folds or seams for reddish-brown bugs or their black, greasy droppings. Also check nearby tables, the bed frame, and so forth.   Here's a drawing of what bed bug bites bed bug hiding places look like. If your search fails to turn

Which are the Best "Bug Sprays"?

Whenever I'm ask to recommend a good " bug spray " (aerosol spray insecticide) for general pest control in homes I'm tempted to answer " none " because, in fact, aerosol spray cans are not a particularly good way to package and apply insecticides . The reasons are pretty simple: aerosol sprays cans are expensive to manufacture thus making the cost to the user very high compared to other forms of insecticide; also, because aerosol cans are under relatively high pressure they produce a very fine spray droplet which tends to drift in the air making it difficult to place the insecticide exactly where you want it (and keep it away from places where you don't want it, like up your nose!); and finally, for those concerned about waste, you're left with an empty metal can that has to be discarded. Having said all that, however, I know that many people prefer aerosol sprays to other forms of insecticide packaging because they are very convenient, and cost i

Do Termite Baits Work?

Until fairly recently homes were protected from most termites by treating the soil around the home's foundation with highly toxic and long-lasting insecticides such as chlordane . Even today soil-applied insecticides are still used but the insecticides now are less toxic and less persistent, and may be less effective. So now special termite baits tend to be used more extensively especially in areas where warm climate enhances the pest status of termites. Termite Baits Baits designed specifically for termites are now more widely used. Termite baits combine a low toxicity insecticide with an attractive (to termites!) food , usually some kind of cellulose (wood fiber). Bait stations, usually a plastic tube containing a bait that can be buried below the soil surface, are placed around the property where foraging termites find them and carry poisoned food back to the termite colony. Control is maintained over time with periodic replacement of the bait. Termite baits are much le

Which Pesticides Kill Bed Bugs?

bed bug Because bed bugs are so closely associated with bedrooms and bedding we need to be especially careful when selecting a pesticide to use against these little blood suckers. It makes no sense to apply a toxic pesticide in our rooms and on our beds that we would then be exposed to as we sleep or otherwise use the room. Fortunately there are now very effective natural dust insecticides for use against bed bugs that also offer a wide safety margin when used in bedrooms and on bedding. These natural dusts include silica, pyrethrum and botanical oil combinations. These dusts should only be used after all exposed bed bugs are removed by thorough vacuuming and cleaning as a final step in your bed bug control program. We've recently posted a series of articles at our 'Bugs site about bed bugs, bed bug control and using natural dust insecticides. The first article is about bed bug indentification and life cycles and you can follow the links to the other articles about contro

Where Do Fleas Lay Eggs?

Fleas are probably the most common and vexing pest problem for most pet owners. These tiny ectoparasites bite to feed on blood from our pets but will bite us as well. Flea bites result in itchy lesions, secondary infections and even the transmission of internal parasites and diseases. Homes can be quickly infested, seemingly over night, and once this happens getting rid of a flea problem can be all-consuming. While modern flea medications like Frontline (tm) do a excellent job of controlling biting fleas that are on pets, what about flea eggs ? Where do fleas lay their eggs and how can these eggs be killed at the same time as the adult, biting fleas? Flea eggs are laid in the animal's nest   Like most other insects fleas have several distinct stages in their development, namely eggs , larvae , and adults . For fleas in particular the only stage that bites is the adult flea. Most of a female flea's eggs are laid in the host animal's nest . In the case of indoor pets thi

Do Dust Mites Bite Humans or Pets?

Dust mites are a type of tiny mite that feeds on the organic debris, or dust , in our homes. What we call "dust" is actually made of a mixture of hair, skin cells, plant pollen and other stuff that we and our pets shed every day, plus material that blows in from the outside. On a percentage basis skin flakes and dander from animals make up a large proportion of dust in the average household. Dust mites feed on this debris and usually go about their business pretty much unnoticed. Dust mites are light in color and tend to stay in undisturbed areas where dust accumulates. Dust mite do not bite people or our pets and in fact don't have the type of mouthparts (jaws) that would allow them to bite even if they "wanted" too, nor do they burrow into skin in the way that scabies mites do. The main problem that dust mites cause is allergy . Dust mites are notorious for the allergens, substances that cause everything from a stuffy nose to full-blown asthma, that they e

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

  Bed bugs (sometimes spelled bedbugs, without the space) are fairly small (1/8"-1/4"), wingless, reddish-brown insects that are only found in association with people, usually starting in the room where people sleep. Hence the common name bed bugs. There is a related species that, for example, uses bats as their host animal. These are called bat bugs. You never find a bed bug just crawling around outdoors. They don't move very fast, can't fly and depend on us to move them from place to place usually by hiding in our belongings. Bed bugs are normally first detected because of mosquito-like bites that occur during the night. Bites itch but are not otherwise dangerous because bed bugs do not spread disease like some other insects do. Once bites happen an inspection of the room and bedding will usually turn up the insects between the mattresses, on mattress seams or on bedside furniture. See pictures of bed bugs and a drawing of hiding places and bites . The secon

New York City Bed Bugs - Bites in the Big Apple

Why are bed bugs returning to big cities like NYC?   Human b ed bug s , Cimex lectularius , are almost unique among ectoparasitic insects in that they specialize in feeding on human blood, and only on human blood ( click here if you're not sure what bed bugs look like). While there are plenty of insects and other arthropods that feed on the blood of animals such as birds, reptiles (snakes and lizards), and mammals (hairy creatures that give birth to live young and have mammary glands) most will happily feed on a variety of different animals as well. For example, certain mosquitoes may select a bird for one meal then a human for the next meal, and so on. This, by the way, is how West Nile virus gets passed between birds and humans. The human bed bug, on the other hand, feeds only on us . Human bed bugs , along with body lice , have always been closely associated with their favorite meal ticket, namely people. Both insects are even the subject of familiar children's nursery

Bug control tips in houses and apartments

Which bugs invade homes/apartments and which need control? Most people believe there is a long list of insects that invade homes and can potentially damage our valuables or even hurt us. The truth is the list is very short and in modern society these species pose little real threat to us or our homes. Oftentimes the drastic steps we take to avoid these species are potentially more damaging than the insects themselves. In other words " the cure is worse than the disease ". I've been answering questions about insects from the general public for over 20 years (see my bio here ) and the following eight are the ones most often found in homes. These eight represent the vast majority of insects that ever enter homes and none pose a significant threat if reasonable levels of sanitation are maintained. The Big Eight Household Bugs ants carpet beetles cockroaches fleas (only if pet dogs or cats are housed indoors) house centipedes meal moths silverfish spiders

Small, tiny, little black bugs in homes

varied carpet beetle I am a volunteer in the "Entomology (Study of Bugs)" section at a site called AllExperts**. The site allows users to ask questions of volunteer "experts" in a variety of categories. As a volunteer I get a variety of interesting and sometimes funny questions but one category stands out because of how often it is asked, often using very similar words. The question starts out something like "I have [ small or tiny or little ] black bugs on the walls in my ____________. They crunch when I squish them. What are they?" Sometimes the question includes a picture but often it does not. While there are many insects that fit this general description the one that you are most likely to find in the typical home are dermestid beetles , commonly called carpet beetles (see photo above). Carpet beetle adults can be all black to mottled grey, white, and brown, and round to oval in shape. They are all fairly small. carpet beetle larva        

Regional pest information

We have launched a new series of articles at our 'Bugs site to encourage homeowners to do their own pest control rather than relying on professional exterminator services. We believe that in many, perhaps most, situations homeowners can manage pests more economically and with less environmental impact. New articles will be arranged geographically so that we can focus on just the most important pests in a particular region. Take a look a our first article that covers the most important pests in western Oregon (our first regional article).

Flea sprays for carpets and pet bedding

Fleas can be extremely annoying and even dangerous for you and your pet. Fleas are ecotoparasites that feed on blood and can transmit diseases and some internal parasites like worms when they bite. In fact, did you know that one of the deadliest human pandemic plagues in all history was spread by flea bites? This was the Black Death plague of the middle ages (1349-1352; click the link if you are curious). In modern times, however, fleas are more of a nuisance than a real health threat although flea bites can be so stressful and prone to infection from scratching for some animals that death has occurred. Fortunately, pet owners today have a wide variety of ways to combat an existing flea infestation and to pro-actively prevent fleas from gaining a foothold in the first place. Fleas can be controlled by treating pets directly with a variety of flea medications and carpets, furniture and pet bedding can be treated with very low toxicity chemicals that stop flea development. Twenty ye

Unknown bug bites and dry skin

Reports of "mysterious bug bites" increase in winter Every winter the number of people contacting us through our 'Bugs website about mysterious bug bites seems to increase. The typical question is something like "I feel something biting me but I can't see anything ", or even " I've got bites all over my ______ but I can't catch whatever it is " . While there is a small number of insects and mites that actually do bite people most of these reports have a much simpler explanation. There are many causes for mysterious or unknown bug bites. Some are caused by real insects or mites (see the Causes of Mysterious Bug Bites article below for a list of possible culprits), but others are caused by non-arthropod agents such as allergy , drugs or even environmental chemicals . [Causes of Mysterious Bug Bites] Something as simple as winter-dry skin can even be mistaken for "bug bites". Everyone has probably felt the itchy, "crawl

Do flea "bombs" or foggers really work?

What are flea "bombs"? Flea bombs or foggers are pressurized cans of insecticide that totally release their contents once the trigger is pressed. In use, flea bombs are placed upright in the center of a room. When the trigger is pressed the entire contents of the can are sprayed upward as a fine aerosol spray or mist .   Flea foggers usually contain an insecticide to control adult, biting fleas plus an insect growth regulator such as methoprene , or the tradename Precor, that prevents larval fleas from developing into adults - thus " breaking the flea life cycle ". Do flea foggers really work?   Unfortunately foggers, and other total release insecticides, are not a good way to apply insecticides. This is because the foggers produce spray droplets that are too large to stay suspended in air long enough to disperse to "every nook and cranny" of the room as advertised. Essentially any surface that is shielded by furniture, is not treated . Plus, surface

Bug infested cars and Car Talk (tm)

Can you fumigate for cockroaches, and other "bugs" , in cars? Most of you probably know that Car Talk is a popular radio talk show on NPR where two brothers, Tom and Ray, talk about cars, car repair and the like. They take calls from car owners about everything imaginable having to do with their cars. Every once in while Tom and Ray get a call concerning insects, or other critters, that have invaded someone's car. A recent show included a caller whose car was infested with cockroaches but there have been other recent callers that had cars infested with wasps, honey bees, flies, mice, snakes, and so on. The most common insects that invade cars are of course cockroaches and ants but wasps can build nests and a number of so called "stored product" pests like carpet beetles are common as well. It is, however, very unlikely that bed bugs would infest cars unless someone is actually living and sleeping in the vehicle. The reason for this is that bed bugs

What are these BIG black ants in my house?

carpenter ant In early spring or late winter people often encounter these large black ants in homes. These big ants are different than the more common small, brown "nuisance ants" that plague kitchens. The big ants are called carpenter ants ( Camponotus spp .) and unlike their smaller cousins, nest above ground in cavities. Nest building and cavity expansion by these large, powerful ants can cause damage if nests occur in our homes. Most of the ants you find in homes are small, less than 1/4", and brown. There are several species of small brown ants that can nest in our home's walls or nearby soil and enter homes in search of food and water (see House Ants for identification and control). Nuisance ants are just that, a nuisance. They won't damage your home and pose no health threat of any kind.  There's another ant, however, that occasionally is found in homes that is much bigger (1/4"-5/8"), darker in color, nests in the walls, floors and c

Tick bite story

This is Elizabeth's story about the evils of ticks. Being a member of the Over-Fifty set, it's not every day that I experience something completely new. The other day I found a tick firmly attached to my back. I had never before been bitten by a tick. Found one on my clothes once, plucked more than I care to count off our basset hound (you can really tell when the Frontline wears off), but never been bitten myself. How did I get the tick? Our best guess is that I picked it up from our dog while grooming her. I had had my arms wrapped around her while clipping her toenails and the little bugger must have wandered onto me. We had been walking in the local park that morning, and being a good basset hound, she had her nose buried in many little rodent runs in the tall grass. She probably picked it up there. And I picked it up from her. So what DOES it feel like to be bitten by a tick? Well, it didn't really hurt. Within a short time after grooming the dog, I started

Air purifiers (air cleaners) for dust mite allergy relief

Dust mites are tiny, nearly microscopic mites that live in the organic debris (dust) in our homes. They normally go unnoticed unless we happen to be allergic to their droppings. Proteins in the mite's feces can cause mild to severe allergic reaction in some people. If you are affected by dust mite allergy, here are a few things you can do. First, see your physician or allergist to confirm that dust mite allergen is the cause of your condition. Once dust mites are confirmed take steps to separate yourself from the mite allergens and to reduce overall mite numbers . Do not , however, attempt to control dust mites with insecticide as this will only make your respiratory problems worse. See this article for ways to reduce the dust mite population by controlling indoor relative humidity, removing air-borne allergens, encasing mattresses in allergen-proof covers, and wet-cleaning rooms. Air purifiers (air cleaners) that use HEPA filters may be another good way to reduce air-borne al

What do bed bug bites look like?

Bed bug bites look a lot like bad mosquito bites . Take a look at the lower drawing (left). Bed bug bites will generally be red with local inflammation and swelling. The redness is caused by an allergic reaction to proteins in the bug's saliva; again, much like a mosquito bite. There may be multiple bites in the same area and the bites can occur anywhere on your body.  Bites will usually itch as well. Bed bug bites are self-limiting and there is very little danger of disease transmission associated with these insects, unlike mosquitoes which can transmit numerous deadly diseases. Bed bug bites can be treated with over-the-counter anti-itch medications, or antibiotic lotions if the skin is broken by scratching. If you encounter bed bugs in a motel/hostel/inn or other sleeping establishment you should (1) notify the management so they can take steps to control the infestation, and (2) take care not to transport bed bugs from there to your next destination. Bed bugs can travel wit