'Bugs News

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...

There are few things more maddening than the itch resulting from the bite of some insect or mite. So it is a good thing that there are only a small number of insects and mites that actually bite people. However, if you are being affected by what you believe are bug bites but are not sure what is causing your discomfort check the list below for insects and mites that actually do bite people. The links go to articles at LivingWithBugs (our main "Bug" site) for ways to identify and then manage each of these common pests. Then, if none of these seem right check out some of the other causes of skin lesions that can look a lot like bug bites below the list. bird mites (aka nest mites, rodent mites) - many people believe they or their homes are infested with these mites. They are actually much less common than people think. bed bugs black flies (outdoors only) biting midges (outdoors only) chigger mites fleas lice mosquitoes ...