Arthro-Pod EP 166: Scratching the Oak Itch Mite itch

Arthro-Pod

Hello bug lovers and welcome to another episode of Arthro-Pod! Today, we're going to the world of mites, specifically, we will talking all about the pyemotes itch mite. This teeny tiny biting pest has been making a splash in the news recently, with lots of people in Chicago and other Illinois city's complaining about their painful nibbles. We'll talk all about the seemingly mysterious origins of the oak leaf itch mite, how entomologists in the US were first introduced to it, and why it's making headlines in 2024. Tune in, we don't bit even if the mites do!

Itch mites in action, photo by Steve Jacobs, Penn State.

Show Notes

Mike talked about elm zig zag sawfly in our Catching up part of the podcast. If you want to learn more about the pest there is an upcoming webinar presented by Penn State University.

FREE Webinar on Sept 9: Frontiers in Forest Health: Elm Zigzag Sawfly

Link to Register: https://extension.psu.edu/frontiers-in-forest-health-elm-zigzag-sawfly

If you want to read more about the non-native forest pest and see some good images, check out the article by Dr. David Coyle from Entomology Today in 2023

https://entomologytoday.org/2023/07/20/here-we-go-again-meet-the-elm-zigzag-sawfly-another-non-native-forest-pest/

Oak itch mites in the news

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/national-news/mystery-bug-bites-in-chicago-area-may-be-connected-to-cicadas/

Oak Itch Mites References

• Cloyd, R. A. 2019. Oak leaf itch mite. K-State Research and Extension. MF2806. https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/download/oak-leaf-itch-mite_MF2806
• Broce, A. B., Zurek, L., Kalisch, J. A., Brown, R., Keith, D. L., Gordon, D., Goedeke, J. Welbourn, C., Moser, J., Ochoa, R., Azziz-Baumgartner, E., Yip, F., and Weber, J. 2006. Pyemotes herfsi (Acari: Pyemotidae), a mite new to North America as the cause of bite outbreaks. 43(3): 610-3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16739423/
• Glosner, S. E., and Kang, E. 2008. Pyemotes, the mysterious itch mite. U.S. Pharmacist. 33(5): 59-64. https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/pyemotes-the-mysterious-itch-mite
• Grob, M., Dorn, K., and Lautenschlager, S. 1998. Getreidekrätze Eine kleine Epidemie durch Pyemotes spezies Eine kleine Epidemie durch Pyemotes spezies. Hautarzt. 49(11):838-43. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s001050050835
• Jacobs, S. 2015. Oak leaf itch mite. PennState Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/oak-leaf-itch-mite
• Keith, D. L., Kalish, J. A., and Broce, A. R. 2005. Pyemotes itch Mites. UNL Extension NF05-653. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/extensionhist/1737/
• Krantz, G. W. and Walter, D. E. (editors). 2009. A Manual of Acarology (3rd ed.) Texas Tech University Press. Pp. 78, 79, 314, 315.
• Kritsky, G. 2021. One for the books: The 2021 emergence of the periodical cicada Brood X. American Entomologist, 67(4):40-46. https://doi.org/10.1093/ae/tmab059
• Talley, J. 2015. Finally found: Oak leaf itch mite. Oklahoma State University Extension Pest e-alerts. https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/332675/oksa_pestealerts_v14n44.pdf?sequence=1
• Zaborski, E. R. 2007. Outbreak of human pruritic dermatitis in Chicago, Illinois caused by an itch mite, Pyemotes herfsi (Oudemans, 1946) (Acarina: Heterostigmata: Pyemotidae). https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/items/18258

The life and times of an itch mite, credit to Broce et al. 2006