LINCOLN, Neb., May 3 (UPI) -- Entomologists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln plan to issue "mite shower" warnings this summer about itch mites.
The mites fall from oak trees and become airborne, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. Last year, itch mites bit hundreds of people in the state, causing itchy red welts and hard, raised pimples on their limbs, the report said.
The host of a mite is a larvae found on galls, or bumps, on the edges of oak leaves, especially pin oaks, the report said. The larvae come from eggs laid by a tiny fly called a gall midge. The mites feed on the larvae inside the galls and then emerge in massive numbers.
Residents are urged to keep an eye out for developing galls on pin, red and black oak leaves. They are also urged to use insect repellents containing DEET when working outdoors, especially when mites are active.
