Jason E. Andersen

During the upcoming Independence Day holiday, I hope you’re able to get out and enjoy some celebration. Grill outs and cold ones come specifically to mind, and you might catch a fireworks show. That’s not really my groove, but you have my permission to enjoy one if you like. You may be tempted to lay down on the summer grass so that you might gaze up at the spectacle. To that, however, I say NO.

There is a whole collection of blood-sucking critters out there, waiting in the grass, to drink upon your blood juice. You may call them no-see-ums, chiggers, mites, midges, or maybe punkies, ‘lil biteys, or flying teeth. No matter their species or common name, the result is little itchy red spots on your person, often in uncomfortable locations. Also, they all seem to be very bad this year.

Here’s an amusing anecdote for you. I spent the vast majority of time at my desk this week. In fact, I only went outside a handful of times, and only one time did I step foot in any grass. I walked into our backyard prairie to watch our dog poop (don’t think too hard about it). I stood there for maybe 30 seconds, certainly less than a minute. From that time alone, I have several-many itchy bites from these uninvited underwear visitors.

Bonus Fun Fact: No-see-ums are insects (midge flies) and chiggers are arachnids (mites). They all want to suck your blood, though.

Bonus Bonus Fun Fact: We call them chigger bites, but arachnids like mites don’t have mouth parts like that, so they aren’t really biting you. However, they do spit up saliva that partially digests your skin, creating these little cavities. The mites then lick up the juices produced. Yay! Biology is fun!

So, be careful out there, and enjoy your holiday.

P.S. I’ve found that DEET-free lemon eucalyptus spray works really well against flying teeth, as well as mosquitos and ticks. When I actually put it on that is. I like it way better than conventional bug spray, which is sticky and melts my sunglasses.