A review of lesser-known biting insects

Q. What bit me?

Anonymous

A. A gentleman came into our clinic recently with an insect that had bitten him. The diagnosis made us think of the biting insects beyond mosquitoes, ticks, hornets and spiders. So I chose a few other biting insects to review as we get into the midst of summer. These are lesser known, because we don’t see them affecting humans as much as the others.

Aphids – Small, soft-bodied, with piercing sucking mouths to feed on plant juices. Though they are not common biters, they do bite and produce rash, irritation.

Assassin bug – While a stealthy beneficial predator, the bite is intensely painful if you handle them. Swelling and itching occurs quickly.

Black fly (Buffalo gnat) – They have a blade-like mouth to slash skin for blood. These are tiny – less than 1/8 of an inch. They are drawn to carbon dioxide given off by humans. They are black/grey, resembling a fly and they tend to get you in shaded areas. They have a hump back, are aggressive and can cause an allergic reaction.

Black (and red) ants – They will bite and spray formic acid as defense, which irritates the skin.

Blue-eyed darner – This is a predator of the dragonfly family. It has large jaws and will pinch if handled.

Centipedes – These predators are related to scorpions. Their bites are painful due to their “fangs” and pinch to inject venom; red, swell, itch.

Chiggers – If you’ve picked wild berries, you probably missed these minute, red mites until you itched all evening. They bite humans and animals where skin is exposed.

Fleas – They consume blood, and their bite causes itching, flea-allergy dermatitis; vectors for bacterial, viral, and more.

Deer fly/horse fly – Also blood suckers, they can cause a large bite with their rasping mouths. It is quite painful, will swell. Be careful of secondary infection.

Dobson fly – Their larvae look like little monsters! While a good bait for fisherman, females have heavy mandibles to bite when threatened.

Green lacewing – These good guys prey on aphids, but can bite humans.

Minute pirate bugs – While they are good bugs, they cause a painful bite to humans because of its blunt beak. It is tiny, only 1/8-inch-long, and black with white markings.

Multicolored Asian (lady bug) – These non-native lady beetles were introduced to control aphids and scales. They move into the home en masse. They don’t bite, but they do pinch enough to feel like a bite.

Oh, the diagnosis of the gentleman’s bite? We were able to determine that it was a Buffalo gnat – black fly. Sneaky little things.

For information on stinging and biting insects, visit http://go.osu.edu/biteandsting.

Today’s answer is provided by Stephanie Hughes, OSU Extension master gardener volunteer. Call the office hotline at 330-533-5538 to submit your questions. Regular clinic hours are 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Thursdays.