Four Tiny Bugs That Can Give Us Problems
Lice – One group of tiny bugs that gives humans problems is lice. There are actually three different types of lice we commonly encounter, the most common type being head lice. These little creatures are seldom more than about 1/16th of an inch long, visible to the naked eye, but still quite tiny, Head lice bite to obtain blood and when doing so can cause an itchy rash on the victim. They are easily transferred from person to person, and as a result are more common among school children or among members of the same family. Head lice are a nuisance but can be easily dealt with. A fact worth noting is, unlike the mosquito which also needs a blood meal, head lice, or any lice for that matter do not spread disease.
Fleas – Another of the tiny bugs noted for being a blood sucker is the flea. Fleas are slightly bigger than lice and somewhat harder to kill. Fleas mainly infest furry or hairy animals, fortunately preferring animals such as dogs and cats to humans, but a female flea (the one’s that do the biting) will happily sample human blood if the opportunity presents itself. It is the life cycle of the flea, which includes a couple of stages which can be dormant for long periods of time, that can make ridding an infested house a difficult proposition. Unlike lice, but as is the case with the mosquito, fleas can and do sometimes spread disease.
The Bedbug – Bedbugs are tiny bugs that have gained a certain notoriety as of late. When we were young, our mothers often told us to “Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite”. As far as we were concerned we considered a bedbug to be a somewhat mythical creature, like the bogeyman, as we never actually ever saw one. Bedbugs hide during the day and come out at night to play. They can hide almost anywhere, so can be very difficult to eradicate. Of all the creatures they can feed on, bedbugs seem to prefer humans the most.
Midges And The No-See-Um – A class of really tiny bugs that can cause us grief are the midges. These are very tiny flies, barely visible to the naked eye that still can deliver a bite that we find irritating. A common name of these midges is the “no-see-um”. The midges bother animals as well as humans, in fact seem to bother anything worth bothering. The best way to avoid midges is to avoid wet or swampy areas where they are most at home.
It’s Not Always Tiny Bugs That Are To Blame – It’s probably worth noting that most of us suffer from a number of bug bites that aren’t bug bites at all. Since we can’t see what bit us, we assume tiny bugs are to blame. Sometimes this assumption is warranted, but very often the “bite” is caused by something else, and is not a bite at all, but simply a skin eruption that may be due to a tiny scratch or the presence of an allergen. In spite of the troublesome tiny bugs discussed above, very few of the little creatures bite or sting, and fewer still create any problems for humans. For the most part, an occasional gnat that lands in our eye, or in our soup, represents the limit of our contact with tiny bugs. In fact, we usually think of these little guys a being rather cute and harmless, even if they are little spiders, and we tend to let them be. As well we should, unless of course we find them on our house plants.
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