Southern Research Station

Title: Pyemotes herfsi (Acari: Pyemotidae), a mite new to North America as the cause of bite outbreaks

Author: Broce, Alberto B.; Zurek, Ludek; Kalisch, James A.; Brown, Robert; Keith, David L.; Gordon, David; Geodeke, Janis; Welbourn, Cal; Moser, John; Ochoa, Ronald; Azziz-Baumgartner, Eduardo; Yip, Fuyuen; Weber, Jacob

Date: 2006

Source: Journal of Medical Entomology 43(3): 610-613

Description: High incidences of red, itching, and painful welts on people in the midwestern United States led to the discovery of a European species of mite, Pyemotes herfsi (Oudemans) (Acari: Pyemotidae), preying on gall-making midge larvae on oak leaves. The mites' great reproductive potential, small size, and high capacity for dispersal by wind make them diffcult to control or avoid.

Keywords: Pyemotes herfsi, mite, itching bites

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Citation

Broce, Alberto B.; Zurek, Ludek; Kalisch, James A.; Brown, Robert; Keith, David L.; Gordon, David; Geodeke, Janis; Welbourn, Cal; Moser, John; Ochoa, Ronald; Azziz-Baumgartner, Eduardo; Yip, Fuyuen; Weber, Jacob  2006.  Pyemotes herfsi (Acari: Pyemotidae), a mite new to North America as the cause of bite outbreaks.   Journal of Medical Entomology 43(3): 610-613