Every year, the Ohio State University Summit County Extension office receives numerous inquiries about what we’ve affectionately come to call “invisible biting insects.”
The cases are always nearly identical. The client can feel (and sometimes claims to see) insects crawling on their skin and leaving bites. In a few cases, these individuals can even provide visual evidence of bites on their body.
The dilemma, however, is that these people are unable to provide our office with a true insect sample to identify. More often than not, the “insect” samples clients bring us are nothing more than balls of fuzz and lint that were plucked from bed sheets and socks. While this may provoke laughter, I must admit that I’d much rather someone have a fuzz ball problem than a true home pest problem.
While insects may certainly be the cause of that itch or those bites you’re experiencing, there are a variety of other things that could very well be the culprit. Below, I hope to shed some light on common irritants that could be causing your itch.
Biting insects
If you’re experiencing what you believe to be insect bites or insects crawling on your skin, you may actually have a real pest problem in your home. Fleas are one of the most common sources of insect bites within the home. These small, one-eighth of an inch insects often bite humans around the ankles, leaving small slightly raised welts. Keep in mind that it is possible to have a flea infestation in your home even if you don’t have pets. Consider whether a neighbor or close family member could have introduced you to fleas.
Another common home pest is the bed bug. Since bed bugs are nocturnal, they will feed on humans (among other warm-blooded hosts) during the night.
If you have a bed bug infestation, you will likely wake up with itchy welts, usually occurring in characteristic rows of three. Unlike their name suggests, bed bugs can live in a great variety of locations in your home. They prefer fabric, wood and paper surfaces and may be found in furniture, behind wall hangings, in wall cracks, between drapery pleats and even behind switch plates.
Tell-tale signs include bloodstains from crushed bugs and rusty spots of excrement on bed sheets and mattresses. You may also find fecal spots, eggshells and shed skins near their hiding places. To avoid an infestation, be sure to not pick up “free” furniture on the side of road. One free couch could end up costing you thousands of dollars in control measures.
There are a great number of other insect pests that could be in your home. If you think you have a problem, be sure to check out your potted plants first. Potted plants can attract a variety of insects (though most will be harmless to humans). Also keep in mind that just because you find an insect in your home doesn’t mean that insect is the cause of your irritation. I shudder to think how many creepy crawlers I would find in my home if I really looked, but I take comfort in knowing that these critters aren’t after my blood.
Perhaps a pest is not the cause of your skin irritation. Many of the folks who complain of an unidentifiable pest problem likely suffer from one of the problems below.
Reaction to a product
Have you recently switched to a new cleaning or personal hygiene product?
Detergents, lotions, cosmetics, cleaning products, and even medications can all cause an adverse or allergic reaction. If you’re experiencing the feeling of bugs crawling on you, or an itching sensation, consider whether you’ve started using any new products recently.
Environmental irritants
If more than one person in your household is experiencing irritation and no pest problem can be identified, perhaps the issue is a physical or chemical irritant in the environment. Fragments of paper or home insulation can cause irritation that resembles insects crawling on your skin.
Dry air during winter months can also cause similar reactions as your skin becomes drier and more sensitive.
Chemical irritants could also be the cause of your problem. Ammonia-based cleaning products and tobacco smoke are just two examples of chemical irritants that cause itching or skin irritation in poorly ventilated areas.
Health-related conditions
Finally, if you’ve exhausted all other potential culprits, consider that your irritation could be coming from a health problem. Pregnancy, shingles and food allergies are just a few common health-related causes of itching. Stress can also cause a variety of adverse health affects including itching.
In extreme cases, delusionary parasitosis may be identified. Delusionary parasitosis is a severe emotional disorder in which a person has an irrational fear that they have bugs crawling on their skin and biting them. Excessive bathing and scratching serve only to exacerbate the problem.
If you think you have a pest that’s causing irritation in your home, contact your county extension office. Keep in mind that we can only help if you can provide a good sample of an insect for us to look at. Pieces and parts of insects generally aren’t very helpful.
It’s also important to remember that we are not doctors and do not observe people’s skin reactions or bites. We cannot identify a pest problem from only a bite. I’ve had to stop quite a few people from undressing in my office to show off a bug bite.
If you’re suffering from a severe skin reaction (whether caused by insects or otherwise), please visit your doctor.
Danae Wolfe is the Ohio State University Summit County Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources. If you have gardening questions, she can be reached at 330-928-4769, ext. 17, or wolfe.540@osu.edu.