Chiggers: Avoid the Bites of These Tiny Parasites

Chiggers: Avoid the Bites of These Tiny Parasites

How many blissful summer days have been disrupted in Florida by biting or stinging insects? More than a few. Mosquitoes, fire ants, yellow flies, dog flies, no-see-ums, yellowjackets, and more all live in our area and are either gleefully happy to violently defend their territory or actively seeking people out as food. One more creature to add to the list, though it is technically an arachnid rather than an insect, is the chigger.

Chiggers, also known colloquially as red bugs, are the larvae of mites in the family Trombiculidae. They are difficult to see, even as adults, because of their diminutive size. They’re tiny. So tiny, in fact, that you may not be able to feel them even if they’re crawling all over you. They don’t seem to have any claustrophobia, rather enjoying the tightest spaces under clothing and spots where skin is thin and tender. This leads to bites in some very uncomfortable places. When they bite, chiggers temporarily attach themselves to their host and inject a digestive fluid into the skin. This triggers an immune response in people; our bodies don’t seem to like being partially digested and sucked up by tiny critters. Even if the body’s response means the mite doesn’t finish its meal, it still leaves a mark. Different people may have varying sensitivity to the bites, but it is never a pleasant experience. Itching sets in four to eight hours after the bites, which may be accompanied by red welts or bumps on the skin. Severe reactions may lead to fever.

Chigger
Chigger. Photo Credit: University of Florida/IFAS

Chiggers do not attach themselves permanently to people, nor do they burrow under the skin. If you’re lucky enough to discover any mites still biting you, take a hot shower and lather with soap several times. Nail polish applied to the bites will not help, though strangely enough meat tenderizer may help with the itching. Antiseptic is always a good idea as well, and if you’re short on meat tenderizer, an over-the-counter anti-itch product will serve too.

To avoid running afoul of chiggers, be aware that they are most likely to be found in low, damp areas outdoors with shrubby vegetation. They may be found elsewhere, but one persistent myth is that they like to inhabit Spanish moss. In reality, they don’t have any particular attraction to it.

Thankfully, insect repellants that contain DEET repel chiggers as well as other pests. For maximum effectiveness on chiggers, apply repellants to sleeves and cuffs of pants, as well as waistlines.

For more information on these little crimson menaces, see our EDIS publication at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IG085 or contact your local Extension office.

Watch Out for Stinkbugs and their Relatives!

Watch Out for Stinkbugs and their Relatives!

Stinkbugs and their relatives are not always problematic in the flower or vegetable garden, but when they become so, they can suck the life out of our fruits and vegetables, create ugly abrasions, and destroy flowers such as roses.

Over-wintering adult leaffooted bug emerging from hibernation . Image Credit Matthew Orwat, UF / IFAS Extension

The green stink bug Acrosternum hilare (Say)

The green stink bug Acrosternum hilare (Say). Image and caption credit EDIS, Dr. Russ Mizell

What is a Stink Bug?

The stink bug (Pentatomidae family) is a major garden pest of a variety of fruits and vegetables including squash, peppers, tomatoes, peaches, plums, pecans and a variety of other edibles. They are known as a “piercing and sucking” insect because that’s the way they feed, by using their mouth, or proboscis, just like a needle to pierce the fruit and suck out the juices. This feeding leaves a damaged area of the fruit which may develop discoloration, rot or fungal disease and render the fruit unsaleable or inedible.

Who are “their relatives”

The leaf footed bug, Leptoglossus phyllopus (L), is a relative of the stinkbug and feeds in the same way, has a similar lifecycle and causes similar damage. They are usually slightly larger and have “leaf like” appendages on their legs which are their namesake.

What is their lifecycle?

In Florida, overwintering adult stink bugs will place a clutch, or tight group of eggs, on a host plant early in the growing season. If their preferred plant is not available, they use a variety of weeds and grasses to lay eggs upon and provide food for their young.  After eggs hatch, they go through several nymph stages before they finally reach the adult stage.  Stink bugs have multiple generations in a year, often four to five. They readily move to find preferable food sources and might appear in a garden without warning to feed and cause destruction.

Nymph of the leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus phyllopus (L.). Photograph by Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida.

Nymph of the leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus phyllopus (L.). Photograph by Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida.

How are they best controlled?

First of all, many stink bugs use weeds as host plants to gather and feed upon, so controlling weedy plants around vegetable and fruit gardens might limit their numbers. If stink bugs are a major problem, planting trap crops, such as sunflowers, is beneficial. Stink bugs prefer to feed on sunflowers more than some other vegetables. This situation can be used to the gardener’s advantage by mechanically killing or spraying stink bugs on trap crops while avoiding treating food crops with pesticides.  More information on trap cropping can be found here.

Additionally, stink bug traps are available. These mechanically trap stink bugs, thus reducing their numbers in the garden, but need to be monitored and serviced regularly. Several species of parasitic Tachinid flies are also predators of stink bugs. These flies lay their eggs on adult stink bugs. The fly larva use the bug as a buffet, slowly killing the bug.

Stink bugs are difficult to control with insecticides, but some measure of control can be achieved at their nymph stage with various approved fruit and vegetable insecticides containing pyrethrins. These products are readily available at local garden centers and feed & seed stores.

For more information, please check out the following resources:

Control Grasshoppers When They Are Young

Control Grasshoppers When They Are Young

Young nymphs of the eastern lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera (Beauvois), clustered on a citrus reset (young citrus tree). Photograph by John Capinera, University of Florida.

Young nymphs of the eastern lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera (Beauvois), clustered on a citrus reset (young citrus tree). Photograph by John Capinera, University of Florida.

The Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, also known colloquially as the “Georgia Thumper,” can be highly destructive to a variety of vegetable crops. This May many growers and vegetable gardeners have reported unusually high numbers of nymphs, the juvenile form of the grasshopper.

This observation is consistent with the usual increase of nymphs in vegetable gardens during the spring months. The old adage of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound or cure” applies here. Now is the time to exert control over the nymphs before they mature. Adults do the greatest crop damage in July and August.

Additionally, adult females lay their eggs in the summer, with hatching the following April. Reducing the numbers this year will reduce the numbers in the following years.

The first step to control of the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper is prevention. They like to feed on weedy vegetation, so reducing weed cover in and around crops will reduce the incidence of Eastern Lubber damage. Short vegetation does not usually provide enough forage for grasshoppers, so mowing vegetation around fields is an excellent preventative strategy.

Although most home gardeners can control Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers by mechanical means (hand picking) this is usually not a feasible option for large gardens or small farm plantings. Fortunately, there are several products on the market for commercial producers to use.

Keep in mind, grasshoppers are much easier to control while they are in the young nymph stage, so early action is paramount when nymphs are observed. Several effective insecticides include carbaryl, bifenthrin, cyhalothrin, permethrin, and esfenvalerate. Look at the label to find these active ingredients, since they are sold under various brand names.

For more information about the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper or for specific crop recommendations, please visit this UF/IFAS publication on Grasshoppers and the UF/IFAS Featured Creatures Entomology Page.

 

Get an Early Start on Spring Veggies

Get an Early Start on Spring Veggies

 

Raised bed spring vegetable garden in NW Florida

Raised bed spring vegetable garden in NW Florida – photo credit: Blake Thaxton

Growing spring vegetables in northwest Florida can be challenging!  Sometimes failures seem more numerous than successes.  Extreme cold events in the winter and blistering hot summer days make it tough on vegetables.  One suggestion is to get the garden started earlier than usual!

The climate in northwest Florida challenges the gardener due to very high insect pest pressure and it being the perfect environment for fungal and bacterial diseases to grow.  Hot and humid summers with moderate winters can be disastrous because diseases will be very active and the insects are not eliminated by extreme cold temperatures.  Random cold temperatures in the spring make it hard to know when to plant the vegetable garden.

[important]Because insects and diseases become more active as it gets warmer in the spring, getting a head start may aid the success of your vegetable garden.[/important]

How can a gardener get a head start?  Here are a few suggestions:

  • Start Vegetable Transplants Inside

Seems simple, but just getting seed started in a temperature controlled environment can help the vegetable plants get a leg up on the insect pests and diseases that are eminent.  If you have a greenhouse structure, that would work perfectly.  If not, consider starting your plants in a room with as much possible natural light.  On warm days take the plants outside to get some sunshine.

  • Use Black Plastic Mulch

Tomato Plant grown with black plastic mulch - photo credit: Blake Thaxton

Tomato Plants grown with black plastic mulch – photo credit: Blake Thaxton

Black plastic mulch is commonly used in commercial vegetable production.  One of its main functions is to help warm the soil to encourage root growth of the vegetable plants.  Other benefits include good moisture and weed control.

Learn more from this Penn State Extension website: Plastic Mulches

  • Use Row Covers

Row Covers protect vegetable plants in the ground when temperatures drop lower than expected in the early spring.  Row covers are transparent or semitransparent flexible materials used to cover a row of plants to help insulate the air around the plant from the colder temperatures and wind.  If you can not find this kind of material you can always use black plastic nursery pots, Styrofoam cups, or other materials to protect individual small plants.

Learn more from this UF/IFAS publication: Row Covers for Growth Enhancement

  • High Tunnel Structures

High Tunnel with end walls and side walls removed for cooling warmer teperatures - photo credit: Blake Thaxton

A High Tunnel with end walls and side walls removed for cooling warmer temperatures – photo credit: Blake Thaxton

Another method of protecting your vegetable garden from cold early spring temperatures is to construct a high tunnel, also known as a hoop house.  A high tunnel is a structure that looks very much like a greenhouse but the crops are planted in native field soil and the structure lacks an active temperature control.  The temperature is passively controlled by rolling up end walls and side walls on warm days and closing the walls when cool temperatures are expected.

Learn how to build a high tunnel from this video from Utah State Extension: How to Build a High Tunnel

For more information on any of these topics please contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Agent or email Blake Thaxton: bthaxton@ufl.edu