Feeling itchy? You may have the latest brood of cicadas to blame.
The estimated trillions of periodical brood cicadas that emerged in multiple U.S. states this year may be gone for the foreseeable future, but some people are feeling the painful, itchy remnants of a pest that took advantage of the rarely occurring food source: oak leaf itch mites.
These mites, also known as Pyemotes herfsi, have been previously confirmed to attack and feed on periodical cicada egg nests and have been known to cause outbreaks of bite rashes on humans, according to the University of Maryland Extension.
These mites were first recognized in the U.S. in 2004, and although they don't only feed on cicada byproducts, they tend to swell in numbers in areas where cicadas have recently emerged.
Here's what to know about oak leaf itch mites.
