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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Some oak leaf itch mites that fell from trees and bit people in the Wichita area last fall have stayed alive over the mild winter and are biting again.
Sedgwick County Extension Education Center agent Matthew McKernan said the office has received about a half-dozen calls over the past couple of weeks from people who have been bitten.
The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/1qNfOIv ) reports that the oak leaf itch mite isn't an issue most years and that during a normal winter, low temperatures would have killed them. But some that are living in in leaves fallen from oak trees are too small to see.
McKernan said people should take precautions to avoid the raised itchy welts that come from the mites' bites. He advised wearing long sleeves, long pants, rubber gloves, socks and shoes when out in nature and taking a shower after heading back indoors. He said bug spray may prevent some mites, but probably not all of them.
McKernan said that mites' endurance through the winter doesn't necessarily mean there will be another bad crop of new ones later this year.
"They may not be a problem all year, but at least this spring there are a few around," he said, adding that it depends on whether there is larva for the mites to feed on.
An antihistamine, cortisone cream, or Calamine lotion may offer some relief from the itchy bites.
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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com
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