More recent entomology questions and answers

Entomology answers

Small, reddish brown, six-legged bugs

I was hiking in Ha Ha Tonka State Park and ended up with hundreds of very small, maybe 1/16 of an inch, reddish brown, six-legged bugs on and inside my shoes and socks, as well as on my feet and ankles. I saturated them with a DEET bug spray, but they still hung on -- just like a tick would do. It took over an hour to detach each of the bugs from my skin. Some had died, others were still moving around. I asked some locals what they may be and they had heard that spider mites are abundant. They also mentioned that they may be ticks. Since then, I've noticed pink, raised bumps where the bugs were attached. They are itchy and irritated. Can you help me learn what the bugs were, and what I should look for with the rash?

The first immature stage (larva) of ticks has only six legs. Sometimes they are called 'seed' ticks. They are capable of taking a blood meal. This could be the source of your pink, itchy bumps. There are many species of ticks, but one common tick on humans is the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum. Unlike some of the other common ticks found on humans, the six-legged larvae of this species are present during late summer and early fall. The six-legged larvae of other common ticks are present during the spring.

Treat the itch with lotions and watch for secondary infection. Use topical antibiotics if a secondary infection occurs. If an unusual rash develops around any of the bite marks, see a doctor right away.

Richard Houseman
Assistant Professor of Entomology
State Urban Entomology Extension Specialist

Honey bee hibernation

When do honey bees hibernate for the season?

Honey bees don't hibernate. They simply slow down their activities and perform different behaviors when outside temperatures fall and daylight shrinks.

Below 57 degrees Farenheit the bees cluster and occupy empty cells in the honeycomb. The queen stays in the center of the cluster and is constantly fed and cared for by the attending bees. The cluster moves slowly around inside the hive across the honeycomb feeding on pollen and honey. The cluster expands on warmer days and contracts on cooler days to maintain a cluster temperature of about 45 degrees Farenheit no matter the outside temperature. They remain in this low activity level throughout the colder months but are perfectly alert and can fly on any warm day-even in the middle of January.

Up to half of the colony may die during the winter-this is natural and is not usually due to freezing or starvation. In the late winter/early spring the queen begins laying eggs in the comb and a 1 to 3 inch layer of workers will insulate the comb and eggs to maintain the temperature at 90 to 95 degrees Farenheit.

Richard Houseman
Assistant Professor of Entomology
State Urban Entomology Extension Specialist

Spider ID

I found this unusual looking spider at the office and wondered if you could identify it?

The spider is in the family Dysderidae. They are called the six-eyed spiders. It is probably Dysdera irritata. These spiders are found under logs and stones where they build a silken retreat. They hunt from this retreat.

Richard Houseman
Assistant Professor of Entomology
State Urban Entomology Extension Specialist

Hive beetles

Late last summer I discovered a few hive beetles in two backyard honey bee colonies. I did not do a ground drench because I was advised that the winter would kill the beetles

This year, I have a greater number of hive beetles. They don't seem to be affecting the hives, as they are strong honey producers. I need advice on how to proceed

Should I use ground treatment. I'm afraid of killing my bees?

I think you should treat the infestedcolonies. Our assumptions about winter kill for these beetles include ground freezing temperatures that we did not have last year. Treatments should occur in late summer before the beetles bore into the soil to over winter. Loosen the soil around the hives and soak it as listed on the label. I recommend covering the colony during treatment. Put a wet cloth over the bees after sundown, make the application and take the cloth off after about 30 minutes or an hour. This should protect the bees.

Do not treat the locations that have no beetles. Wear gloves that are disposable when making applications. Use an open nozzle so the soil is drenched with large drops that do not drift if the formulation is liquid. If granular, simply scratch up two inches of soil, sprinkle on the granules and mix with the soil.

If we have a really cold winter, these beetles could easily be killed, but they survived last year's unusually mild winter.

Ray Nabors
Coordinator
University of Missouri Southern TeleCenter

Tick removal

I found a tick about the size of a raisin on my dog. It was a light brown with a little darker stripe. What kind of tick was it?

If you pull the tick out with tweezers, but the head stays in, will it back out on its own or is there something that should be done?

The tick you described is the engorged adult tick. When ticks are not removed in a timely manner, they become swollen with blood from their host. As you described, the adult stage grows to about the size of a raisin.

If the head of the tick is severed from the body during removal and remains embedded in the host, it will not back out on its own. They will remain in the skin until the body heals itself of the wound.

Even living ticks do not back out of the skin until after they become fully engorged with blood. There are many folklore methods that reportedly cause ticks to back out of the host (ie. coating with petroleum jelly or fingernail polish, rubbing alcohol, or a hot match) but none of them really work. Some may even increase the risk of disease transmission. The simplest and most effective method to remove ticks is to grasp them as close to the skin as possible with sturdy, blunt forceps and pull with steady, even pressure until the tick leaves the skin. Disinfecting the bite site after removal and washing your hands and forceps are also important.

Richard Houseman
Assistant Professor of Entomology
State Urban Entomology Extension Specialist