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Biting Bugs in Iowa Like Chiggers

Parasitic bugs like chiggers feed on warm-blooded animals and often cause pain and itching. Chiggers are mites in their larval stage. In Iowa, ticks and spiders also go through the same stages as mites: egg, larva, nymph and adult. Like ticks and spiders, chiggers are often found in areas where there is foliage and humidity. Chiggers attach themselves to people and animals that pass by.

  1. American Dog Tick

    • The most common tick in Iowa is the American dog tick, which is most active in late April and May. Tick eggs will develop into larvae without needing blood. Larvae must have blood to develop to the nymph stage, and the nymph must have blood to develop into an adult. In Iowa, ticks do not transmit Lyme disease. And although they are the main carriers of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, occurrence of the disease is rare in Iowa. American dog ticks live in wooded areas or places where there are a lot of bushes or tall grass. Trimming foliage and grass is a common way to control ticks.

    Black Flies

    • Iowans sometimes have to contend with black flies, a parasite also known as the buffalo gnat or turkey gnat. They are most common by rivers and streams in late spring and early summer. Only the female black fly sucks blood. The bites are painful and the injected venom causes itching and swelling. Severe complications from the bite have been reported, and in rare cases, death is possible due to allergic reactions. The flies are not known to transmit disease to humans.

    Minute Pirate Bugs

    • Although they don't suck blood or inject a venom, minute pirate bugs bite humans and cause a lot of pain. They are small bugs, about one-fifth of an inch long, somewhat flat and have white markings on their black bodies. They are important predators of corn earworm eggs and live in fields, parks, yards and wooded areas. Populations vary from year to year and bites may be avoided by wearing dark clothing during warm days, when the bugs are most active. Repellents are not usually an effective way of keeping the bugs away, according to Iowa State University's entomology department.

    Cicada Killer Wasp

    • The cicada killer wasp doesn't suck blood, but it does inject venom. These wasps nest in the ground and the female, which uses venom to paralyze cicadas it feeds to its young, will sting if it is threatened or accidentally stepped on. This is the largest wasp found in Iowa, and it is one of three in the state that dig nests in the ground. It is black with yellow markings and can be as long as 2 inches. These wasps do not live in colonies.

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