#Light bugz target skin

#Light bugz target skin

The majority of mites are found in lesions in folds of skin between the fingers, on the sides of the feet, on the wrists and genitals, and in the bends of the knees and elbows. These symptoms usually appear several weeks to a month after the initial infestation.

The rash and intense itching associated with scabies occurs when the nymphs burrow into the skin and begin feeding. These eggs hatch in 3-4 days and the newly-hatched larvae emerge from the burrows onto the surface of the skin and molt to form the first nymphal stage. Females lay eggs at a rate of up to 3 per day for a period of 8 weeks, producing about 200 eggs over her lifetime. The adult female burrows into the outer layer of the skin (epidermis) where she feeds on tissue fluids and lays eggs that she cements to the floor of the burrow. The varieties of scabies that infest domestic animals can penetrate the skin of humans and cause the typical itching and rash, but they cannot complete their life cycles there. Sarcoptes scabiei, commonly known as the scabies, mange or itch mite, is a parasite of humans and other animals. Understanding mite biology and the symptoms associated with mite infestations can help determine if they are the actual cause of a particular problem. Because of their relatively small size, mites are often the 'suspects' of a whole range of biting/itching symptoms. Their biting and bloodsucking behavior can cause considerable discomfort to their hosts and a few species also cause serious allergic reactions, such as asthmatic attacks, in people. Most of these are external parasites (i.e., they feed on the exterior of their hosts), but some species inhabit the ear canals, lungs, intestine and bladder of vertebrates, particularly domestic animals. There are also thousands of species that are parasites of animals or plants. Some are beneficial feeding on decaying organic matter while others are predators of insects and other mites. Fortunately, the mites that we commonly encounter in North Carolina do not transmit disease agents that affect people.

On a world-wide basis, mites are important nuisance pests and some are capable of transmitting disease agents.