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Itchy northeast Ohioans blame Oak Mites, experts weigh in

Posted at 4:57 PM, Aug 23, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-23 16:58:04-04

This bug could be biting you right now- and you wouldn't even know it.

It's called an Oak Mite, it's microscopic, and it's behind several complaints from Northeast Ohioans- worried about the bumps the mite leaves behind.

NewsChannel 5 took concerns and complaints to naturalist, Marty Calabrese, with the Rocky River Nature Center.

"We think they're large in numbers and they're literally falling from the trees, landing on our arms. Maybe our necks," Calabrese explained.

He said oak mites don't stick around, they don't want human hosts, and they won't come home with you.

The mites eat insect larvae, and with cicadas out this year, that may be why people are dealing with them.

But Calabrese said they're harmless. Oak mites do not spread disease like some other insects.

"They're a natural part of this forest," he said.