Asian Tiger Mosquito
The Asian tiger mosquito is the most common daytime biting mosquito in the Carolinas. This mosquito was accidentally brought into the United States from Asia in used tires. It quickly spread into...
Category: Medical
Bed Bugs
Humans and bed bugs have a long association. Records of bed bug infestations date back at least to 400 B.C. Before World War II, bed bugs were very common in homes, hotels, and boardinghouses. It...
Crab Lice
Crab lice are one of three types of lice associated with people. The others are head lice and body lice. Head lice and body lice are very similar in appearance, but have different behavior. Head...
Chiggers
Chiggers are not insects. They are actually a larval, or immature, mite. Chiggers are commonly known as red bugs because of their bright color. They may be orange, yellow, or straw colored. They are...
Ticks Around Your Home
Ticks are closely related to scorpions, spiders and mites. They are not insects. They are external parasites that need a blood meal to survive and reproduce. Ticks can feed on humans and other...
Head Lice
Three kinds of lice can infest humans – head lice, body lice and crab (or pubic) lice. The head louse is closely related to the body louse, but their behavior is quite different. Experts...
Yellow Jackets
Yellow jackets are beneficial around home gardens and commercially grown fruits and vegetables at certain times because they feed on caterpillars and harmful flies. When the populations peak in late...
Tick-borne Diseases Affecting Humans in the Southeastern United States
Ticks are external parasites that attach themselves to an animal host to take a blood meal at each of their active life stages. Blood feeding by ticks may lead to the spread of disease. Several...