Chickadees nested in a protected area adjacent to her air conditioner outside the window of her Brigantine apartment. It was pretty cool getting a close-up view of chickadees raising their brood.

But when the fledglings took flight and the chickadees abandoned the nest, the bird mites that thrived by biting the birds suddenly went looking for a new blood meal.

The nearest animal was the young woman.

The mites had no problem crawling through the tiniest cracks around the window casing, since including legs and head they’re no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence, and their bodies are smaller still.

Bird mites are not very common, but when they do appear, this is a likely reason why.

The solution is to identify the problem (you can use tape to pick up bird mite samples on a window ledge, for example).  And then get a pest management professional to treat it.

Last year there was an outbreak of Pyemotes mites (also known as “Oak leaf gall mites” or “Itch Mites”) in Chicago. The same happened in 2004 in Lincoln, Nebraska, and in Kansas.

WLWT said,

Hamilton County Public Health is warning about occurrences of insect bites from what appears to be itch mites (oak leaf gall mite) and an investigation is ongoing to confirm the source.

The health district said recent bites appear to be consistent with those from microscopic mites, which are not known to transmit disease in humans.

“We suspect the cause of these insect bites is itch mites which inhabit in tree leaves,” Health Commissioner Tim Ingram said. “The mites cannot be seen and the bites are not felt, but leave an itchy red mark that can resemble a skin rash.”

The article also says “The bites are described as having tiny scabs in the center of a reddened area sometimes extending 3 to 4 centimeters.”

This site has pictures of Pyemotes itch mite bites.

If you’re in an area with an itch mite problem, the article recommends a number of preventive measures including DEET insect repellent, laundering clothing daily (since itch mites can live on it for a few days), showering when you come home, and avoiding woody areas in the evening.

It is also important to remember that Hamilton County and Cincinnati are also suffering from the bed bug epidemic.  Remember that itchy spots that appear to be insect bites might also be bed bug bites, as well as a number of other things.

While bird mite infestations in humans are rare, they do happen, says Dr. Richard Zack, associate professor and chair of the department of entomology at Washington State University. The most common infestations occur in people who work in the bird and poultry industry, but the creatures will flock to anybody if the circumstances are right.

“Nesting birds or small mammals carry their own set of parasites and although those parasites don’t normally feed or interfere with humans, if something happens to the mice or the birds that are nesting in your house, the parasites will look for an alternative food source,” he says. Unfortunately, that alternative food source can be you.”

The article also mentions head lice, body lice, follicular mites, bed bugs, scabies, and more.

Speaking by phone from her hospital room, Bradica said Friday she was “hanging in there” but could still feel the mites moving around on her skin. “I feel biting, just like someone pricking you with a needle, and you can feel them crawl, like a piece of hair is tickling you,” she said.

The mites are considered a nuisance and don’t cause serious injury or death, Steier said, and added that neighbors of her Saddle Lane home are likely not at risk.

Bradica also complained of chest pains unrelated to the mites, said Dr. Shadab Ahmed, who is treating her at NUMC. Ahmed said Bradica is otherwise healthy and was expected to be discharged within 48 hours. She is being treated with a topical cream for the mites. Bird mites stay on the skin and bite but do not burrow into the flesh to drink blood, Ahmed said.

Investigators determined the mites had spread from a nest birds built in Bradica’s bathroom vent at least two weeks ago, said Officer Adele Burke, a Nassau police spokeswoman.

It’s important to note that pest management professionals can treat for bird mites.More from Newsday.

Several types of mites are associated with cases of skin dermatitis in humans. The tropical rat
mite, Ornithonyssus bacoti, is one of the most commonly encountered species. The tropical fowl mite,
Ornithonyssus bursa, and northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum, both associated with domestic
or wild birds, can also be found in homes. The tropical rat mite is a parasite of rats and inhabit the area
in and around the rat’s nesting area. Although none of these species are truly parasitic on humans or
pets, they will readily bite humans. Some people are unaffected by the bites while others will
experience itching and dermatitis. The bite is normally pimple sized that itches for up to a week or so.
The bite mark may last as long as three weeks. The bites can be randomly found on the body but often
are found under areas where clothes constrict the body or areas such as under armpits and breasts.
Scratching may lead to secondary bacterial infections. Fortunately rat mites do not vector disease.
Rat mites are very small, approximately the size of a period.

The sheet includes photos of spiny rat mites and tropical rat mites, and of bites on a woman from a tropical rat mite. (Though these are in black and white, they are nevertheless helpful.)

You can click here to download a PDF and read the rest.

Oregon State provides an overview in “Mites that Bite” to various biting (and other) mites and ticks here (click to load PDF).

Texas A&M Cooperative Extension notes that the most important thing to do when faced with biting mites is to seek possible bird or rodent sources. Identifying the mite that’s biting you is crucial.

Identification and detection are not simple, since mites are so small.  You really need a professional to detect, identify and get rid of mites found in the home.

CORVALLIS, Ore., Jan. 3 (UPI) — A U.S. zoologist says dinosaurs may have been killed off by tiny, biting, disease-carrying insects.

If true, it represents one of many causes, not the sole reason for extinction.

The concept is outlined in the new book What bugged the dinosaurs? Insects, Disease and Death in the Cretaceous by George and Roberta Poinar.

“We don’t suggest that the appearance of biting insects and the spread of disease are the only things that relate to dinosaur extinction,” Poinar said. “Other geologic and catastrophic events certainly played a role. But by themselves, such events do not explain a process that in reality took a very, very long time, perhaps millions of years. Insects and diseases do provide that explanation.”

You can click here to read the rest of the story from United Press International.