Ticks, Mites, and Other P.A. Pests

Pennsylvania is home to some incredible fluttering, flying, and wiggly creatures. There are a total of 146 different butterfly species that have been reported here! Not to mention, our very own state insect is the wondrous firefly, more commonly known by children (and lots of adults too!) as a lightning bug or glow worm. 

But, unfortunately, PA is home to many other creepy-crawly pests that aren’t so nice, both to humans and the environment. So, whether you spend a lot of your time in the midst of forests and fields, or prefer more pedestrian walks through the park, there are certainly bugs to look out for and ways to protect your pets, yourself, and your planet!

1.Ticks, Ticks, and More Ticks

Tick season will be ramping up again soon and by Halloween time, these will be vampires you won’t want to mess with. Ticks are 8-legged bloodsuckers found…well, pretty much anywhere. If you’re in a place with long grass or weeds, there’s bound to be a tick. It isn’t the bites so much that are bad, it’s the nasty diseases the ticks carry that can easily be transmitted to you or a pet. Everyone knows of the most common one: Lyme disease. And in fact, unfortunately, Pennsylvania has had the highest incidence of Lyme disease in the country in 11 of the past 12 years. Think that’s bad? There are about 6 or 7 other diseases and viruses that can come from a single tick attack. In that case, it’s good to know how to protect yourself.

There are things you can do before, during, and after your time spent in nature to prevent and protect yourself from tick attacks. 

Before: Cover your arms (including those wrists) and your legs (including those ankles) and hose yourself down with an EPA-registered repellant, like DEET. 

During: Even if you’re an off-the-beaten-path type of outdoors-person, avoid steering off the trail and/or walking through unkempt grass or weed areas.

After: Check your clothes, check your friend’s clothes, and check your pet’s clothes (aka their fur) for any little buggers that may have stuck around. A quick shower could also be helpful in possibly clearing off any unattached ticks. 

2. Spotted Lanternfly

Over the past few years, this insect has become one of PA’s biggest enemies (even more so than the Kansas City Chiefs were this past February)! Out of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, a whopping 51 are in a quarantine zone for spotted lanternflies, meaning they are actively and intensely avoiding the spread of them. The PA Department of Agriculture even has an interactive map to show which areas are in the quarantine zone. 

They’re everywhere! And while they may just be an annoyance to humans in our everyday life, they’re a huge threat to our trees and agriculture. Spotted lanternflies cause damage including: oozing sap, wilting, and dieback in trees, vines, crops, and many other types of plants. They damage plants further when they feed, excreting a substance called honeydew that encourages the spread of black mold. 

What should you do about the problem? Sources say: smush ‘em! That, of course, seems harsh, but their combined overpopulation with plant/tree/land damage has pretty harrowing consequences. Don’t have the heart for it? Insect sprays are a less direct, but helpful way to deal with the problem. 

3.Chiggers

Also known formally as harvest mites, chiggers are similar in their vampiric ways to ticks, except where ticks feast on blood, mites feast on skin.  What’s worse? They’re even smaller than ticks and often cannot be seen without use of a microscope or magnifying glass, making them harder to avoid. Their bites can leave you with itchiness and swollen bumps for over a week — and more rarely, they could possibly cause rashes or fevers. And beware! They’re out to get your dog too!

How could you possibly avoid something you can’t even see? Well, similarly to ticks, covering up when heading into the yard or local park is a good start. Wear some tall boots and three, four, five pairs of socks. Heck, maybe even 10 socks! Whatever helps your ankles sleep peacefully at night. Despite them attaching to areas of the skin that are delicate and sensitive, you most likely won’t feel the bites. So, once the damage has been done, you’ve got to buck up, take a Benadryl, and slap on some calamine lotion. 

Warmer months are often the peak season for a lot of insects that can cause harm to show up and coincidentally, these months are also the season we spend the most time outside, so it’s important to know which critters to watch out for and how to protect yourself. You wouldn’t want to spoil a day in the park having a stand-off with a tick and the only bites you should be getting this month are from whatever’s in your picnic basket! 

If you’re looking to get a full list of detrimental insects in the state, The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has an entire list of invasive species to be on the lookout for. 

One last thing: Despite some of the many invasive little buggers known to our state, Pennsylvania is lucky to have the lightning bug as our insect. Glowing, gorgeous, and a beautiful harbinger of summer, but rarer than ever, the firefly population is unfortunately in decline. There are ways to curate a perfect habitat though, to attract them to your area. Patch shows you how to help keep the night skies alive with a firefly glow. 

Let us know what bugs you. Follow our social media and add #goodforpa or #paparklove to your park and rec related posts.