What’s Biting You On The New Jersey Shore?

The summertime is supposed to be a time of picnics, camping, swimming, playing outdoors, enjoying sporting events, and other outdoor fun.  Unfortunately for many Monmouth and Ocean County, New Jersey residents, one step outside, and blood seeking biting insects make a B-line straight for any uncovered human flesh.  These pests are annoying at best; some can even cause serious illnesses in humans!

When going to the beach, the sand flea can be a troublesome pest to deal with.  They don’t infest human homes as they prefer to hang out at the water’s edge.  Sand fleas are most active at dusk and dawn and have no problem munching on human ankles because they are closer to the ground.  The sand flea goes by many names…no-see-ums, biting midges, sand fly, punkies, and hop-a-longs.  They are common in wet areas like beaches, creeks, and wetlands.  They are not insects and instead are tiny shrimp like crustaceans that are about the size of a grain of rice.  Like other blood suckers, the females are the ones you need to fear as they will suck your blood without hesitation.  No-see-ums are about 1/3 of the size of a mosquito and its bite is known to be far more intense.

Although not known to cause infections in humans, the bite of a sand flea, or whatever you want to call it, will cause intense itchy red welts for about a week.  You will typically find no-see-um bites in big irritating bunches that are slow to deflate.  If you are unlucky enough to travel through a swarm of them in the dark, no skin is off limits to these blood suckers.  Like other blood sucking pests, everyone reacts differently to their bites.

Contact Allison Pest Control today to keep all of your troublesome pests away from your New Jersey home or business!