Insect bites are a real problem for me. A tick bite can plague me for a week or two. Chiggers are too horrible to even mention. I do my best to stay on the concrete but occasionally I forget and wander into the wilderness. A year ago, while walking on the prairie, I stumbled into a swarm/hive/nest of Oak Mites.

After feeding and reproducing, the mite then exits the leaf in the fall looking to find a protected location to overwinter. It is at this time millions of microscopic mites are blown in the wind, falling or landing on us. That is when they bite, resulting in the itchy rashes that are painful. Mites that don’t land on us spend the winter protected, waiting to emerge the following season to potentially start their reign of terror over.

I had never heard of Oak Mites until the Urgent Care physician identified the bites. There’s really not much you can do but treat the bites with anti-itch creams. And friends, there is no itch like an Oak Mite itch. Okay, maybe Poison Ivy or Poison Oak, but it’s close. And it takes at least three weeks to subside and feel remotely human again.

Three weeks ago — one year almost to the day — I managed to drive the Land Rover through some tall grass and again encounter Oak Mites. Even worse this time. The bites were so concentrated I had bites on top of bites. So thick you could not see the individual bites. Too horrible to share photos.

Because these fuckers are wind blown, there’s apparently no way to completely avoid them. But no more walking in tall grass for this boy.