Sammy, I'm not an expert on them, but I do know that everything I've read about them only indicates that their population decreases in the winter time, not that it completely goes away. They are known to overwinter in leaves and oak galls and possibly under bark or even in soil. Since they first were confirmed in the US only a dozen years ago, and only in a handful of states, it seems like there has not necessarily been tons of research done on them yet. You also might see similar bites and skin reactions from the closely related straw itch mite, especially if your dogs wander off into tall grass where those mites might be overwintering, or if there is straw or hay around you anywhere.

I'm not all that surprised that you may have some itch mites active there---we still have mosquitoes here on warm days, so it appears the cold nights haven't been cold enough to get all of them. Also, in several places from OKC southward, snakes have been found/seen out and about even in December 2015 and January 2016. It is a weird winter for sure. Usually I don't have to worry about snakes in winter, but this is not the typical winter, I guess.

We have had lots of bees and wasps out on any sunny day the high temperature makes it into the 40s. While I often see bees out on sunny winter days feeding on the cracked corn I put out for the doves, it is unusual to see the wasps out at temperatures this cool. I don't quite know what to make of it, but it seems like a warmer than usual autumn and early winter has left us with sightings of a lot more insects than we usually see during their overwintering period.

Dawn

Thanks, Dawn. I first noticed these spots a few weeks ago, but I am sensitive to bites, and am not surprised that they have lasted longer than I want.

Sammy

Sammy, You're welcome. I am afraid you're stuck with them, but I'm hoping we'll learn there is some sort of beneficial insect that feeds on them. Everything I've seen indicates there's nothing anyone can do to kill them oak itch mites and that certainly is discouraging. Ordinary pesticides cannot reach them when they are inside the oak galls.

I once read something where someone described them as "chiggers from the air", and I think that is pretty accurate. I hate chiggers and the misery they cause, so I surely do empathize with you and the way your body reacts to these things because chiggers have that effect on me, and when you live in the country, there's always chiggers around someplace.

Dawn

Since mites are not insects, they are not touched by insecticides. They just climb past the insecticides to do their damage. Chiggers bother me a lot too. I have heard that if you rub your body with a terry cloth towel where you think the chiggers are, the towel will get rid of them. That probably works, but you cannot rub down three golden retrievers with towels. The mites can easily jump on us from the dogs. At least that is my opinion.

Sammy

There is a spot in my yard where chiggars are bad. Chiggers (I don't know about Oak mites) don't jump, they crawl. They are slow moving, which is why the towel thing works, you squish them before they bite. They cannot climb through oil, so if you rub your legs with oil before going out you may prevent them. This worked for me, though it was even better to move the herbs away from the dang things. You might try using baby wipes to wipe off the dogs when they come in. I know, I have dogs, too, and 3 retrievers would be a chore. Otherwise, it's benedril, witch hazel and anbesol if the itch is driving you crazy.

The itch mites could survive on the dogs, probably, at least for a few days. I think they can produce one generation in about a week, but without their preferred food (the oak midge), I'm not sure if they could keep going indefinitely on a host dog. The dogs might pick them up while walking, though, and the mites might then find their way to you.

I generally can avoid chiggers at home. We mow and keep the grass down short anywhere we're likely to walk during chigger season. Sometimes that is harder in wet years when it stays too wet to mow, but I know better than to walk through the tall grass in wet years, having learned the hard way, long, long ago.

The trouble zone for me is at fires. Often, we're just out in fields or just in a residential yard where the non-burning portion of the grass can be higher if not mowed recently and chigger-infested. If you're out there a long time, you've got chiggers climbing on your for hours before you finally make it home.

There's been a couple of times, I've ended up with chiggers after harvesting corn. I've never figured out if the chiggers were on the corn plants, of if maybe they were living in grass clipping mulch I was walking on while harvesting corn. I haven't had a bad chigger year in a few years now, but Tim and Chris sat down on the ground and ate lunch at Chris' home-building site last year or the summer before and had chiggers and chigger bites all over. I don't know what they were thinking, but they paid the price for that decision to eat an impromptu meal on the ground.

Sammy, the common mites I know of are the demodex mites. There are some harboring you right now - the human variety. Then, there are the dog demodex mites. These and others don't usually cross.

With the wet climate we've been in, I've had problems from every area. Thus, I'm not surprised to see the concern from you and others.

i did bunches of research. The number one and best defense against mites is our own immune system with constantly fights these off.

That being said, many are susceptible to common pesticides found in dog shampoos like permethrin. Spinosad is a very good alternative. Spinosad is proven to not harm mammals. It is very effective and in prior applications was common for treatment of ear mites in Rabbits. After much testing, the FDA has released a new ointment containing a safer miticide. It is only Spinosad in that new $400 tube of miticide.

Look on line and do the research of how much or what percentage of miticide these OTC and prescription products contain. Buy a very generic or milk lotion. Buy the Spinosad and reduce its volume appropriate and equivalent to these OTC and prescription products and mix them with a lotion. Combine. Apply.

I don't recommend tincturing a concoction with permethrin or other known toxic chemicals unless you are well versed in the methods. However, Spinosad - unless you are allergic - is relative safe to handle and apply.

I really love Spinosad. It has a long shelf life if kept in the dark and at room temperatures. It's concentrated liquid form usually comes in a heavy plastic bottle. I buy it from Atwoods. This year I contacted the manager and begged him to put it on the shelves this year. It has so many applications I choose not to live without it.

bon

Glad to hear it, Sammy. I had bunches of problems earlier this year. I was freaking out thinking I had those human mites, scabies. I was sick with dread! I still don't know what I had, except that it was a non-human mite who tried to make me a host. The itching continued for a long time, but they were no longer present. My immune system had kicked in. I think that's what delineates between hosts for mites.

I read a lot about who horrible bird mites can be. I'm glad to know because I have a nest in the soffit that needs to be removed.