Feel what you thought was a bug bite recently only to look down and see nothing that appeared to have bitten you? You weren't imagining things. You probably were hit by a minute pirate bug.

These nasty little bugs are only about a half-centimeter in length, or a fifth of an inch, according to Better Homes and Gardens. Jonathan Larson, an entomologist from Nebraska Extension, told the Omaha World-Herald that minute pirate bugs don't inject anything when they bite us and don't even take a sip of our blood. They're just trying to figure out if we're edible. Obviously, for them, we're not. I know, that's little consolation.

After getting bitten by a minute pirate bug, some people's bodies will react as they do to a mosquito bite, others will have the location of the bite turn red, and some people have no reaction at all. If you experience a reaction, Larson says a cortisone cream should do the trick.

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Why don't we notice minute pirate bugs before fall? They're usually out in Iowa fields and the woods, feasting on a variety of insects. They can be very beneficial in vegetable gardens, as well.

Minute pirate bugs seem to thrive on sunny, warm days and are attracted to light colors. Most of the next seven days look sunny and warm, so, like us, minute pirate bugs will likely be enjoying them. Argh.

Goosebumps and other bodily reactions, explained

 

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