Question
We have beautiful lilac bushes around our back door and in our back yard here in South Eastern Wyoming (it is windy and dry here). Every end of May and early June we all notice that when we use our back door we find little bites behind our ears and in our hairline. My blonde son has the most bites, all throughout his scalp. It doesn't seem to matter what time of day it is. The bite tends to swell with a yellow-orange pus before scabbing over (if scratched). Do you know what kind of insect is causing this and how we can prevent it? Thank you!

Answer
Sarah,

A couple of possibilities - there are small predatory bugs (true bugs, Hemiptera) that normally prey on small insects and mites but will bite us as well. One common one is called the minute pirate bug. The bites are harmless but annoying. The other possibility is thrips. These tiny plant-feeding insects sometimes bite us as well, again harmlessly (see http://www.livingwithbugs.com/thrips.html for a picture). There's not a lot you can do but as the weather dries out and gets hotter this summer I think you'll see fewer of these critters (they are not harming the lilac, in fact if it is minute pirate bug it is probably helping to reduce pests).

Post a follow up if you have questions.

Jack DeAngelis
http://www.livingwithbugs.com