We've all heard of meteor showers and thunder showers. Now here's something completely different: mite showers. Entomologists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln say they plan to issue "mite shower" warnings this summer when thousands of itch mites fall out of oak trees and  become airborne.

It's no joke. Last summer and fall, itch mites bit hundreds of people in Lincoln and other cities and towns in Southeast Nebraska, causing itchy red welts and hard, raised pimples on their  arms, necks, chests and backs.

At first, entomologists and health officials were baffled at what was causing the mysterious bites. They soon found the culprit: Pyemotes herfsi, an arthropod commonly called an itch mite.

"We had billions of these things blowing on the wind," said David Keith, an urban integrated pest management specialist at UNL.

People near oak trees were bitten the worst but others were apparently being bitten in bed. Entomologists theorized that the wind easily carried the microscopic mites through mesh screens.

Keith said there are early signs the itch mite that plagued eastern Nebraska last year might be back.

"We have not seen the mites, yet, but what we have seen is their host in pretty high numbers," he added.

 The host of a mite is a larvae that  is found on galls or bumps on the edges of oak leaves, especially pin oaks. The larvae come from eggs laid by a tiny fly called a gall midge. The mites feed on the larvae inside the galls and then emerge in massive numbers. For lack of a better term, Keith dubbed this emergence a "mite shower."

So far, UNL's entomology department has received two unconfirmed bite reports, one from a Lincoln woman removing dead leaves from her flower beds with her bare hands, Keith said.

"We are watching the galls as they form and will continue to monitor the establishment and build up of the itch mites as they attack the midge larvae feeding inside them," Keith said.

UNL entomologist James Kalisch has already collected thousands of emerging gall midges from two sites in Lincoln. The midges were laying eggs on newly-formed pin oak leaves, and small galls were forming. The entomologists also have found a few female itch mites that overwintered in old galls.

"The females were alive and mature and each was capable of producing up to 250 young male and female mites," Keith said. "Mites also may be scattered in other places as well, such as in the grooves of tree bark, inside tree holes, beneath buds and other places — we really don't know."

This year, Keith and his colleagues plan to alert local Cooperative Extension offices before the "mite showers" occur, so people can take precautions. The information also will be broadcast on the gardening information show "Backyard Farmer" on NET1.

"Right now, though, we don't want people to get excited," Keith said. "We do not recommend tree removal, spraying of oak trees to prevent midge galls nor do we recommend spraying lawns for mites."

Lancaster County Extension educator Barb Ogg said they've already had calls from people wanting help to prevent a mite problem in their yards this year. Ogg doesn't recommend spraying insecticides or cutting down trees either.

"We do not know enough about the mites to know if they (insecticides) are going to be effective," Ogg said. "Besides they are expensive."

 Ogg said it's too early to tell if the mite problem will be widespread or just in certain areas. She said all we can do is "wait and see."

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.

What to do about itch mites

* For now, go ahead and go outdoors. However, if there are pin oak trees lining your street, or if your area was affected last fall, keep an eye out for developing galls or bumps on the leaf edges of pin oaks and red and black oaks.

* Wear a DEET insect repellent when working outdoors under pin oak trees, especially when mites are active.

* During "mite showers" do not handle grass clippings or leaves with bare hands and plan to bathe immediately after mowing near pin oak trees. Do not wear yesterday's clothing without laundering.

* Treat mite and other insect bites with calamine lotion, an antihistamine cream, or a hydrocortisone cream. Wash the site often with soap and use an appropriate antiseptic and antibiotic ointment to keep the wound clean and to promote healing. Don't scratch.