Wood borers, in addition to causing damage to wood structures, can be bearers of parasites that are harmful to humans: wood borer mites and the Sclerodermus Domesticus.
WOOD BORER MITES (Pyemotes Ventricosus)
- it is a mite: it belongs to the arachnid family
- it is invisible to the naked eye (0,2 mm)
- it is a parasite of the wood borers present in furniture
- to fight it, it is necessary to eliminate the wood borers
- contact with the mite happens through, fabric, bed sheets, clothing
- adult mites emerge from the gravid female
- only the females are able to bite humans
- they do not have eggs, larvae or nymphs
- the same mite bites repeatedly
- they are attracted by the carbon dioxide emitted by the human body
- usually the bite is not noticeable
- the lesions affect the areas around the pelvis, torso, extremities of the limbs, neck and even the face
- the apex of the dermatitis is during the warmer months (end of May > end of September)
- Medical help is required for the treatment of the dermatitis
SCLERODERMUS DOMESTICUS (Hymenoptera Bethylidae)
- it is a micro-hymenoptera similar to a small ant
- it is about 3-4 mm long
- to reach its maximum development it feeds on the larvae of the wood borers
- usually its presence is associated with that of anobid wood borers
- it infests all the types of wood affected by wood borers
- deposits of rotting wood are hotbeds for this species
- to fight these microorganisms it is necessary to eliminate the wood borers
- contact happens through, fabric, bed sheets and clothing
- usually the bite is noticeable
- it injects venom that triggers dermatitis
- just one micro-hymenoptera is able to cause even 40 lesions
- the lesions are spread between the areas around the pelvis and the torso
- the apex of the dermatitis is during the warmer months (end of May > beginning of July)
- Medical help is required for the treatment of the dermatitis