Annoying Pirate Bugs Are In Rockford

Did you know about these little nuisances? I mean, mosquitos suck but aren't they a "get-and-go" kind of bug? These guys, though, they just don't let up. Maybe I've never noticed this little pain-in-the-whatever or maybe I've blamed all insect bites on mosquitos. Either way, it might actually be a good thing having them around.

Their scientific name is Orius, a.k.a. insidious flower bug. They are as ugly as Orius sounds. You would likely notice these little buggers on the warmest days of fall, similar to what you experienced last Saturday afternoon in Rockford. They definitely were not following social distance protocol during an event I was at this week outside of CherryVale Mall. They appeared as though they were gnats but brought a bite. Upon closer review, via my phone's camera, they look like this.

I knew they were not simply just gnats so I did some deeply scientific research. In actuality, I snapped an image of this tiny pest savagely biting my arm and googled "little black bugs that bite." After scrolling through the results, here's what I found about the "Orius."

• It's actually not a bite but it's their beak jamming into your skin that you feel.
• They're not poisonous.
• They aren't around any particular season for any particular reason. (2020, anyone?)
• They prefer feasting on other small insects and their eggs.

So, though they may be annoying, they serve a purpose, according to Iowa State University.

They provide a valuable pest control service by helping to limit the number of pests in fields, gardens, and woodlands.

Just a note, there's no research on why they chose CherryVale Mall's parking lot as a place to attack.

JB Love is ½ of  Q98.5's Lil Zim & JB In The Morning, weekday mornings from 5:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.