Insect Update: Bug of the Year

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• Entomologist Names Wisconsin 'Bug Of The Year'

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  No two years are the same, and while insects are always around, some stand out as particularly interesting or surprising.

  Phil Pellitteri, an entomologist and head of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab, said that when he assessed this year, he realized that while he exceeded the previous year in number of specimens submitted to the lab, 2013 “didn’t seem that buggy.”

  So, in deciding on his “Bug of the Year,” Pellitteri said the title wasn’t likely going to be given due to sheer numbers present in Wisconsin. Instead, Pellitteri decided to bestow the honor on a species that is a new arrival to the state, and the Bug of the Year is the Lone Star Tick.

  Pellitteri said that his colleagues are giving him some grief because a tick isn’t technically a bug. But for the general population, it’s not an important distinction.

  Pellitteri said there are two interesting aspects to the Lone Star Tick. Historically, it’s a tick that is usually found in central Missouri and southern Illinois. Occasionally Pellitteri said he would see an isolated specimen here, but he assumed it had “(hitchhiked) up on a bird.”

  But Pellitteri said that there is now strong evidence that the Lone Star Tick is breeding in Wisconsin. This is due to the decrease in very cold temperatures in the state, which allows less hardy species to survive the winters. The Lone Star Tick, he said, “is another classic example of that.”

  Another fascinating aspect of the Lone Star Tick is that there is evidence that some people develop a meat allergy after being bitten.

  “Apparently, the antibodies that are produced in reaction to the tick bite react to red meat,” he said.

  Tick-borne illness is a concern with the Lone Star Tick, as it is with other tick species. Pellitteri said that the confirmation that there’s another tick species breeding in Wisconsin is a good opportunity for education.

  Since people are seeing more tick species carrying more and different diseases, Pellitteri cautioned that it’s not going to change for the better. “If you’re an outdoor person, you have to take precautions,” he said.