Aaaargh! Minute Pirate bugs

For the last two weeks, every time I go outside, dozens of the these tiny black bugs start biting the hell out of me. They are incredibly tiny (1-2mm) but they pack a huge walloping bite. Surprisingly, the bite doesn't swell afterwards. Also, the bug never flies away after biting, so they usually get smashed and don't really benefit from biting me.

(Photo by Alex Wild 2004)

As an amateur entomologist with good vision, I can clearly see that they are hemipteran. However, it has taken me the better part of an evening to figure out what they are: Minute Pirate bugs. They don't appear in indexes of biting insects because they feed on plants. However, this year they are just so desperate for food that they will apparently bite anything.
So beware of pirates!


(Photo by UMN Entomology)

Flea boy

I think that I may have won some sort of a bad parent prize. Joseph's kindergarten class is studying insects this week and I sent him to school with a live flea in a ziplock snack bag. I don't know--I was petting the dog as I was getting Joseph ready for school and one thing led to another.