Don’t Get Bitten: These Tiny, Painful Bugs are in Colorado

Have you ever felt an itchy spot on your skin that looks like a bug bite?  You look around but see no sign of an insect. Did a mosquito get inside? What caused that mysterious bite mark?

It was likely an arthropod. Tiny, sneaky little arthropods live all over Colorado. Their bites can cause skin irritations and dermatitis in some humans. Scroll on to see Colorado's common arthropods you should watch out for.

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What is an Arthropod?

An Arthropod (phylum Arthropoda) is the largest phylum in existence. 84% of all known species of animal are members of this phylum. Some are terrestrial, others are aquatic, and some have adapted for flight. Of the one million different arthropod species, most of them are insects. These insects contain an exoskeleton and jointed feet. Examples are arachnids, crustaceans, insects, and millipedes/centipedes.

What Kinds of Arthropods Are Common in Colorado?

According to Colorado State University, The most common types of Arthropods in Colorado that can bite and leave skin irritations include bed bugs, mites, fleas, chiggers, mosquitos, mites, lice, the yellow-legged sac spider, and masked hunters. Keep going to take a see these tiny critters in the photo gallery below.

Additional Causes of Skin Irritation

Skin irritations or small bumps that seem like a big bite usually are just that. However, several other items can cause similar irritation. These outbreaks are sometimes caused by laundry detergent, soap, medication, cosmetics, printing ink, fire retardant clothing, static electricity, low humidity, and seasonal temperature change.

Scroll on to check out Colorado's tiny biting arthropods so you know what to look out for this summer.