USA TODAY The Washington, D.C. region is no longer a primary home to cicadas, but now it's been introduced to a new insect that is just as annoying. But these don’t rattle and shriek. They bite. Residents across the region have noticed unfamiliar bites that cause painful itching and welts, causing concern. The oak leaf itch mites, known as Pyemotes, which are causing the bites, typically feed off larvae on oak leaves, according to research from Kansas State University. Now experts believe they are feeding off cicada eggs, resulting in their strong presence in Arlington County. Gene Kritsky, the dean of behavioral and natural sciences at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, told The Washington Post the mites are feeding on the cicada eggs that were laid across D.C. during the surge of Brood X cicadas this summer.