Oak and plane tree lace bugs, nearly transparent insects measuring 3 to 4 millimeters, are increasingly biting people. They are believed to have been introduced to Croatia via truck transport from Turkey, and there is still no effective solution to control them.
Oak and plane tree lace bugs, nearly transparent insects that are naturally herbivores, have spread across Croatia in recent years. Although their primary food source is plants, they are increasingly biting humans, and experts currently have no explanation for this behavior.
According to data reported by Dnevnik.hr, the plane tree lace bug first arrived from the US and was recorded in Italy as early as the 1970s. The oak lace bug appeared around 2000. The Ministry of Agriculture states that the bugs were first registered in Croatia in 2013 in the Spačva basin.
"It is believed that they were introduced to Croatia via truck transport from Turkey before 2013. Since their first recording, the oak lace bug has spread to the entire area of Croatia where oak trees grow, primarily pedunculate oak, from east to west," the Ministry reported.
Professor Boris Hrašovec from the Faculty of Forestry told Dnevnik.hr that it is unknown why the bugs attack humans. "The first medical data related to these bugs appear in Italy, where several cases of rashes from their bites have been recorded. Here, there is currently no medical documentation of attacks by oak and plane tree lace bugs," he said.
Milivoj Franjević, also from the Zagreb Faculty of Forestry, warned of possible consequences for more sensitive individuals. "People with a more sensitive immune system status could experience secondary effects, such as swelling and skin redness," he stated for Dnevnik.hr.
The Croatian Natural History Museum notes that the plane tree lace bug is common in Zagreb's parks and that plane trees are under severe attack. During the summer months, due to the intensity of the attacks, plane trees have lost their decorative role as urban greenery, and their leaves prematurely turn yellow, dry out, and fall off.
The bugs appear as early as May and only disappear after rainfall, within three to four days. Citizens complain that they stick to their skin, hair, and clothing, and sometimes bite them.
Although these bugs have numerous natural enemies in our region, such as ladybugs, spiders, and some predatory bug species, they cannot cope with the scale of the spread or significantly reduce their population. An effective and systematic solution for control does not currently exist.
As temperatures drop during September and October, their population decreases, which is positive news.
