A
chigger is the
larval form of the
harvest mite. They are small (about 1/16 of an inch long), bright
red arachnids (if you
squish them on your clothes, they leave a bright red
stain). In the
spring, adult harvest mites lay
eggs in the
soil and the
larval chiggers
hatch shortly after. The adult harvest mite isn't as
annoying as the larval chigger -- they don't
bite.
Chiggers feed on low
vegetation but rely on
animals (including
humans) for
protein.
Contrary to popular belief and folk-remedy, chiggers don't actually
burrow into your
skin... they head for ankles, behind the knees, the
groin, and areas under tight clothes such as the
elastic bands of
pants,
socks and
underwear. They
attach themselves to the opening of a
hairshaft and
inject saliva under the skin (which has anti-
clotting properties). Most people consider the chigger
embedded, but the skin actually
swells around the chigger. The bright red bugs are well hidden by red
irritated skin which swells up around them. The
saliva they inject causes
itching (sometimes
severe and sometimes lasting for weeks), though usually by the time it starts to itch, the chigger has
detatched itself from the
body. They aren't big, and they don't suck
blood for long before jumping ship, and then
burrowing into the ground to sleep for a while. Then they wake up in
fall to
feed, sleep in the
ground during winter, then they lay
eggs again in
spring.
The best way to
prevent chigger bites is to wear clothes that cover as much of your body as is comfortable when you are going to be in a chigger
infested area.
Insect repellents work, those with
deet are most effective. Be particularly
generous with the repellent around pant cuffs, socks, and waistbands.