You may not have seen this little red bug, actually mite, but most of us have at one time or another certainly felt it. You probably know the creature I'm referring to--chigger, also called jigger, harvest mite, plus other names.
The chigger is the larval stage of a parasite mite, and is only about 1/150th inch in diameter--less than the size of a pinhead. Chiggers hatch from eggs laid by the red, velvety adult mites. They crawl about vegetation, waiting to grab onto a potential meal, be it human or some other animal. They tend to be most prevalent in damp areas with low-growing shrubs, tall grass, weeds, etc.
Distribution of chiggers in any area varies. You may find them in one spot, while nearby in spots of apparently the same suitable habitat, you'll find none. People may be attacked heavily while sitting in a chigger concentration area while the lucky folks sitting only a few yards away get no bites at all!
There are several species of chiggers, and the one we encounter in our area produces two to three generations in summer. This means that the chigger threat exists from May until the first killing frost.
Once on a person, chiggers crawl upward, going under or through clothing until they find an area where clothing fits tightly against the skin, such as around the tops of shoes, tops of socks, back of knees, the crotch, tight-fitting underwear, the waistband, armpits and around a bra. They start their feeding process by piercing the skin with their mouthparts and injecting saliva, which acts as a digestive enzyme. It dissolves the tissue of the host, which is then sucked up by the chigger. In a few hours, the tissue around the feeding area solidifies into a hardened tube. The chigger then sits with its mouthparts attached to the tube and sucks up your liquified tissue like a person drinking a milkshake through a straw.
Feeding can continue for three or four days if undisturbed. However, because the itching usually starts in a few hours, chiggers attacking humans usually don't get to feed until saturated without being scratched away. No, chiggers do not burrow into the skin, but the irritated skin tends to swell up around bites.
The best defense against chigger bites is to avoid or repel them. Avoid wearing shorts, sleeveless shirts, and sandals when going into areas that might be chigger-infested. Most of us, for the sake of comfort, will ignore this warning. But if going into an area chiggers are likely to infest, your best defense against getting "chewed
up" by chiggers is to wear clothing that is tightly woven. Tuck pants legs inside boots, and use buttoned cuffs and collars to keep the chiggers on the outside of the clothing for the longest possible exposure to repellent you may put there. Remove clothing as soon as possible after exposure to chiggers and launder before rewearing. A warm shower with vigorous skin massage taken within an hour or two after exposure greatly reduces the number of irritating bites. If itching has already started, it is too late for bathing to do much good.The best defenses against chigger bites are the various repellents readily available at drugstores, garden centers and sporting goods stores and applied according to directions. Many people going into chigger-infested areas dust sulfur powder
around their shoes and clothing, and if you don't mind the smell, it is helpful.Chigger control by spraying infested vegetation has only limited value. If you have
a chigger problem around the perimeter of a lawn, you can spray, dust or apply a granular material beyond mowed areas of the lawn in a band about 20 feet wide, with a product labeled for chigger control, but this will give only temporary control because of weather conditions, such as rain.Your best bet is avoidance of chigger-infested areas or to use repellents if going
into an area where there probably are chiggers. If you have ever experienced the itchy-scratchy bite of these almost invisible red mites, you will probably not have to be told to take the necessary precautions because chigger bites can make a person very miserable for a few days.