(article) the north american chigger

8/13/2019 (ARTICLE) the North American Chigger

1/3

The North American Chigger

Keith A. Williams

Bootlegger

If you have ever spent much time in the outside in the Southern United States, then chances are

good that you have had at least one encounter ith the !higger. "here is pro#a#ly not a lot of

ne information that I can give to my fello anderers of ild places, #ut perhaps this may #e of

some interest to anyone ne to the $reat %utdoors, and yet to e&perience this often unseen and

misrepresented little creature.

"echnically 'no as !higgers, (#ut more often referred to in the South as )ed Bugs* these

#othersome little pests have sometimes #een the only donside to thoughts of outdoor activities

for people of all al's of life for centuries. "hough one might have only e&perienced one cross

encounter ith them, it is hard to imagine another animal that can cause so much discomfort for

its si+e, and the e&perience can #e monumentous enough that they may very ell shy aay from

any activity that may hold potential for a reunion.

espite the name, they are not actually true #ugs at all, #ut rather are a specific family of mites

called "rom#iculidae, hich are a type of arachnid, li'e spiders and tic's. !higgers range from

dar' yello to #right red in color, and are covered in tiny hairs #ut since they are only a#out -/ th

the si+e of a period at the end of a typed sentence, they are difficult to see ith the na'ed eye, and

it is pretty much impossi#le to ma'e out any details ithout a magnifying glass.

"he life cycle of these mites start off as eggs, and proceed to larva, nymph, and adult.

0emales #ecome active in the spring hen the soil temperatures are a#ove si&ty degrees0arenheight, and may lay as many as fifteen eggs each day. "he length of incu#ation can vary on

the environment, #ut eggs generally hatch a#out a ee' later and sho the emergence of a pre1

larval stage that is only e2uipped ith three pairs of legs, ith another si& days #efore these to

gro into larval stage. 3i'e many mites, this is the only stage in their lives at hich they are

parasitic and they ill clim# onto near#y grass, tigs, and other vegetation to #egin their search

for a host. "hey are 2uite sensitive to movement and are 2uic' to pic' up any necomer to their

area. After feeding, hich can re2uire several days, larvae drop off the host and transform into

eight1legged nymphs and live in the soil. At this stage, they soon mature into full adulthood they

primarily feed on vegetation, as ell as the eggs of mos2uitoes and other small insects.

!higgers don4t really #ite, #ut rather attach #y inserting their minute speciali+ed mouth parts

called cheliceraeinto s'in depressions, usually around s'in pores or hair follicles. 5opular areas

of attachment include the crotch, armpit, #elt line, an'les, and other similar areas that have not

#een toughened #y prolonged e&posure to the elements. Within a group of people in the same

area, omen and children tend to receive a higher percentage of affected areas, due to their softer

s'in. %nce attached, the chigger in6ects saliva into its victim. "his saliva contains a poerful

digestive en+yme that literally dissolves the s'in cells it contacts. It is this li2uefied tissue that


2/3

provides nourishment for the chigger, as it suc's it #ac' in for digestion. Since the actual

attachment does not cause any irritation, the chigger can feed in this manner, unnoticed and

undistur#ed for several hours #efore #eing detected. 7ventually hoever, the s'in reacts

adversely to the saliva and the s'in surrounding it ill harden to form hat is essentially a tu#e

called a stylostomehich actually assists the chigger in further feeding. "his tu#e is rigid and its

presence causes the surrounding s'in to get inflamed, and it is this hich causes the itching thate are so familiar ith. If left undistur#ed, a chigger can ta'e several days to finish feeding. A

chigger1 #eing so small, cannot differentiate one arm #ody from another, though ideally, their

preferred hosts are reptiles, li+ards, turtles, #irds, and other mammals. It is unfortunate for any

chigger hich pic's a human to feed on #ecause e are not actually their intended prey, as

human s'in reacts #adly to their saliva. "he itching that results from this inflammation fre2uently

results in them #eing dislodged #efore they can complete their meal. Any chigger that gets

dislodged prematurely ill unintentionally have its mouthparts damaged and ill #e una#le to

#ite another host and ill die #efore completing its life cycle. "he longer a chigger remains

attached to the s'in, the more pronounced the stylostome ill #e, and the orse the irritation ill

#e from its presence. 7ven after removal1 once the inflammation manifests itself, this irritation

ill li'ely persist for a minimum of several days.

It is interesting to note that there are other types of chiggers inha#iting Asia and other parts of

the orld that specifically target humans and therefore have saliva that doesn4t affect our #odies

in this manner.

!higgers tend to congregate in spots that are suita#le to them, ith other near#y areas #eing

completely devoid of them altogether. "hey have long legs hich ena#le them to contact and

move all over the host4s #ody very rapidly. Although they are small enough to fit #eteen most

clothing fi#ers, they tend to stay on the surface of clothing until moving to the s'in at natural

openings. ue to their small si+e, several hundred may occupy a relatively small location, and soit is not unusual to have many of them sarm onto the host in a small timeframe. !higgers are

most active in the hours after dan and #efore dus' hen the temperatures are in their preferred

range, and may #e more prevalent during periods of higher humidity. When faced ith long dry

spells, forest fires, or other ha+ardous conditions, they simply #urro into the soil and ait for

conditions to improve.

!higgers prefer shady, moist areas ith taller vegetation to live in. "herefore the most

effective method to 'eep their populations lo in a given area is to 'eep the eeds, under#rush,

and overhanging lim#s closely trimmed. "his ill allo more sunlight and ind currents to flo

through the area hich leads to drier conditions. 0or areas around your house, dusting the

grounds ith podered sulphur is very effective. It is commonly availa#le at garden centers andis a time1proven !higger deterrent. It is possi#le to dust your clothes ith sulphur as ell,

providing you ere are not allergic to it, #ut sulphur has a pungent smell that could #e offensive

to anyone near#y. When traveling through areas of potentially high inha#itation, tuc' your pant

legs inside #oots or soc's and #uttoning shirt collars and cuffs as much as possi#le. Standard

mos2uito repellents ill repel chiggers #ut are only effective for a couple of hours ithout re1

application and are less effective hen mi&ed ith perspiration. 5eriodic ru##ing of the s'in and

clothing ith a cloth is enough to 'ill many chiggers as their delicate #odies do not stand up ell


3/3

to any rough treatment at all, #ut removal and ashing of contaminated clothing a good #ath ith

arm, soapy ater is the most effective treatment for post1chigger e&posure. Although the same

cannot #e said for some other countries, e are fortunate in the United States, #ecause our

chiggers are not 'non to carry any diseases, and are only a nuisance instead of #eing a health

ris'. "he #est cure for the inflammation is time itself, as the chigger is long gone and scratching

the site ill do nothing at all for the affected area. Scratching ill only cause further irritationand may ris' a secondary infection #y #acteria under the fingernails.

!onclusion8 9999

(article) the north american chigger

Documents