Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine

Curtis Young reported making the ultimate sacrifice in personal comfort in the pursuit of a BYGL-scoop. While photo-documenting a discovery of the thistle tortoise beetle (see item 3B above), Curtis became table fare for a horde of hungry chiggers! He bemoaned it was the worst chigger coup de main he has ever suffered his entire life. Sales of Calamine lotion spiked in the Lima area.

Chiggers are mites; however, they have an unusual life cycle. The life stage of the chigger that bites humans and animals is the six-legged "larval" stage that hatches from eggs. All the other life stages (nymphs and adults) have eight legs. Both the nymphs and adults feed on insects.

Contrary to popular belief, chiggers do not burrow into the skin. Instead, they stay on the surface of the skin and crawl to the base of a hair follicle to feed. Once settled, the larva injects the skin with digestive fluids using its piercing, sucking mouthparts (capitulum), and then they ingest the resulting "cell puree". Some people are highly sensitive to the chigger's feeding activity, and their skin will swell and surround the larva. This often kills the chigger, and the dead larva found within the swollen skin gives rise to the misconception that chiggers burrow into the skin.

Chiggers are usually associated with spring and early summer; however, they can undergo three generations per year in warm climates. To avoid being the victim of chiggers, avoid walking through brushy areas or wear long white pants with the socks pulled over the pant legs. Insect repellents such as DEET can help to ward off chiggers. It takes several hours for the chiggers to settle, so bathing immediately after hiking in weedy areas can significantly reduce the number of bites. Calamine lotion and similar products will help to reduce itching and the risk for subsequent skin infections.

For more information, see:

• University of Kentucky Entomology Fact Sheet
• University of Missouri Extension Fact Sheet