While annoying, chigger bites are fairly easy to treat. Better yet, you can take steps to prevent them.
This article describes what chiggers are, how they bite, and the symptoms they cause. It also explains how to treat and prevent chigger bites.
What Are Chiggers?
Chiggers are the larvae (babies) of harvest mites, or Trombiculidae. Closely related to ticks, the mites are arachnids and part of the same family that includes spiders and scorpions.
Chiggers are so small that you’re unlikely to ever see them. And as small as the mites are, their larvae are even tinier. You may not even be aware of them until you feel them bite you.
Interestingly, adults don’t bite; only the larvae do. They usually latch onto clothing and then crawl around until they find a thin, vulnerable patch of skin to feed on.
Chiggers bite in the spring, summer, or fall, when temperatures are between 60 and 99 degrees F. They do not bite at other times.
Humans actually aren’t the first feasting choice of chiggers, since people can easily brush them away. Birds and reptiles are the preferred prey. But chiggers will grab onto any kind of “meal” they can find when they’re hungry.
In North America, chiggers are relatively harmless. In Asia, chiggers can spread scrub typhus, a disease caused by bacteria. People with severe cases can develop organ failure and even die if the disease goes untreated.
How Chiggers Bite
Chiggers’ mouths are similar to those of ticks, but smaller. They are so small, in fact, that they can’t hold on very tight. This is why they’re drawn to thinner skin, like where it folds and around the base of hair follicles. Armpits and groins meet both of these requirements.
Chiggers are also likely to strike at the top of socks and shoes, underneath a bra or waistband, at the back of the knees, in the crotch, and in the armpits. In other words, they know how to seek out vulnerable places.
Contrary to the popular myth, chiggers do not burrow into the skin or suck blood. Instead, they latch onto the surface of the skin and hang on for dear life.
When chiggers bite, they inject saliva into the skin. The saliva contains enzymes that liquefy skin cells. Then the chiggers suck out the liquid.
Chigger Bite Signs and Symptoms
The irritation from a chigger bite leads to itching. The bites are notorious for causing symptoms such as:
Scratching and burning near the ankles, groin, behind the knees, armpits, around the waist (near the belt line)Severe itching that is most intense during the first 24 to 48 hours after a bite and that persists for several daysRed spots that may be raised or flat; they may sometimes look like blisters or red bumps and can last for up to two weeks
Signs of Infection
As with all bug bites, chigger bites can become infected. Scratching increases this risk. It’s important to keep an eye on any bite, no matter how small.
Pus and crust around a bite after 24 hours can indicate impetigo, a highly contagious bacterial skin infection. Meanwhile, areas of redness, pain, swelling, and warmth can point to cellulitis, a potentially serious bacterial skin infection.
Treating Chigger Bites
Your first priority should be getting rid of the chiggers to keep more bites from occurring. Then you can focus on soothing your symptoms.
Give Chiggers the Brush-Off
When you first become aware of a bite, chances are the chiggers are still on your skin. You can get rid of them by simply brushing them away.
If you haven’t already started itching, take a warm shower or bath. Then follow it with a vigorous skin massage. If you have started itching, be forewarned that showering or bathing probably won’t provide much relief at this point.
Launder the clothes you were wearing at the time you were bitten with hot, soapy water.
Soothe Chigger Bites
In addition to applying calamine lotion or cortisone cream, you can ease the itch of chigger bites by:
Applying baby oil, cold cream, or petroleum jelly Taking an oatmeal bath with colloidal oatmeal, which is crushed oat grain Placing a cold compress, ice pack, or a bag of frozen vegetables on the area Using Chigarid, a topical treatment sold at many pharmacies that combines camphor, menthol and phenol Taking an allergy medication
Note that some calamine lotions and cortisone creams are mixed with an anithistamine. While they may offer better relief than versions that don’t contain one, be aware that you should never use an oral and a topical antihistamine at the same time.
Mostly, though, you’ll just have to tough it out. It may take up to two weeks for the itching to stop.
If you feel the need to itch despite these strategies, try tapping your skin instead of scratching it.
Prevent Chigger Bites
It’s not difficult to prevent chigger bites, but you do have to turn yourself into an uninviting host so they’ll leave you alone:
Wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants tucked into your boots or shoes. Wear the heaviest clothing you can tolerate, given weather conditions. Apply a bug spray containing DEET (diethyl toluamide) or picaridin to your clothing, from your feet up. Reapply the spray every two to three hours.
Once you return home:
Check your skin for bites. Wash off your skin just in case chiggers have attached themselves. Wash your clothes (and any other garments, blankets, or towels that may have touched the ground) in hot, soapy water.
Summary
Chiggers are the larvae of harvest mites. They are very tiny, so you’re unlikely to notice them unless they bite you.
Chiggers attach to the surface of the skin and inject saliva when they bite. The saliva contains enzymes that liquefy skin cells. The chiggers then suck out the liquid. Scratching and burning, severe itching, and red spots are signs you’ve been bitten.
Chigger bites can become infected, and scratching increases the risk of infection. Wash them off and apply an over-the-counter lotion like calamine to find relief.
They’re unlikely to survive more than two days because they tend to end up falling off the skin.
