A common misconception is that chiggers burrow under the skin, but this is not true—the itchy red spots are simply an allergic reaction to the saliva of the bites of these tiny pests.
What Do Chiggers Look Like?
Like spiders and ticks, chiggers are arachnids—but extremely small ones. The red-colored larvae of chiggers are so small—only 1/120 to 1/150 of an inch—that you can barely see them with the naked eye. If you do, they will look like dust particles—though you may see them move. If you see tiny red spots moving across a sidewalk, you are likely seeing chiggers.
In cooler climates, late spring and early summer is prime time for chiggers but in warmer, humid climates, chigger larvae can be present year-round, as they produce up to five generations per year.
Signs of Chigger Infestation
The only real indication you’ll get that chiggers are a problem in your landscape is when people or pets develop maddening itchy bites—without ever witnessing the insect itself. After the mite eggs hatch in the spring, the fast-moving six-legged larvae climb onto low-growing vegetation and wait for suitable hosts to come along: cats, dogs, rodents, reptiles, birds, and humans. The larvae attach to the skin of their host, preferably soft skin, and inject their saliva into it. The digestive enzymes in the saliva liquefy the host’s skin cells, which causes the typical chigger rash and intense itching that starts three to six hours after the chiggers have attached to the skin. Most often, victims will experience bites around the ankles, and sometimes waistline areas if they have been working in tall brush. If they are not removed, chiggers remain on the human skin for about four days. When they are done feeding, the chiggers drop off. In their later stages as nymphs and adults, chiggers do not prey on hosts any longer. While the bites themselves can leave itchy welts, they are not in themselves dangerous. However, intense scratching of the welts can open the skin to secondary infections.
Three Ways to Get Control Chiggers
Control the Environment
You can control chiggers by making your yard less attractive for them. Chiggers like moist areas with dense vegetation. Prune your trees and shrubs to let in more sunlight and decrease humidity. Regularly mow your lawn and mow closely around trees, shrubs, and along edges between garden beds and woody or naturalized areas. Rodents and other small mammals are main hosts for chiggers. By removing piles of debris and brush, you discourage these animals from settling down in your yard and bringing chiggers with them.
Change Your Habits
If you are an environmentally conscious homeowner, you might wonder how chigger prevention and naturalized landscapes go together. They do! Controlling chiggers does not mean that everything has to be manicured. You can still have your pollinator gardens and meadow-style beds, and provide shelter for desirable wildlife. Just as with ticks, take appropriate protective measures. The common recommendation is to avoid brushing against vegetation, which is simply not practical for gardeners. But you can make a practice of wearing proper protective clothing when working in tall grass, overgrown areas, and brush. Wear long sleeves and pants and treat your clothing with insect repellent. Check the label if the product effectively repels chiggers. Insect repellents containing DEET do, and there are also DEET-free alternatives. Wear boots and tuck the pant legs into them. Shower immediately with soap when you get back indoors because chiggers don’t attach to the skin right away—they wander around first. Don’t wear clothing again after being in locations where chiggers might be present. Launder it first on a hot washing cycle.
Use Insecticides
Unless you have a place in your yard that is infested with chiggers in consecutive years, spraying insecticides is not usually a good solution. But chiggers overwinter in the soil, so if you have a chigger hot spot, you might consider spraying the low-growing vegetation with products containing bifenthrin, carbaryl, cyhalothrin, or permethrin for a one-time application in late April through mid-June when the chiggers hatch. Keep in mind that broad-spectrum insecticides also kill beneficial insects and should only be the last resort. Like with all chemicals, read the label carefully. It is not very effective to spray the entire lawn, as these insects avoid direct sunlight and usually are found only in unkempt areas and tall grass.
What Causes Chiggers?
Chiggers thrive in areas where there is long grass and brush to provide shady, moist areas in which to breed, and where there are plentiful animal hosts to provide blood—mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
How to Get Rid of Chiggers Permanently
There really is no effective way to completely rid your landscape of chiggers permanently—nor would you want to, as such methods would probably require copious amounts of chemical treatment, which would also harm pollinators and other helpful insects. However, you can greatly reduce chigger populations by eliminating brush and areas of long grass. Good sun exposure to all areas of your landscape will greatly reduce the numbers of these insects.
Chiggers vs. Fleas
Chiggers are often mistaken for fleas, especially since the only evidence may be an itchy bite that raises a skin welt. When pets begin to scratch themselves intensely, it’s often assumed they are plagued with fleas, but it may very well be chiggers that are biting them. There are some ways to determine which insects are biting you and your pets: Depending on the climate, the insects may reproduce many times, but in most regions of North America, two or three generations per year is typical.
