Whatever outdoor activity you have planned for the spring, summer, and fall months, whether it’s hiking, biking through the forest, camping, or other activity that puts you in close contact with Mother Nature, chances are you will encounter chiggers. Also referred to as red bugs, harvest mites, and berry bugs, the tiny, red-coloured bugs that are nearly invisible to the naked eye, can turn the most enjoyable outing into one of pure torture, discomfort, and aggravation due to the constant itching they cause. So how long do chiggers live?
The chigger life cycle is around 50 to 70 days. The irritating itch can go on for as long as two to three weeks, or until all traces of the digestive enzyme is eliminated from your body. The good news about chiggers, unlike some other bug biting species, is they do not carry any diseases. The bites may become infected if you repeatedly and vigorously scratch them too hard.
Chiggers are happiest and most active during the months when temperatures range between 77 degrees and 86 degrees. When 60 degrees and below is the constant temperature, chiggers are no longer active. At 42 degrees and below, they die.
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Chigger Habitat
Chiggers are not found only in the United States; they live worldwide. Their choice of habitat is areas of vegetation that is moist and closer to the ground. Low-level areas of vegetation allow chigger larvae easier access to passing hosts. During the early summer months when vegetation is more plentiful and thicker creating ideal habitats is when chiggers are most active.
While traversing through the woods, areas you will want to avoid, if possible, are sections with overgrown grass, weeded areas, brush and bushes, thickets, berry patches, shrubbery, riverbanks, and perimeters around ponds and streams. All these types of terrain offer the opportunity for the low-level vegetation growth chigger larvae require when searching for food hosts.
How Chiggers Feed
Chiggers are not insects but arachnids. They are considered mites and part of the family known at Trombiculidae. Contrary to popular believe, they do not burrow under the skin and embed themselves for extended periods nor do they feed on blood like bed bugs. Their choice of feeding is a more involved method that results in a constant flow of food, which is why they are attracted to humans as a continual food source.
Chiggers can easily become attached to your clothing by simply walking past a plant or bush inhabited by the tiny mites. Once they grab on, they will look for available areas of soft skin and attach itself. The next step is the injection by the chigger larvae of an enzyme found in their saliva into the area, which causes the skin to dissolve. As it dissolves, a stylostome, which is similar in look to a funnel, is formed. The chigger larvae use the funnel like a feeding tube to suck up the skin cells that have dissolved.
Signs of Chigger Bites
Once chigger larvae have feasted on the dissolved skin cells, the main symptom is itching, which is intense. This can last for more than a couple of days. Check with your pharmacist for information on which over-the-counter creams or lotions that can have the most effect on controlling the itching. Hydrocortisone cream and Calamine lotion are two popular products used to treat the bites. Other signs of chigger bites include small blisters or red-colored flat or raised areas.
Many hikers and campers take their canine partners along for the adventure, but keep in mind, dogs are as susceptible to chigger bites as humans. While their coats provide protection to their body, their head and ears are prime targets for chiggers.
If your pup is showing signs by continuously scratching after an outdoor excursion, it’s possible they’re suffering from chigger bites. This is especially true if your dog is not on medication for fleas and ticks. If you don’t have your canine on a preventative program for fleas and ticks, once you return home from your outdoor activity, give him or her a bath. If the itching and scratching continue, consult your veterinarian.
If you plan to take your dog with you on future outdoor excursions, consider putting them on regular medication for fleas and ticks so they, too, can enjoy an outing in the woods.
Chigger Life Cycle
Chiggers have a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Their life span ranges from 50 to 70 days.
When the female chigger lays her eggs, it can take anywhere from five to seven days for the eggs, which may be from three to eight in the batch, to hatch into larvae. The females lay their eggs in vegetation, not in humans.
Once the six-legged larvae emerge from the egg state, they will attach to a host using the enzyme method to feed. The feeding process can last from three to four days then the larvae detach and drop off and begin the molting process for one or two weeks.
At the end of the molting process, the larvae go to the next stage becoming an eight-legged nymph. After another two to four weeks, the nymph evolves into an adult completing the cycle.
Chigger Control and Prevention
If your plans are going to take you into areas that chiggers are drawn to and inhabiting, prepare yourself ahead of time to help avoid, or at least minimize, the impact the bugs will have on you. There are a few tips to follow that can help.
- Wear long sleeved shirts.
- Wear pants long enough to go past your ankles.
- Wear clothing made from tightly woven material.
- Tuck shirt tails inside pants.
- Tuck pant legs inside boots.
- Use insect repellent with DEET.
- Wear tights under your main pants as chiggers cannot penetrate this type of material.
- Wear thick socks.
Also note chiggers are drawn to areas on your body that have thin skin, such as your wrists ankles, and shins. They also like snug areas where the skin may fold or wrinkle such as your armpits, groin area, the back of your knees.
Getting Rid of Chiggers
There’s no question about what you should do once you return home from a hiking or camping trip to ensure you don’t bring the tiny bugs into your home. Regardless of how careful you were with preparing ahead of time, there is still a strong possibility there are chiggers hiding in your hair and your clothes.
Removing any possibility of chiggers on your person or your clothes requires immediate steps as soon as you return home. Although chigger larvae will most likely not remain on your clothing indefinitely because their goal is to feed, it is best to be safer than sorry when it comes to taking precautions. Also, keep in mind that if and when the larvae decide to drop off your clothing, they are going to be in a position to look for a new habitat.
If they fall off while you are outside, they have your entire yard to find a place to inhabit and wait for a host, you, to walk by. If they come off while you are indoors preparing to put the clothes in the washing machine, again, they are in a new environment that may be friendly for feeding.
When you return home, immediately remove all clothing and place items in the washing machine. If you’re camping over multiple days, wash the affected clothes as soon as possible.. Add detergent and set the washer to use hot water only for washing and rinsing. After washing the clothes, dry them on the highest heat setting as possible to ensure any chiggers that may still be alive are eliminated by the heat.
For yourself, take an immediate shower to thoroughly cleanse your entire body with soap and water and to thoroughly shampoo your hair. If any other pests have attached themselves to you, a hot shower will get rid of them, too.
Even with all your preparations, there is still the possibility of one that “got away” and is now infesting your home any may even be in your yard. If you are experiencing signs of chigger bites after returning home, there are several multipurpose repellents available that you can use to spray areas in your home and yard.
Final Thoughts on Chigger Control and Prevention
Taking a few precautions prior to and while enjoying a camping and/or hiking trip can help lessen the chance of chigger bites. Once you return home, putting the above tips in place can help prevent an infestation of your home, yard, and your pets.