Chiggers are small larvae of the arachnid family and are also known as red bugs. They are hardly detectable with the naked eye. The juvenile versions of these insects are crimson and have six legs. Chiggers can be found in various habitats, including grassy fields, near lakes and streams, and woods. They can accomplish their growth in 2 to 12 months if conditions are appropriate.

Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Aro... Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Around

Although the larvae are incredibly tiny, their bites are solid. They’re so little that you won’t even notice when they leap from that long blade of grass on your flesh. You won’t see when they ride right inside your house. When you do feel them, they might be very irritating.

What Chiggers Look Like

The chigger larval stage is incredibly tiny, with an average body size ranging from 1/150 to 1/120 inches. Because of their small size, they are almost undetectable to human eyesight. Compared to the adult, brilliant red with eight legs, the juveniles are yellow, orange, or pale red and have six legs.

The larvae do not fly and do not move very far on their own after hatching from eggs. They like to cluster in huge groups on leaves and grass, generally less than a foot or less from the ground, and attach on animals or people passing by.

The larval stages of the insect cause chigger bites. Adults are not parasitic. Their mouth and feeding mechanisms are fragile, and they can best penetrate the skin in places with creases, folds, or other thin skin. Most bites occur in the ankles, crotch, and groin areas, behind the knees, and armpits. Chiggers, unlike mosquitoes, ticks, and other biting insects, do not attach themselves to mammals to feed on blood. They eat human skin cells and tissue.