Warm, wet weather means chigger worries for Oklahomans working outdoors
When the summer heat comes on is when they’re at their best. The humidity in vegetative cover supports increased chigger populations, most often in grassy or scrubby vegetation, leaf litter Chiggers thrive during mild winters and warm, moist summers, according to entomologist at Oklahoma State University, Justin Talley. The humidity in vegetative cover supports increased chigger populations, particularly in grassy or scrubby vegetation, shaded areas, leaf litter and rotted wood. Most people don't really know what a chigger looks like, with most being small, yellow-orange creatures that bite a variety of animals. The larval stage of the chigger bites a wide variety of critters, including snakes and frogs, birds, small mammals and humans. The bites can be painful for up to two weeks, but too much scratching can lead to secondary infections. Chiggers are rarely found to burrow into skin, so don't use old-school remedies like clear nail polish.
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Get a conversation about summer bug issues going, and you’ll soon find Oklahomans are ate-up with chiggers — and eaten up by them.
When newcomers turn up with red-spotted itchy ankles, Okies are quick on the diagnosis.
“Oh, you been eaten up by chiggers,” they’ll say, and likely launching into the tales of chigger-induced woe they have witnessed, or experienced, over the years.
But the microscopic mites, actually the biting larvae of one of several common mites, are not really well understood.
Chiggers, barely visible to the naked eye, flourish during mild winters and warm, moist summers. When the summer heat comes on is when they’re at their best, according to Justin Talley, entomologist at Oklahoma State University.
Talley said it's the humidity in vegetative cover that supports increased chigger populations, most often in grassy or scrubby vegetation, shaded areas, leaf litter and rotted wood.
Most people don’t really know what a chigger looks like, he said.
“You won’t see a chigger,” Talley said. “They are very small. Most of them we see are a yellow-orange. You might see them if you encounter large numbers and see them on white cloth — they’re only 150 to 300 micrometers long.”
For comparison, the thickness of the thickest human hair is about 180 micrometers.
“If you see them, usually what you’re seeing is a little ball of several them,” he said.
The larval stage of the mite bites a wide variety of critters — everything from snakes and frogs to birds and small mammals and humans, Talley said.
Chigger mites overwinter as adults and lay eggs in the spring, he said. The six-legged larvae emerge as a second stage after the initial hatch. After a larva gets a meal of blood or tissue “serum,” it detaches, falls to the ground and will morph twice more before emerging in its eight-legged adult stage. The full process takes about two months, he said.
Bites from chiggers may start around the ankles, but the larva may migrate to areas where clothing fits tightly, as well as the armpits and the back of the knees. They don't burrow into skin, experts say, so don't bother with old-school remedies like clear nail polish.
Everyone reacts to chigger bites differently. Some people are very sensitive to the bites and develop itchy welts or blisters that lead to skin discoloration that might last weeks, while others may have experience slight bump that goes away in short order.
The bites can be miserable for up to two weeks, but too much scratching can lead to secondary infections. A doctor can prescribe a topical steroid cream if over-the-counter hydrocortisone products aren't effective.
Tips from OSU Extension: Preventive measures include DEET insect repellent or clothes treated with permethrin. Remove and launder clothing as soon as possible after exposure to the chiggers. A warm shower taken within an hour or two after exposure greatly reduces the number of irritating bites.