A Gardener’s Guide to Getting Rid of Chiggers
If you’ve ever finished a day in the garden only to wake up itching like mad, you may have crossed paths with one of the tiniest but most irritating pests around: the chigger. Here’s everything you need to know about what chiggers are, where they live, how to avoid bites, and how to get rid of them—especially in gardens.
These nearly invisible mites thrive in grassy, shady areas—exactly the kind of inviting space a garden provides. While they don’t burrow into your skin or suck your blood, their bites can leave you with intense itching and red welts for days.
What Is a Chigger?
Chiggers are the larval stage of a type of mite (family Trombiculidae), closely related to ticks and spiders. They’re often called red bugs, harvest mites, or berry bugs. As larvae, they are reddish-orange and nearly microscopic, less than 1/150 of an inch long.
Chiggers have a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. It’s only during the larva stage after chiggers hatch from eggs (larvae) that the young mites feed on the skin of their human animal host. Then they fall off and grow into its nymph stage (which resembles the adult).
Where Do Chiggers Live?
Chiggers, most active when it’s hot, thrive in warm, humid environments, such as:
- Overgrown lawns and gardens
- Dense shrubbery
- Leaf litter and mulch
- Tall grasses and weedy areas
- Shaded spots near ponds, creeks, or forest edges
They’re most active from spring to early fall when soil temperatures are above 60°F, peaking between 77–86°F (25–30°C). In the U.S., they’re common in the Midwest and Southeast but can be found nearly anywhere with the right conditions, including your garden.
Note: Chiggers do not live long indoors and don’t infest homes the way fleas or bed bugs do.
Why Are Chiggers Considered Pests?
Because of their larval feeding behavior, chiggers latch onto humans and animals to feed on skin cells. They don’t burrow or suck blood, but instead inject a digestive enzyme into the skin. This creates a tiny hole (a stylostome) through which they suck up liquefied tissue.
Chiggers tend to bite in areas where clothing fits tightly (waistbands, socks, underwear) or where skin is thin and moist (behind knees, underarms, groin).
What Do Chigger Bites Look Like?
Chigger bites appear as:
- Red, itchy welts or bumps
- Often in clusters or lines
- Intensely itchy within hours
- Itchiness can last several days or more
The bump is caused by the body’s reaction to the digestive enzyme—not the mite itself, which usually drops off after feeding.
Catherine Boeckmann
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