Bug bites on foot: How to Know When It’s a Chigger Bite
How to Know When It’s a Chigger Bite
Sometimes called “berry bugs” or “red bugs,” chiggers populate large sections of the United States — including all of the South, the Great Plains, and the Mid-Atlantic. Though they’re often bright red in color, chiggers are only about the size of a grain of salt — making them almost impossible to spot either in the wild or on a person’s skin.
“Chiggers are a type of immature mite that spend time feeding on small mammals, and also on humans,” says Lee Townsend, PhD, a professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Dr. Townsend says that there are many different species of mites, but only a few types that bite during their larval stage. It’s these that are referred to as chiggers. “Not all mites are chiggers, but all chiggers are mites,” he adds.
Unlike mosquitoes, ticks, and other biting bugs, chiggers don’t attach themselves to mammals in order to suck blood. Instead, chiggers feast on skin cells and tissue, Townsend explains.
But much like mosquitoes and ticks, chiggers can induce a nasty skin reaction. That reaction, he says, comes from the chigger’s saliva, which they use to break down and digest the cells and tissues they devour.
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Chigger Bites Look a Lot Like Other Bug Bites, So Here’s How to Correctly ID Them
As with all bug bites, there’s some person-to-person variation when it comes to chigger bites.
“Different people react differently to bites, so it can be really difficult to tell the difference between bites of things like mosquitoes from chiggers,” Townsend says. Especially if you’re bitten by a lone chigger, the red welt that forms may look more or less identical to a mosquito bite.
But there are bite characteristics that can show up that can help differentiate chiggers from other bugs. For one thing, chigger bites tend to take itchiness to a whole new level. “I don’t know of many things as intensely itchy as a chigger bite,” says Michael Merchant, PhD, a professor of entomology at Texas A&M University in Dallas.
Also, chiggers tend to latch onto a person’s skin in groups. You won’t be able to see them without the aid of a magnifying glass. But you may feel some irritation when they first start feeding. And the resulting bites often appear as clusters of red welts — as opposed to a single itchy lump or a red rash. (1) If you have a swath of itchy skin lumps that looks like many mosquito bites or welts, it’s a good bet you’re dealing with chiggers. (2)
Another characteristic of these bites: chiggers like to gather in areas that are hot and sweaty — like the insides of socks, at waistlines, inside armpits, or behind the knees, Dr. Merchant says. “If you see a pattern of bites only where your sock was, that’s probably chiggers,” he adds.
What Can I Do to Treat Chigger Bites and Relieve the Itching?
While itchy and uncomfortable — not to mention unsightly — chigger bites tend to resolve on their own within a week — and often within a few days. (3) “Once they’re done feeding, [chiggers] drop off on their own,” Townsend says.
He recommends taking a hot shower and soaping the area thoroughly. (This can remove chiggers before they’ve had the chance to cause welts and irritation, he says.) Applying topical calamine cream can also help reduce the itch, he adds. So can cold compresses, oral antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or cetirizine (Zyrtec), and rubbing alcohol. (4)
RELATED: What Is an Antihistamine?
Do you need to see a doctor? In most cases, no. “Chiggers can transmit diseases in some other parts of the world, but not here,” Townsend says of domestic chiggers.
That said, chigger bites can put a person at risk for a secondary infection. That could happen if you scratch the bite (or bites) and break open the skin, allowing in bacteria, Merchant says.
If the swelling or redness around a bite is getting worse several days after it first appeared, or if you notice a fever or other flu-like symptoms, those may be signs of an infection.
The same is true if the bite is leaking fluid, has developed a yellow, golden crust, or has become painful, or if you’re experiencing hives, vomiting, or nausea — see a doctor. (5)
Doctors can prescribe prescription topical steroids or even inject dilute steroids into intensely itchy bites if you don’t experience relief from over-the-counter options.
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Yes, You Can Avoid Getting Chigger Bites and Still Enjoy the Outdoors
Chiggers usually live in shaded or overgrown areas like forests and wild fields, Townsend says. “They need shelter from the sun and they like high humidity, so they tend to like tall grasses and places where there are mice and small mammals around,” he says. “You’re not going to run into many of them out in mowed or landscaped areas.”
For that reason, keeping yards or outdoor areas well-tended and free of overgrowth and brush are effective ways to keep chigger populations to a minimum.
Staying on walking paths — as opposed to making your way through tall grass or wilder areas — is another way to avoid picking up chiggers. (6)
If you’re going to be tramping through woods or picking fruit in a field, those are times when you’ll want to take extra precautions to guard yourself against chiggers. Townsend recommends wearing long pants and tucking them into your socks. “Repellents also help,” he says, mentioning common types like DEET, which is also used to repel mosquitoes and ticks. Be sure to use those repellents on your shoes and lower legs — places chiggers tend to latch on.
And again, taking a hot, soapy shower after you’ve been in chigger-infested areas can help remove them before they cause skin irritation, Townsend says.
Chiggers are a nuisance — and their bites can be incredibly itchy. But if you can resist scratching those bites, they don’t cause any long-term issues or health complications.
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To minimize your bite risk, try to stay indoors at dawn and dusk — times when humidity often peaks.
“The higher the humidity, the better for mosquitoes, so dawn and dusk are times when they tend to be active,” Day says.
He explains that mosquitoes are fragile insects, and their bodies dry out quickly if they’re exposed to arid conditions or extended stretches of bright sunlight (which is another reason they prefer hunting at dawn and dusk, as opposed to midday). They’re also weak fliers, he says, so any kind of breeze or fan-generated wind tends to keep them at bay. If you can find a place that’s exposed to wind, or you have a strong fan handy, both can prevent mosquitoes from biting you.
Long pants and shirtsleeves — especially tightly woven synthetic fabrics such as the types used in so-called athleisure garments — tend to keep mosquitoes off your skin. Repellents also work well, Day says. The CDC suggests looking for products that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus, or p-menthane-3,8-diol (PMD). (6) Apply these products to your ankles, wrists, forehead, elbows, and all the other knobby, bony places where the blood is up near the surface of the skin.
Mosquitoes love to feast at these sites.
Also good to keep in mind: Mosquitoes are attracted to both the carbon dioxide humans exhale and the natural odors our bodies produce — stuff like sweat and foot odor. If you’ve been exercising, you’re likely to be both sweaty and producing higher amounts of carbon dioxide. Better to cool off and shower up indoors before heading outside. (7)
Follow all these precautions, and you can largely dodge mosquito bites all summer long.
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Insect bite prevention
No summer is complete without insect bites. This is not only unpleasant, but sometimes dangerous to health.
The immune system of each person reacts to bites in different ways: from swelling, itching and pain to anaphylaxis.
An anaphylactic reaction can develop after a bite from any insect. Fortunately, this is rare, but people who have experienced any kind of allergic reaction before should be especially vigilant.
An anaphylactic reaction occurs at lightning speed. A person feels weak, then symptoms quickly increase: difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, loss of consciousness.
If an anaphylactic reaction occurs, emergency medical attention is needed, as this condition is life-threatening.
A milder allergic reaction to insect bites manifests itself in the form of itching, inflammation of the bite site. When there are many such bites, it causes great discomfort. Often there are complications – the addition of a secondary infection.
5 common insect bites in summer
Mosquito bites are accompanied by severe unbearable itching – this is a reaction to the proteins contained in the saliva of the insect.
In some tropical countries, mosquito bites can transmit diseases such as malaria, Zika fever, Dengue fever, yellow fever.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/spider-bite-or-skin-infection-83017-v1-5c4552ce46e0fb0001c168f9.png)
Wasps, bees and hornets have stingers for self-defense. The sting contains a poisonous substance that enters the bite site, causing severe pain and burning. At the site of the bite, swelling, inflammation, redness and itching may appear. The most dangerous complication of such bites is anaphylaxis. The stings of bees, wasps, bumblebees and hornets are very dangerous for children.
Horseflies attack in hot stuffy weather. Their bite is quite painful, it can cause a sharp burning sensation. Often there is a feeling of itching, inflammation and swelling in the bite area. There may even be a bruise.
There are about 4,000 species of biting midges . The smallest of the flies that attack humans can range in size from 1 to 3 mm. Despite their tiny size, midge bites can be irritating and even cause local pain.
Flea bites leave small sores on the skin, usually several, next to each other, often on the ankles and legs.
First Aid
- apply cold
- remove tip
- clean with antiseptic solution
- do not scratch
- if necessary, drink an antihistamine (recommended by a doctor, respecting the age dosage)
Seek immediate medical attention, if you have had a severe allergic reaction to an insect sting in the past, or if you have one or more of the following symptoms:
- sudden urticaria
- swelling of the face
- labored breathing
- dizziness
- fainting
Basic precautions for preventing insect bites
Remain calm and walk away slowly if there are wasps, hornets or bees nearby – do not wave your arms and do not try to drive them away.
Wear closed clothing, do not walk barefoot on the grass.
Apply insect repellant to exposed skin or clothing as directed – repellants containing 50% DEET (diethyltoluamide) are most effective.