Chiggers, sometimes called red bugs, make up a 

 family of mites. Many species are found in the 

 United States. Two of these commonly attack man. 1 



Chigger bites cause intense itching and small, red- 

 dish welts on the skin. You may notice these symp- 

 toms in the summer after working in the garden, 

 walking in the woods or fields, picking berries, or 

 mowing the lawn. The symptoms may be your only 

 way of knowing that you have been in an infested 

 place, because chiggers are so small that most per- 

 sons cannot see them without a magnifying glass. 



The pests occur in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, 

 Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and in all States 

 farther south. Thev are especially troublesome in 

 the South. 



You can use a repellent to prevent attacks by chig- 

 gers if you go in an area known to be infested. If you 

 get in an infested area without knowing it, you can 

 reduce itching by bathing and by applying an anti- 

 septic and a local anesthetic to the welts. You can 

 get rid of an infestation by spraying or dusting the 

 infested area with an insecticide. 



A Species of Chigger 

 (Eutrombicula batatas) 



1. Unengorged larva 



2. Engorged larva 



3. Adult 



?ula batatas and E. alfreddugen 



From Michener. Ann. Ent. Soc. Amcr. 1946. 



