Chigger Bite Symptoms

What are chiggers and how does someone know they've been bitten by one? Find out about chigger bite symptoms in the article.

What are chiggers? They are tiny parasitic larva of a certain kind of mite from the Trombiculidae family (red mite). These small tropical fleas are bright red in color and have a hairy structure. They can be found across the world in vegetation areas such as fields, forests, berry patches, near rivers, lakes and streams, grassy fields, and parks. The species of chiggers found in North America don't spread diseases among humans that get bitten, however in East Asia and South Pacific regions, certain species have been known to transfer scrub typhus or Japanese river disease, a feverish illness. Let's go through the article and find out the chigger bite symptoms, treatment methods, and prevention tips.

Chiggers are not insects, but are arachnid, a part of the spider family. Many people believe that chiggers burrow inside the skin and stay there; but that's not true. Female chiggers that are fertile, bite in order to insert their feeding structures and mouth parts inside the skin. This way, they can inject enzymes inside its victim's skin and destroy the tissue. The area where a chigger bites turns hard and a feeding tube (stylostome) grows. If the flea are left undisturbed, they can feed on their victim's skin for few days from the structure. Usually, chiggers bite thin-layered skin, wrinkles, and folds, that is why you'll find the bite marks around the crotch, groin, ankles, behind the knees, and the armpits. Now that we have taken a quick overview of what chiggers are and what they are capable of, let's get to know about the chigger bite symptoms.

Symptoms of Chigger Bites

While the flea bites and inserts the feeding tube into the host's skin, specific chigger bite symptoms are not easily visible or detected. Once it begins to feed from the tube and inject the digestive enzymes inside the skin, that's when the chigger bite symptoms can be noticed. The typical symptoms include:

Itching is one of the most common chigger bites symptoms since it injects saliva inside the body to make the blood thin and easy to suck.

Couple of days past the first bite, itching becomes intense which can take about 2 weeks to become normal.

The skin turns red in color and looks like a blister or pimple; it could either be raised or flat.

The infected area has bumps, welts, or appearance of hives. Also the bumps can increase in size.

If the bite is not treated soon, the chigger can feed for a long time and the feeding tube can pierce deeper into the skin.

Treatment for Chigger Bites

Typically, you can treat chigger bites at home. Although, medical attention is required if someone develops signs of a secondary bacterial skin infection. The signs of the infection (redness of skin, warm temperature, development of pus, and increase in pain) calls for an immediate medical attention. Let's look at chigger bite treatment you can follow at home.

If you notice chiggers attached to your body, immediately remove them. Go home and take a warm bath with soap to remove all the chiggers.

Spread a paste made of baking soda and water after the warm, soapy bath. This will give you relief from the irritation, itching, and pain from the bite.

You can also rub castor oil, bleach, alcohol, menthol, nail polish, baby oil, and moist aspirin tablet over the skin. It will suffocate or kill the chiggers and help you rid the pain and itching.

Prevention Tips for Chigger Bites

There's an old idiom which says, "prevention is better than cure", and while we are on the subject of chigger bites, preventing yourself from being bitten by them is very important. Also, you should be aware of ways to get rid of chiggers. Here are a few prevention steps that needs to be followed.

Always wash your hand with antibacterial soap and warm water after all outdoor activities.

Change your clothes after coming home, and don't keep wearing the same clothes (without washing) everyday.

Don't go outside (all vegetation areas mentioned above) once the temperature goes up. Chiggers don't bite when the temperature is below 60є F or over 99є F.

Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts when you are going outside, especially in the vegetation areas. Wear high boots and tuck the pant legs inside the boots.

Apply insect repellent such as DEET while going outdoors. Read the instructions provided for the repellent carefully.

These were some specific guidelines and information about chigger bite symptoms, treatment methods, and prevention tips. Don't take chigger bites lightly as untreated or ignored bites can give you intense itching. Prolonged scratching can lead to various skin wounds that can be infected by bacteria.