|
3044. ronski - 5/12/2005 6:37:41 PM The skinny on chiggers (hate 'em):
If you have ever been out in the woods or an open field in spring, summer or fall, you may have gotten chiggers around your waistband or on your ankles. They leave red, itchy bumps on your skin.
Chiggers are the larvae of mites belonging to the suborder prostigmata, commonly called harvest mites or scrub mites. Like ticks and spiders, mites go through three biological stages in their life cycle: They begin as eggs, hatch as larvae, develop into nymphs and finally become adults. Nymph and adult harvest mites feed mostly on plant life and don't bother people or other mammals, but in the larval stage, many of the species in the prostigmata suborder are parasitic. After a parasitic chigger hatches, it finds a good position on tall grass or other vegetation so it can spring onto a passing animal. When it finds an animal, it attaches to the animal to gather the protein it needs to grow into the nymph stage.
Chiggers do not burrow under your skin, as many people believe, nor do they feed on animal blood. They actually feed on the fluids in skin cells. To get the fluids, they attach themselves to a skin pore or hair follicle and inject a digestive enzyme that ruptures the cells. The enzyme also hardens the surrounding skin tissue, forming a sort of straw for sucking the skin cell fluids. The whole process irritates the skin, causing an itchy red bump that continues to cause discomfort for several days. Chiggers are only about 1/50th of an inch (0.5 mm) in diameter and so are too small to be seen with the naked eye. This invisibility is the reason so many people believe chiggers burrow under the skin.
You might encounter chiggers in any number of environments, but they are especially concentrated in damp areas with a lot of vegetation. They are attracted to concealed, moist conditions on hosts, too, so they tend to attach to skin under tight clothing, such as socks and underwear, or in concealed areas of the body, such as the groin and the armpits. One way to decrease the chance of chigger bites is to wear loose clothing when you're in the woods or other infested areas. You should also take a shower as soon as you get home from an outdoor expedition, to remove any chiggers before they attach to your skin.
In North America, chiggers don't spread any diseases to humans, but chigger bites can get infected. You should keep the irritated area clean and refrain as much as possible from scratching. In other parts of the world, chiggers may pose a more serious threat. In some areas of Asia, for example, certain chigger species carry the disease scrub typhus. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, check an insect and spider field guide to find out what sort of chiggers are in your area.
One commonly known remedy for chigger bites is to apply nail polish to reduce itchiness. This does not kill the chigger or treat the bite in any way. It simply seals the area off from the air, which keeps the sore from itching so badly. If you want to apply something to relieve itching, it's much better to use a salve or cream that contains antihistamines (Caladryl or hydrocortisone salves are the most common). Like nail polish, these treatments will seal the bite from the surrounding air, but they will also help to prevent infection. If the welts continue to irritate you for more than a couple of weeks, they might be infected and you should see a doctor.
3045. ronski - 5/12/2005 6:40:47 PM That was from science.howstuffworks.com. 3046. thoughtful - 5/12/2005 7:40:33 PM oh great. so for chiggers we have to wear loose clothing, but for ticks we have to wear tight clothing.
Fie on it all. As cap'n dirty might say, jes go nekked! 3047. arkymalarky - 5/13/2005 12:23:35 AM Thing is, you can find and remove a tick, but not a chigger. 3048. thoughtful - 5/13/2005 1:49:47 PM Yeah but chigger bites won't kill you, but lyme disease can. 3049. PelleNilsson - 5/13/2005 2:02:10 PM In my never-ending quest for useless knowledge I came across this in the Brittanica:
Chigger, also called scrub mite, harvest mite, bête rouge , or chigger mite the larva of any of the 10,000 species of the invertebrate suborder Prostigmata of the subclass Acarina (sometimes Acari, or Acarida). The name is also erroneously applied to an insect better known as the chigoe, jigger, or jigger flea.
Various chiggers are pests of man, either as parasites or as carriers of disease. Attacks of chiggers often result in a dermatitis accompanied by intense itching.
In North America the common chigger that attacks humans is Eutrombicula alfreddugèsi (also called Trombicula irritans). This species occurs from the Atlantic coast to the Midwest and southward to Mexico. The tiny larvae easily penetrate clothing. Once on the skin surface, they attach themselves and inject a fluid that digests tissue and causes severe itching. The surrounding tissue hardens, forming a tube.
3050. thoughtful - 5/13/2005 3:36:57 PM I always thought chiggers were the south's revenge on yankees who tried to steal some spanish moss... 3051. wonkers2 - 5/13/2005 5:50:52 PM The correct term in Louisiana for chigger is "red bug." 3052. arkymalarky - 5/13/2005 6:04:21 PM Some Texans (like my grandmother) call them that, too. 3053. PelleNilsson - 5/13/2005 6:05:13 PM Today's afternoon sky. Nothing spectacular but still a bit odd.
 3054. thoughtful - 5/13/2005 6:12:06 PM neat picture...love the colors. Looks like the kind of day that brings lots of images with the clouds...That one in the middle...I see a swan, or a haughty lady with a prominent chin in a powdered wig! 3055. PelleNilsson - 5/13/2005 6:33:03 PM Your screen doubles as a mirror? 3056. thoughtful - 5/13/2005 6:56:42 PM very funny....
if it did, I'd see a hag with a wart on her nose 3057. wabbit - 5/13/2005 7:23:39 PM Hmmm, I thought you were an adorable little girl with a duck.
Hey Pelle, that would make a very nice desktop background - can you link to a larger version? 3058. thoughtful - 5/13/2005 7:38:40 PM thoughtful before she puts on her makeup
3059. concerned - 5/13/2005 8:03:13 PM We don't have 'skeeters in this part of the world con, so I cannot help you.
Nor snakes, I hear. St. Patrick wasn't very environmentally sensitive, was he? 3060. concerned - 5/13/2005 8:11:32 PM I don't know why, but ticks 'n chiggers are two types of bugs that I haven't had problems with on my heavily forested property complete with wildlife. Haven't been so lucky with horseflies & deerflies, however. 3061. concerned - 5/13/2005 8:17:32 PM I just received the 200 Repellex deer repellant tablets I had ordered today. They're supposed to be put in the ground next to the roots of plants to be protected from these rats with antlers with the idea that the plant will incorporate stuff from the tablet over several weeks and then taste repugnant to deer, etc. for a year or two.
They might actually work judging by the fact that merely handling the closed plastic bags when removing them from the mailing container created a bitter taste in my mouth that must have persisted for half an hour. 3062. PelleNilsson - 5/13/2005 8:21:56 PM Here is the original pic. You may want to crop it. 3063. wabbit - 5/13/2005 8:25:28 PM Thank you, Pelle - it is on my desktop now (with the same cropping you used).
|
