Sunday, June 21, 2009

What mite happen to you

Wikipedia A microscopic mite Lorryia formosa.

One thing is certain, if you walk out into the grass and/or weeds in the mid-west in early summer you will get chigger bites. OK so now I have five or six intensively uncomfortable itchy bites, so what do I do? Look them up in Wikipedia of course. What do I find out?

Well, to start with, chiggers are the larval stage of trombiculid mites.
Wikipedia Adult Trombidium holosericeum

As the Wikipedia article points out, "The term chigger is sometimes used to refer to a different animal, the Chigoe flea. Trombiculidae live in the forests and grasslands and are also found in low, damp areas where vegetation is rank such as woodlands, berry bushes, orchards, along lakes and streams, and even in drier places where vegetation is low such as lawns, golf courses, and parks. They are most numerous in early summer when grass, weeds and other vegetation are heaviest. In their larval stage they attach to various animals, including humans, and feed on skin, often causing itching. These relatives of ticks are nearly microscopic measuring 0.4 mm (1/100 of an inch) and have a chrome-orange hue. A common species of harvest mite in Northern America is Trombicula alfreddugesi; in the UK the most prevalent harvest mite is Trombicula autumnalis."

By the way, the articles suggest painting the bite with nail polish. That would be worse than the bite, I think. Meanwhile, I will continue to itch.

1 comment:

  1. Sorry you found a drawback to visiting the south in early summer! :) They are mighty buggy.

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