Aaauugg!! Chiggers

I was rudely yanked back to my childhood when I woke up the other morning with a galloping case of chiggers.  Scratching and muttering I inspected the 8 or 9 red whelps that were itching like crazy.  Chiggers are something that you just learn to live with in the south.  Actually, they are found just about all over the world, except in the very arid, dry areas.  The little buggers thrive in the moist, hot climate in the Southeastern states.  I usually am careful to use a healthy squirt of bug spray when I work in the yard, but never thought about it when we strolled around after the week-end of rain.  Bad decision.

As kids, we seemed to be constantly scratching from mosquitoes or chiggers.  Chiggers, which are actually the larval stage of  a harvest mite, are tiny, almost microscopic little red bugs that cluster on leaves of plants waiting to jump on the food wagon as it passes by.  They will attack about anything with skin, people, dogs, cats, birds, and even turtles.  They then spit out an enzyme that dissolves the skin and they suck that up as their food.  The itching comes from the body's allergic reaction to the spit. 

Back in the old days, when we were kids, our parents were sure that the itching was caused by the insect burrowing into our skin.  To kill the insect they would smother it by painting the spot with nail polish.  If we were lucky, it would be the clear polish kept to stop runners in our mother's stockings, otherwise, we would be liberally painted with the red they kept for their nails.  We would be treated and re-enter the world looking a lot like a red-spotted dog.  It didn't help.  We still itched like crazy.

Years ago I worked with a girl from an urban area.  She thought living in the rural reaches of Kentucky was a never ending carnival.  She and her husband had spent a sunny week-end boating and were on their way home.  They took a break on the way and discovered a large patch of blackberry brambles growing along the edge of the road.  The berries were lush and ripe and in no time Jodi was picking blackberries, filling every container they could scrape up.  The more she picked the more she wanted and had soon waded deep into the brambles.  Flushed, with thoughts of blackberry pie, they rushed home. 

By the next morning she had learned that chiggers love to live in the blackberry bushes.  The itching intensified as did the number of whelps.  In desperation she went to the doctor to get some relief.  The nurse told her to get undressed and put on the hospital gown and she would bring in the doctor.  I guess Jodi missed the twinkle in her eye and the tremor in her lips.  The doctor came in and asked her to show him the spots.  She opened the gown and the doctor burst out laughing.  Trying to control his mirth, he agreed that she did indeed have a terrible case of chiggers.  With a chuckle, he asked if she had enjoyed her swim.  She frowned, "how did you know we were swimming?"

You see, chiggers jump on board then travel until they find something that stops them.  It can be a bend in the elbow or knee, or more likely a strap, waistband, elastic or any constricting clothing.  When they are stopped they chow down. 

Jodi had a perfect bikini outlined in chigger bites.