Insects become a nuisance when they start to infest the living spaces of a person and cause trouble.While some insect species only live outdoors or indoors, there are some species that can live in both types of environments. Most insect species are capable of biting.In fact, some insects or pests survive through the nourishment they get by attacking and attaching to a host. The host can be both humans as well as pets. These insects can infiltrate indoor areas too by traveling on hosts. However, not many can survive without the warmth and feeding provided by a host. It is important to get rid of an infestation as soon as possible, as these creatures can quickly multiply in numbers. They not only bite and harass a person but can also damage other things in the house. For instance, termites can eat through the wood present inside a house and cause decay. Insects that generally live outside, like chiggers, can cause a lot of trouble.What are chiggers?Chiggers are not an insect species as they belong to the class of arachnids. While three pairs of legs distinguish insects, arachnids have four pairs of legs, which means they have a total of eight legs.Chiggers are part of the Trombiculidae family which consists of several species of mites. Scientists generally call chiggers trombiculid mites. These pests have many other names, such as harvest mites, bush mites, berry bugs, and scrub-itch mites. Chiggers prefer moist, humid, and grassy areas like forests, fields, and other open spaces. They can also be found near lakes and streams. Chiggers require a ground temperature range of 77-86 F (25-30 C) to be perfectly active. Temperatures falling below 42 F (5.6 C) can result in death for chiggers.The lifecycle of chiggers involves three stages. The first stage is the larva stage. Larvae that have hatched from eggs require a warm body of a host to feed on. It is the larvae that bite humans. Larvae need nourishment from the host to survive and develop into nymphs. The second stage is the nymph stage which begins when the larvae have completed their feeding and drop to the ground.Chigger nymphs then mature and become adult mites which is the last stage. Unlike parasitic larvae, adult mites do not need a host to feed on. The adults instead eat plant material to survive. Female chiggers lay eggs during the spring season. They lay around three to four eggs in clutches under the roots of a plant or on a leaf. After laying eggs, the females only survive until the fall season and then die.Chiggers Vs. Bed BugsChiggers and bed bugs are both pests that are a nuisance for people all around the world. These pests can be found in almost all parts of the world, especially bed bugs. Both bed bugs and chiggers bite a human or an animal to feed on.Even though there are many similarities between chiggers and bed bugs, they are quite different. While chiggers live outdoors in grassy and moist areas, bed bugs are mostly found indoors, specifically in and around the sleeping space. Bed bugs are brown-colored insects that have flattened bodies that they use to hide between tight spaces. On the other hand, chiggers are minute creatures that look like red dots from a distance. While the bites of these insects are not painful, they can cause serious itching and skin irritation. Their bites can also cause an allergic reaction if someone has an allergy.Chigger bites usually appear around the body areas that are covered with tight clothing, such as the waist area and ankles around the sock line. Chigger bites are present in clusters around one particular area of the skin. Chigger bites look like raised red welts on human skin. Bed bug bites appear in a pattern of clusters and lines on the skin and look like raised bumps.Chigger bites and bed bug bites heal and disappear on their own in a few days. However, if an infection develops due to scratching, then proper treatment is required. Chigger bites disappear in about two weeks and can cause intense itching as they heal. Chigger bites cannot spread to other areas of the body. In addition to the itch, the symptoms of a chigger bite may worsen if the bitten skin is scratched.You can apply topical ointments on the affected area of the bite to control the itching. There are also oral medicines to help with the itching.How long can chiggers live in your bed?Chiggers are pests that are generally found outdoors in grassy areas. They can exist in lawns and back yards. Unkempt grass in a garden or a backyard can attract a chigger population. Chiggers attach themselves to hosts when they are passing by and can enter a house.Chigger larvae feed for hours and days on a host in order to grow into the next stage of their lives. Therefore, if you do not shower or change your clothes after working outside in an infested area and then go to sleep in your bed, chiggers that are done feeding may fall onto the bed. This is how you can find chiggers in your bed.The good news, though, is that chigger larvae cannot survive without the warm body of a host, and adult chiggers cannot mate indoors. This means the number of chiggers in your bed will not increase, and they cannot survive there for long. Chiggers may also transfer to a couch from your clothes too.How to prevent chiggers in your bed?Chiggers attach themselves to human clothing when they are passing by. They can also hitchhike on pets. This is how these tiny creatures can transfer to a bed or a couch inside a house. The only way to know that chiggers have actually attached themselves to your body is by seeing a chigger bite.It is quite hard to notice chiggers due to their tiny size. If you are not bitten by a chigger, you might not know of its existence. You might need a magnifying glass to notice chiggers. Although a chigger might not live for long in a bed or on a couch, it can still be annoying because of chigger bites.In order to prevent chiggers from coming into the house or even attaching themselves to you, you need to first understand the source of these pests. It is quite possible that they may be living in your yard. Therefore, in order to get rid of chiggers in the yard, you can spray sulfur powder. The spray helps to stop the spread of more chiggers as well as ward off any other insects in the yard.There is also a possibility that you might need to call pest control to properly get rid of chiggers from the grass in your backyard. As a further precaution, you should also wash the clothes you wear while working outside immediately after coming home. If chigger bites appear after you sleep in your bed and are already inside, you need to first have a bath with warm soapy water, killing any chiggers attached to the body. Then you should wash your clothes in hot water too to kill the ones present on the clothing. To get rid of chiggers in your bed, you need to wash the bedsheets in hot water too.
Insects become a nuisance when they start to infest the living spaces of a person and cause trouble.
