Prompt Cast
The Truth About Chiggers: What They Are and How to Protect Yourself
TLDR Chiggers are not insects, but arachnids that liquefy your cells to feed on. They are easily scratched off and die without finishing their meal, and while they will bite humans, they prefer other animals.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Chiggers are a big deal and can be really awful to deal with.
03:58
Chiggers are not insects, but rather arachnids, and they do not burrow into your skin and suck your blood, but instead liquefy your cells into a slurry that they can drink from a straw made of your body.
08:08
Chiggers lay their eggs in one place, hatch into larvae, and need a complete first meal in order to progress to the nymph stage, but once they bite a person and start itching, they are easily scratched off and die without finishing their meal.
12:27
Chiggers spend hours looking for a good place to bite and feed on a host, typically in areas where their mouth parts can penetrate the skin easily, such as the back of the knee or armpit.
16:59
Chiggers are able to detect body heat and use a questing response to find a meal, typically targeting areas with thin skin, and while they will bite humans, they prefer other animals because humans are more likely to brush them off.
20:56
Chiggers inject saliva into the skin that contains digestive enzymes, which breaks down skin cells to create a slurry for them to feed on.
25:39
Chiggers create a tube called a stylus stone in the skin to drink up the slurry they create from breaking down skin cells, and the persistent itch is caused by the body's own reaction to the stylus stone.
29:46
Chiggers are often confused with sand fleas or jigger fleas, which actually burrow into the skin and lay eggs, so it's important to protect yourself against chigger invasions by wearing long sleeves, pants, and insect repellent.
33:54
To control chiggers in your yard, take care of your yard and they will go away.
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Society & Culture
