If you get random, itchy bites after spending time outdoors or see reddish specks crawling around your windowsills, you may have chiggers or clover mites on your property. Both types of mites are small, hard to spot, and reddish colored. However, they have very different behaviors and habitats.
Learn how to identify each pest and understand the risks they pose; then get help with clover mite and chigger pest control from your local Mosquito Squad Plus®.
Contrary to popular belief, chiggers don’t burrow and move around in your skin, giving you multiple bites. Instead, they attach to the surface and stay in the same spot for a few days.
Chiggers and clover mites are both tiny arachnids. While often confused for one another because they’re both red and very small, they’re not the same pest and create different hazards.
Chiggers are the larval form of parasitic mites that are known for feeding on human skin cells and causing itchiness. Clover mites feed on plants and do not bite humans, but a clover mite infestation can lead to staining on indoor surfaces and damage to grass and ornamental plants.
Chiggers prefer warm, humid environments and are typically found in tall grass or heavily wooded areas, while clover mites are more common in well-maintained lawns and homes.
Chiggers are the larval stage of Trombiculidae mites. They’re red or orange, nearly microscopic, and can cause intense itching through their bites. Larval chigger mites don’t feed on blood. Instead, they attach to skin and inject digestive enzymes that break down skin cells, which they then consume.
Once they grow into nymphs, they’re no longer parasitic. Red chigger bugs thrive in warm, humid environments like grassy fields, woods, and overgrown lawns. If you have an unkept lawn with shady, damp areas, you have a prime spot for a chigger infestation.
Clover mites are small, reddish-brown arachnids. They’re oval-shaped and have long front legs that can resemble antennae. Unlike chiggers, clover mites don’t bite. This tiny red bug feeds on plant material such as grass, clover (hence their name), and dandelions. They commonly live in well-fertilized lawns, gardens, and the cracks of building foundations.
They’re drawn to sunny areas near sources of moisture and are known to migrate indoors during the fall.
Read More: Insect Overwintering – What Insects Survive the Cold?
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