How to Determine if it is a Chigger Bite

When participating in outdoor activities such as hiking, boating or picking fruits, a person may be bitten by a series of insects. Determining the proper treatment for the bite may be dependent upon the insect that caused the bite. Chiggers are the larvae of a common mite usually found in heavily wooded areas. Their bites are irritating to skin and cause intense itching. Treating the bites from these insects should include washing the affected area and applying an anti-itch lotion. To prevent infection, bite pustules should not be popped.

Instructions

• 1

  Look at the insect that has caused the bite. Chiggers can be difficult to identify because they are very small in size. Some are no bigger than 1/20 inch in length. The body of chiggers is bright red. Adult chiggers have eight legs, and their younger counterparts have six legs.

• 2

  Determine how the bitten area feels. When chiggers bite, they insert a stylostome, or feeding tube, into the surface to ingest the liquefied cells. The tube often remains within the bitten area, causing an intense itching sensation to the site and surrounding area.

• 3

  Chiggers are attracted to armpits.

  Locate the area that has been bitten. Chiggers are attracted to areas that have folds or wrinkles such as groins, armpits and behind the knees.

• 4

  Inspect the bite. When chiggers bite they inject a digestive enzyme into the area. This enzyme blocks the body's ability to clot blood within that small area. Because of this, a chigger bite will appear as a small, raised area with a red welted area and a yellow center -- much like a pimple.

• 5

  Feel the skin surrounding the bite. The stylostome also causes the skin surrounding the bite to harden.