Differences Between Ticks & Chiggers

Ticks and chiggers both belong to the Arachnida class, which is made up of ticks, mites, scorpions and spiders. While chiggers are similar in some respects to ticks, chiggers are a different type of arachnid. They are the larval form of mites from the trombiculidae family. As tiny arachnids, ticks and chiggers attach themselves to other creatures to feed on their blood or tissue. Many differences exist between the two arachnids, and it is important to understand their physical and behavioral characteristics in order to tell them apart.

Appearance

• Chiggers are so tiny that they are almost invisible to the naked eye. They are less than 1/150 of an inch in diameter. Chiggers are red, but once they feed on a host, they turn yellow. Ticks are bigger than chiggers, and as adults range in size from 1/16 to 1/4 of an inch long. Bodies of ticks expand when they eat; a female tick can expand to 3/8 of an inch long. Ticks can be multicolored or a solid color, such as red, blue, silver, black or brown. Both ticks and chiggers have six legs in their larval stage but have eight legs as adults.

Diet and Feeding

• Ticks feed on the blood of humans and animals, such as deer, birds, mice, cattle, horses and lizards. They attach themselves to their hosts with a rod-like body part called a hypostome and use it to suck up blood. Chiggers do not feed on blood; they feed on liquefied tissue. While they can feed on humans, chiggers prefer a diet of reptiles and birds. Their feeding tube is called a stylostome, and unlike the tick's feeding tube, it is not a body part. A chigger's saliva contains a digestive enzyme that dissolves human skin cells and causes cells to harden around the bite area to form a feeding tube. Chiggers use the tube to suck up tissue. Whereas ticks feed on vertebrate animals their entire life, chiggers only feed on vertebrate animals in their larval stage. As adults, chiggers are vegetarians.

Removal

• Warm, soapy water can remove chiggers from a person's body. By taking a bath after coming in from outdoors, you can remove chiggers before or after they begin feeding. Chiggers that are already feeding are easy to remove by rubbing a towel or cloth over your body. Oftentimes, feeding chiggers are accidentally brushed or scratched off by their host before they finish their meal. Ticks require more concentrated efforts in removal. If you touch, squeeze or crush a tick, it can inject more of its fluids into your body. Remove a tick alive and intact by using tweezers or blunt forceps. The tick should be pinched lightly with tweezers and pulled off of your body in a lifting motion without twisting. Wash and bandage the infected area once the tick is removed.

Diseases and Reactions

• A tick's bite can transmit different diseases, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These diseases cause symptoms such as high fevers, muscle aches, headaches and rashes. If bitten by a tick, seek medical treatment immediately.

  North American chiggers are not known for spreading disease. A chigger's bite does, however, cause an itchy red welt on your skin's surface. The itching is intense but usually peaks a day or two after you are bit. The bite can get infected if you scratch it.