Chiggers, Red Bugs (Trombicula alfreddugesi)

Order: Acari (AK-ar-ee) (Info) Family: Trombiculidae Genus: Trombicula Species: alfreddugesi Profile: No positives 3 neutrals 2 negatives Regional... This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions: Magnet Cove, Arkansas Archer, Florida Bartow, Florida Canton, Georgia East Newnan, Georgia Hull, Georgia Patriot, Indiana Scottsville, Kentucky Olive Branch, Mississippi Fredericktown, Missouri Marshfield, Missouri Bayboro, North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina (2 reports) Concord, North Carolina West Carrollton City, Ohio Middleton, Tennessee Fairfield, Texas Mansfield, Texas Potosi, Texas Wylie, Texas Coeburn, Virginia Member Notes: Rating Author Comment Neutral seemama On Jun 26, 2007, seemama from Kissimmee, FL (Zone 9b) wrote: I have been advised that they live in the Spanish Moss that hangs on the trees in Florida Negative MotherNature4 On Dec 1, 2007, MotherNature4 from Bartow, FL (Zone 9a) wrote: Don't sit in the grass anywhere in Florida or you will itch for a week or more. You can lay a sheet of white paper in the grass and put a book on it. After an hour, look at all the red bugs on the underside. Neutral Ticker13 On Jul 23, 2010, Ticker13 from Dayton, OH wrote: Chiggers love me. The bites itch like nothing I have been bite by before. Calamine lotion is one of the only topical over-the-counter remedies that have helped me. Negative themikeman On Dec 15, 2010, themikeman from Concord, NC (Zone 7a) wrote: Chiggers, or red mites, are the nastyist thing here in NC to get bit by after fire ants, because they will itch for weeks and weeks and if bitten by many, can last for 6 month or longer and scar you up worse than chicken pocks from the itching. They start to come out in May when its warm enough for them not to freeze or have to hide from the frost and they last until October. They are extremely small in size and hardly even visable to the naked eyes as ticks are, and they do not stay attached like ticks after they bite you, it is there spit or saliva they inject you with, that creates this allegic reaction that lasts for weeks, and the reaction often does not occur and make you break out for up to 48 hours after you are bitten while hiking, through the tall grass or woods. The best way to avoid getting bit is to spray your legs, ankles, and shoes down with bug spray before hiking and then to take your clothes off right away when you get home and put in the wash, and then shower or wipe your legs down with chlorine in water or low percent peroxide on a rag. Or, you may just not want to hike in the summer months here in the Southeast. peace..mike Neutral ArtistJo On May 13, 2011, ArtistJo from Coeburn, VA wrote: I believe this is the bug I have been trying to identify. It is so tiny, but a bit larger than I remember chiggers. They are on my white vinyl fencing on my porch. I believe they are living inside the fence components which are hollow. l Have terrible allergies and this morning I have coughed up something with a tiny red dot which looks like this buy.