Pest Control OKC: Informative Responses To Customer Questions
Over the last weekend many people celebrated Labor Day festivities in various ways. Some enjoyed their time out at the lake near woodsy areas. Others had their usually backyard BBQ. Of course, being outdoors near grass and trees can invite a lot of insects or other unpleasant things to take advantage of you. One such problem in areas like that are chiggers and our pest control OKC team is answering a few questions regarding these “red bugs”.
Are chiggers insects?
As our pest control OKC expert, The Bug Guy, will tell you chiggers are not actually insects although many have referred to them as bugs. Instead, they are the larva of mites which belong to the family called Trombiculidae.
What do chiggers look like?
Chiggers are very small in size. In fact, they are less than 1/50 of an inch in length. These tiny critters appear to be a reddish-orange color and they have six legs.
Do chiggers like to feed on people?
Primarily, chiggers prefer to feast on reptiles, amphibians, birds, and other small mammals. Chiggers usually don’t seek out a human host, but will when coming into contact with them. Since chiggers normally live in patches, this is the reason people often notice several bites rather than just one or two.
How can something so small bite people?
Many people make the mistake of thinking that chiggers burrow into the skin like scabies, but our pest control OKC team is here to tell you that chiggers do not behave this way. Instead, they attach themselves to the skin inject digestive enzymes into the bite location. This causes a hardened tube of dead cells called Stylostome. Then, they proceed to suck up the digested tissue with their tiny, little mouth parts called Chelicerae.
What happens to chiggers after they bite?
When they do attach to humans, chiggers usually die off within 72 hours, because they cannot obtain adequate nourishment from a human due to the human immune system reacting to the bite.
If you discover a chigger problem on your home property the best prevention would be the following:
- Keep grass short
- Keep small animals out of your yard which could be possible hosts for chiggers
- Remove wood debris which could be home to mites
- Continue with pest control treatments
Our pest control OKC team hopes this information answered a few questions you may not have previously known the answers to and we’d love nothing more than to help you keep your yard safe from pests like these. If you require our pest control OKC services, please feel free to contact The Bug Guy at 405-973-5522.