Do Chiggers Come Out in the Spring?
Chiggers are arachnids that are sometimes called berry bugs that belong to the mite family. They are most commonly found in grassy places like gardens and parks or wet areas like ponds. Chiggers live in plants that are closer to the ground and are more challenging to spot than other bugs, according to Disabled-World’s article on chiggers. Chiggers are known to attack anyone that messes around in grassy areas and specifically bite the pores of their body. They leave intense, itchy whelps on the skin, similar to other itches like poison ivy. The question is do they come out in the Spring?
We know that chiggers come out in the summertime, but do they come out in the spring? According to Texas A&M AgriLife, chiggers can be active from late spring to early summer in many parts of Texas. Chiggers spend the wintertime just slightly below the surface of the ground, but when springtime hits, female chiggers come out and become active, according to Disabled-World.com. They get busy laying up to around 15 eggs each day when the temperature outside reaches 60 degrees or higher. From this stage, they attach themselves to humans or small mammals and find a place on their skin either where they are exposed, or their clothes are tight. Disabled-World.com states that when they finish eating from their host, they detach from the body and transform into a nymph that will transform into an adult chigger.
According to Disabled-World.com, the life cycle of a chigger begins in the late spring and can last anywhere from 50 to 70 days. A female chigger can live up to a year and start producing eggs in the early springtime. Therefore, the only chiggers seen in the springtime are mainly adult female chiggers laying eggs, and then in the later spring season, the eggs will hatch, and the other chiggers will come out to harvest. If you need help taking care of chiggers in your yard or grassy area, get in contact with Home Run Pest and Termite Control from Dallas, Texas. They can take care of any of your pest needs.
