Is That A Rash???

Chiggers -

You might be out enjoying a day at the park. Without even knowing it, you pick up some uninvited guests. Before you know it, you're body is breaking out in an itchy rash. What you may not realize right away is that you have a case of chiggers. Chiggers are an arachnid, that is right. They are related to spiders and are actually a mite. Unlike ticks which drink blood, chiggers actually feed on skin cells. In fact, their digestive fluids dissolve skin cells. The rash that you experience is actually a body defense. They feed for a few days on the hosts leaving a rash that can last up to two weeks. Chiggers are only 1/102 of inch long. These tiny critters can actually carry disease. They have a fifty day lifespan which may make them the shortest lived animal that I've talked about so far. There are 20 known species of chiggers. They attack birds, reptiles, and even other mammals. Something interesting that you may not know, is that an adult chigger has 8 legs but the larva only have six. The hairs on their body allows them to feel around.