During a chigger bite, the chigger’s mouth parts inject saliva into the skin that contains a digestive enzyme which causes skin cells to rupture and turn to liquid. The skin is partially digested even before it enters the chigger’s body. The chigger then drinks the dissolved, digested skin tissue.
Dissolved, digested skin tissue? Nice. Oh, and I love the advice for avoiding this creature:
Wear tall boots, three pairs of socks, and long pants. Tuck the bottom of the pants under the top layer of socks and spray the pants, socks, and boots with Deet.
You know, I do try to maintain some sort of fashion sense, even as I am heading into my 50's and beyond. And somehow, I don't think the above sartorial recommendations fill the bill. Not to mention that wearing 3 pairs of socks and long pants in 80-something-degree weather is likely to land you in the ER with heatstroke...
Maybe I should just stop reading stuff. That could help. Literacy is vastly over-rated, anyway.
You've never Had a chigger bite. They are HELL. We are happy to wear ski pants if we can avoid the chiggers.
ReplyDeleteOkay, you've just upped my worry level by a factor of 10.
DeleteChiggers? Chiggers? Ack! I'm going to have to set my brain on fire so I don't think about chiggers again.
ReplyDeleteDo you even have bugs in California? It always seems like such a paradise. Well, except for the occasional earthquake, of course...
DeleteOr you could just confine your hiking to non-chigger-ous terrain. That would be my plan.
ReplyDeleteMy plan? Just stay inside.
ReplyDeleteYuch! My sister got them once when we were hiking around my Uncle's house in Northern California. I was wearing long pants and didn't get bit, but she did on her legs. Just the thought of something burrowing in my skin makes me cringe!
ReplyDeleteUgh. Chiggers fall in the category of Things I Wish I Didn't Know About. Ick.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we wear long-sleeves, long pants, and gators on our hiking boots whenever we enter state forests (eastern WI = many, many ticks) no matter what the temperature! Make sure you have plenty of water with you and dehydration/heatstroke is not an issue.
ReplyDelete