The past couple of days, I have had more than enough experience with ticks and chiggers. It's not unusual for me to pick up a tick or two while running on Turkey Mountain this time of year. I have a reputation of being a "tick magnet." My trip to Lake Heyburn yesterday yielded a much higher total--24 to be exact. Not all of these little blood suckers got to feast on zombie blood, but two did manage to latch on. Their dinner was quickly interrupted and they immediately hit the pool (toilet) for a swim. The bites itch and will keep itching for a couple of weeks.
There are several species of ticks in North America, but the Lone Star Tick is what I see most often. I do frequent checks, and it's always best to remove them before they burrow in.
Chiggers are much more of a nuisance. They are much smaller than ticks--nearly invisible to the human eye.
They bite and feed at a hair follicle or a crease in the skin. They do not burrow in, but bite and inject saliva that dissolves skin tissue and hardens into a tube (like a soda straw) and they'll feed on the skin fluids as long as they can hang on. The corrosive nature of the enzymes injected causes major irritation (itch itch itch itch!!!!)
Even in a tick infested area, you might get by with no actual bites or one or two at the most--provided you CHECK. But get into some chiggers, and you can have hundreds of bites. This was my leg after bush-whacking in Osage County last summer. I probably had 200 bites, and they itched for three miserable weeks.
The two links below have some good information about these critters. Good reading--if you're wired like I am.
http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/avoid-outdoor-pests/ticks
http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/avoid-outdoor-pests/chiggers
There are several species of ticks in North America, but the Lone Star Tick is what I see most often. I do frequent checks, and it's always best to remove them before they burrow in.
Chiggers are much more of a nuisance. They are much smaller than ticks--nearly invisible to the human eye.
They bite and feed at a hair follicle or a crease in the skin. They do not burrow in, but bite and inject saliva that dissolves skin tissue and hardens into a tube (like a soda straw) and they'll feed on the skin fluids as long as they can hang on. The corrosive nature of the enzymes injected causes major irritation (itch itch itch itch!!!!)
Even in a tick infested area, you might get by with no actual bites or one or two at the most--provided you CHECK. But get into some chiggers, and you can have hundreds of bites. This was my leg after bush-whacking in Osage County last summer. I probably had 200 bites, and they itched for three miserable weeks.The two links below have some good information about these critters. Good reading--if you're wired like I am.
http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/avoid-outdoor-pests/ticks
http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/avoid-outdoor-pests/chiggers
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