Chigger Bites Vs. Flea Bites: Knowing Your Bugs Better!

Fleas and chiggers are two distinctive insects that bite humans.

It is hard to know which insect has infested your house or lawn because they are both very tiny in size. However, to provide the right treatment for bites and take action against the infestation, it is necessary to identify the insect that has caused them.

Fleas are insects with reddish-brown bodies, and they feed on their host's blood to live and lay eggs. Fleas like to live in moist and warm places as they thrive in such areas.

On the other hand, chiggers are bugs usually found in lawns and moist and grassy areas like forests, fields, and other similar places. These bugs have red bodies that make them look like red dots.

Both fleas and chiggers can be found outdoors and indoors.

Their numbers can increase quite rapidly, and an infestation can make you and your pets be on the receiving end of constant bites from these insects. To properly treat these bites, it is necessary to distinguish between chigger bites and flea bites.

What is the difference between flea bites and chigger bites?

Even with their different features, some people may find the bites of both fleas and chiggers similar. However, their bites are different, and there are ways you can spot these differences.

Most insect bites look similar at first, and it can be challenging to identify which kind of insect has bitten you. There are two particular ways different insect bites can be properly identified.

These include the physical symptoms that are visible on the skin, the pattern of the bites, and the areas on the body where the bites have occurred.

Both fleas and chiggers have a numbing agent in their saliva, which helps them to bite the host without their knowledge. The saliva of chiggers further helps them feed on the host by transforming the cells around the area bitten into mush.

Chigger bites and flea bites can be itchy and cause skin irritation. Chigger bites look like small pimples. The skin above the area which has been bitten is raised and is a dark red color.

Chigger bites appear in clusters around the body areas that are usually covered with tight clothing. These areas include the waist and ankles where the sock line ends. Chigger bites might change during the course of their healing.

The center of the pimple-like bite might ooze when it is scratched. You might want to keep your hands away.

Meanwhile, flea bites look like red welts on the skin, which are surrounded by a small rash on some occasions. Flea bites are extremely itchy, and the urge to scratch only increases.

Therefore, the skin where flea bites are present is commonly seen to have a dark scab right in the center where it might have been scratched. As fleas can only jump to a specific height, the bites are usually found around the ankles and feet.

The symptoms of these bites on the skin can greatly help to distinguish between the two insects. Another major difference between chigger bites and flea bites is that adult fleas bite.

However, it is baby chiggers that bite a host. Chigger larvae feed on the cells to live and grow. Fleas use the nourishment from the blood of the host to lay eggs.

How can you tell if you have chiggers?

Chiggers are also known as harvest mites, harvest lice, and red bugs. There are many other names on this list too. Chiggers, as their names suggest, are mostly found in lawns and grassy fields where their growth has been unchecked and unruly.

Chiggers can find their way inside a house sometimes as they like to attach themselves to hosts. However, they are most commonly found outside, and therefore it is better to wear long sleeves and long pants when working outside in fields or in gardens.

Chiggers cannot live indoors for long, especially when they are not attached to a host. Chiggers tend to group into clusters and attach to the host for a long duration.

They remain on the body of the host for around four days and keep feeding on their blood for hours and days. It is only when these chiggers detach themselves from the host that the itching begins and swelling becomes visible. The itching increases as time pass by.

You can recognize that the bites are chigger bites by the symptoms. The symptoms include raised pimple-like skin that oozes in the center when it is scratched.

Although chigger bites are not really harmful, they can affect the health of a person if they cause an infection or an allergic reaction. Providing proper treatment to these bites is highly advised as the itching can also cause pain to some people.

How can you tell if your bites are from fleas?

Fleas can feed on humans as well as pets. They can be found outside and inside the house, and they can travel by attaching themselves to a host. The underbelly of a pet animal is a good place for fleas to attach themselves, and they can be transferred to the rug or other parts of the house.

Flea bites are recognizable from their appearance. Flea bites look like welts surrounded by redness.

The itching around the area that is bitten can be really irritating, and scratching it may result in the formation of dark spots. A flea bite can be really harmful to human health as some flea species carry certain diseases which can be transferred to humans through the bite.

Moreover, there is also a risk of getting an infection from vigorous scratching and there is also a risk of experiencing an allergic reaction to the bite. Since fleas attack the areas around the ankles and feet, it is important to cover your legs properly while going outside where fleas can possibly be living.

How do you get rid of chiggers fast?

Bugs, including chiggers, are quite hard to get rid of. Due to their tiny size, chiggers are not visible when someone is not deliberately looking for them. They appear like red dots when looked at from a distance.

The fastest way to get rid of chiggers is to use a chigger repellent while working in areas where you think there might be a chigger infestation. If you find chigger bites on your body, take a hot shower and scrub your body properly.

The clothes you were wearing must also be washed in warm soapy water to get rid of any lingering bugs.

Professional pest control services should be contacted to get rid of an infestation in a garden. Pest control services fumigate the whole area so that no bug survives.

If even a single chigger bug is seen lurking or you have a new chigger bite after pest control has been, this means the infestation has not been completely destroyed. You would need to call pest control services again in such a situation as an increased number of chiggers will mean more bites and itching.