Ticks Vs. Chiggers: Do You Know the Difference?

Spring is just around the corner. We’re all going to be spending more time outside than we have over the past few months, getting things cleaned up and preparing for backyard parties. But with such a mild winter (and I mean mild), the tick and chigger populations are likely to be through the roof. In this guide, we’ll go over ticks vs chiggers so you’ll know which pest you found crawling on you, which might have bitten you, and what you need to do to stay safe.

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Ticks and Chiggers: The Differences

It’s important to look at the differences between these two bugs (they’re actually not bugs at all) before going further. Here’s the deal:

Ticks

Ticks are small, bloodsucking arthropods (they’re actually arachnids, like spiders). They’re typically between 3 and 5 mm long, but this depends on the type of tick, age, gender, and how much it’s eaten recently. They have 8 legs and two body segments which are essentially the head and the body.

They can be orange, brown, grayish-white, black, or yellowish in color, depending on the species. They can also darken or redden in appearance if they’ve just eaten. They generally live in wooded areas or low-lying areas like tall grass, leaf litter, and shrubs.

Common tick types include:

• Black-legged tick (also known as the deer tick)
• Lone Star tick
• American Dog tick
• Brown Dog tick
• Rocky Mountain Wood tick
• Also, “seed ticks” are another common type of tick, but this simply refers to a tick that’s in the early stages of life.

There are several types of ticks and tick-borne diseases, which makes these small pests very dangerous. Diseases include Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Babesiosis, Tularemia, and Powassan virus. A bite from the Lone Star tick (specifically lone star larvae) can even trigger alpha-gal, which causes an allergic reaction when the victim eats red meat.

Chiggers

Chiggers are also arachnids (and mites), but they’re much smaller and very difficult to see. The version of the chigger that humans have to worry about is the larval stage, and these chiggers are bright red (though after they eat a blood meal, they can take a straw-colored appearance). Like ticks, they typically live in tall grass and dense vegetation, enjoying the humid temperatures of the late spring and summer months most (though they can be around all year).

One of the most interesting aspects of chiggers is that the larvae have six legs while the adults have eight legs. They molt several times during their life as they outgrow their bodies, and this eventually leads to the growth of a fourth pair of legs. Also, the larvae are the only concern for humans. Chigger bites only occur when a larval-stage chigger is involved, as the adults do not bite. But these chiggers can be extremely hard to see, which is why they can have so much success feeding on humans.

Note: Chiggers look a lot like clover mites, but they aren’t the same. If they’re biting you, they’re chiggers. If they’re just red and doing little red bug things, they’re clover mites.

Bottom Line:

If it’s got two body segments, it’s probably a tick. If it’s red, has less than 8 legs, and is really ridiculously hard to see, it’s probably a chigger. Keep in mind, however, that Lone Star ticks are often mistaken for chiggers, so it’s still possible to mix them up.

Ticks Vs Chiggers Bites

Ticks and chiggers both bite humans and suck blood. However, how they go about their blood-sucking ways varies.

Tick Bites

Ticks latch onto humans’ pant legs, shoes, or ankles. They crawl up the skin until they find a suitable place to latch on. Once they find a place, they use their chelicerae (their jaw-like mouth parts) to dig a hole in the skin, and then they plunge their straw-like hypostome in, pushing it further and further into the host’s skin. Their hypostome features barbs that keep the tick locked on for as long as it needs to feed.

For a tick to transmit an illness, most experts state that it takes 36 to 48 hours. While that seems like a long time, it’s entirely possible because it’s rarely the adult ticks that transfer these diseases. It’s the seed ticks, which are extremely small and hard to see, and they inject a chemical that prevents the host from feeling the bite. If you can’t feel or see them, they can hang on for a long time.

Symptoms of a tick bite include (but aren’t limited to):

• Red welt
• Bullseye rash
• Lethargy
• Burning sensation
• Small blisters
• Stiffness
• Headache
• Nausea
• Fever

If you’ve been bitten by a tick, it may be a good idea to schedule a doctor’s appointment. Lyme disease and other nasty diseases can lie undetected for a very long time.

Note: In early July 2023, I actually contracted Lyme from a tick bite. If anyone wants to hear the story of what the treatment was like, feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to me at [email protected]

Chigger Bites

“As larvae attach to a host, it tends to choose warm, moist areas of the body. They grab onto the skin, attach their mouth, and inject saliva into the skin. This saliva liquefies skin cells. In response to this, the body hardens the skin around the saliva, and this creates a tube known as a stylostome in the skin. The mite uses the stylostome to suck out body fluids, and they’ll do so for about 4 days before detaching, ” from our article, “Chiggers in Bed? Here’s how to tell and what you can do.”

These red bugs don’t transmit diseases, but they can cause unbelievably uncomfortable itching. Hosts will usually find them in tight clusters around waistbands, bra lines, socks, and the groin area. They tend to bite under tighter-fitting clothing. They’re also active at night, leading many hosts to believe they’ve been bitten by bed bugs when they wake up.

The ironic thing about a chigger bite is once the host notices they’ve been bitten, those mites are long gone. They cannot survive inside a home, which is why infestations are very rare.

Bottom Line:

If it’s one bite that results in a rash, stiffness, or lethargy, it might be a tick bite. However, if it’s several bites all within one area where tight clothing is worn, they’re probably from chiggers biting.

How To Stay Safe from Ticks and Chiggers

When it comes to avoiding bites from either ticks or chiggers, there are a few things that you can do. The following are some tips for staying safe:

• Wear long pants and closed-toed shoes when you’re outside to prevent ticks and chiggers from having a free pass.
• Treat your clothing with DEET bug repellent or permethrin spray. DEET repels ticks and chiggers while permethrin will kill them.
• When you come in from outside, take off all of your clothes and put them in the drier for six minutes on high heat. Ticks and chiggers can’t take extreme temperatures, rendering your clothes safe again in just a few minutes.
• Tall grass is one of the common reasons these bugs flock to your home. Keep the grass in the yard mowed short to prevent creating the perfect environment for ticks and chiggers. Two to four inches is usually the ideal length.
• Don’t let your household animals walk through high grass on your property or during walks.
• Chiggers and ticks are super common dog bugs, and they’re common on cats too. Use flea and tick prevention medication on cats and dogs to prevent ticks from coming home riding pet-back.

FAQs

That’s a lot of great info on ticks and chiggers, but there might still be some questions that need answering. The following are some of those important questions.

Are chiggers or ticks worse?

Ticks and mosquitoes are much worse than chiggers. Both ticks and mosquitoes transfer life-altering diseases while chiggers are just looking to grow.

Do chiggers have Lyme disease?

No. Chiggers do not have, carry, or transmit Lyme. These mites are not known to transmit any illnesses, sicknesses, or bacteria. However, their bites can cause intense itching, and excessive scratching can cause infections. 

What happens if chiggers go untreated?

If left untreated, chiggers will continue to feed and cause rashes. However, they will eventually leave as only the larvae need to eat blood. Once they’re consumed enough blood to molt into adult, they’ll attempt to leave the home and get outside.