ST. LOUIS — Residents across the St. Louis region are taking advantage of the warmer temperatures and getting outdoors. Some, however, are being met with painful, irritated bumps rather than summer relaxation.
Extremely tiny bugs are leaving intensely itchy welts on people's ankles, waist and even armpits across the area, and many have already correctly guessed the culprits: Chiggers. The mites best survive in brushy or weedy areas, but some residents have said they have been getting bit in their backyards.
The Missouri Department of Conservation doesn't specifically track or research chiggers, but conservationists have some theories on why many in St. Louis believe they're experiencing an especially bad chigger season right now.
Chiggers thrive in areas that retain some moisture during the day and are most active in the afternoon when ground temperatures are between 77 and 86 degrees, according to MDC's website. The warmer temperatures, paired with recent showers that recently fell on the St. Louis region, may have created the perfect conditions for peak chigger activity.
However, because of the lack of scientific data, conservationists are weary of declaring this year any worse than previous years.
"If a person walked into a given field wearing long pants last year, then walked into the same field this year wearing shorts, they might end up with more bites and conclude that the 'chiggers are worse this year,'" an MDC spokesperson said. "In reality, with no clothing barriers on their legs, the mites simply had easier access to the skin, and therefore there were more bites. Or maybe that field was dry last year when they walked in it, and this year, they went right after a rain."
Regardless of whether chiggers are more active this year or not, there are steps people can take to protect themselves from the mites bites.
"Protect your skin by wearing tightly woven clothes that cover as much of your body as possible with minimal openings, applying insect repellents, and bathing soon after exposure," MDC's website said.
Learn about chiggers, their habitat and their part in the ecosystem on MDC's website here.
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