Chiggers Chiggers, Jiggers, Harvest Mites, or Red Bugs, Trombicula sp. Chiggers feed on humans, as well as a wide variety of snakes, turtles, birds, and small mammals. The larval stage has three pairs of legs, the nymph and adult four pairs. The larval stage of the mite is the only parasitic stage.
Adult mites overwinter in soil and other protected places and emerge in spring to lay eggs.
After hatching, chigger larvae climb up onto vegetation from which they can attach themselves to a passing host. After engorgement, often requiring one to several days, larvae drop off the host and transform into eight-legged nymphs which mature to the adult stage. The life cycle is about 2 months, with adult females living up to one year producing multiple generations. Chiggers are usually encountered in late spring and summer in woodlots, pastures, roadside ditches or other areas with tall grasses and weeds. They lurk near the top of grass stems, leaves, shrubbery, etc., usually in damp, shaded spots.