Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-09-04
CH|GGER A sP|DER2
Misguided in Its Endeavorto Live
1t Attacks Humans.
Their Papas and Mammals Are About
the Size Of Pinhead and In.
habit Old stumps and Logs
In the Woods.

In singing of the bandar-log-the
monkey folk of the Indian jurgle-Mr.
Kipling paid an indirect tribute to the
flea. Comes now Uncle Sam and his
entomologists to pay direct tribute,
along with compact biography, to
the chigger-a more or less distant
relative Of the flea.
Picnicker. golfer. camper, farmer,
townsman in the country for q day,
all have entertained the belief that the
chigger originated somewhere near
home; that he was Indigenous to the
prairie and the woods Of the middle
West. But no, says the government
entomologist, the chigger is a pest Of
passage who was observed Ia Europe
in 1884 and probably migrated to
America from the West Indies. (The
immigration laws certainly need regu.
lating!)
From the West Indies, the chgger
migrated to the Gulf coast He set out
to possess the landau object which
he speedily accomplished, as all the
Wlu6 duu l1ouDlSu OVuulu AAO1u L dLupd
to Galveston Will attest. Then the
Alexander chigger sought new worlds
to conquer, and found them in the
north-up the Atlantic seaboard to
New Jersey. up the Mississippi river
to Missouri and Illinois. He left New
England unvisited.
The chigger is really an embryo that
never got out of the chrysalls stage.
He started out to be red spider"
and stopped at being pest. His papa
and mamma are red spiders" about
the size OF a pinhead and bright red.
They inhabit old stumps and logs in
the woods and feed on vegetable
diet. But their offspring are divided
into two classes-the bloodthirsty and
the non-bloodthirsty.
The non-bloodthirsty. like we'll be-
haved child, heeds mothers advice and
dimes on grass and leaves and old
woods. He grows up to be a red
spider" But the bloodthirsty little
cuss hunts up quadruped or biped
when he feels hungry and burrows.
He has no control over his appetite,
says the entomo1ogist, and gorges him.
self. Ergo, he dies. He is the CHG
ger. He is so small that he can
scarcely be seen by the naked eye
OF course, he doesn't rear family,
in consequence. But his nen-blood'
thirsty brothers and sisters will reach
years Of maturity and acquire on
spring. And among their children will
be chiggers. So the race is kept up.
All the world and his wife and chill
dren know how the chigger operates;
burrowing under the skin and staying
there. Then the little red spot ap-
pears. Frantic scratching on the part
of the sufferer has been known to In
duce erysipelas and blood poisoning,
followed occasionally by death.
Uncle Sam to the rescue. Says the
bulletin of the government entomolo'
gist: III bath be taken In hot va
ter, or water containing salt or strong
soap, within a few hours after expos
ure, no Ill effects will be experienced.
After q longer exposure . bath has no
effect, and direct remedies are aeces-
sary. In such case apply 4 cooling To-
ton OF strong ammonia, btcarbonate
of soda or common cooking soda or
salaratus.
AS preventives OF attack, outward
applications OF flowers Of sulphur OF
naphthaline are recommended. Like
wise, keep grass. weeds and useless
heritage moved as closely as possible,
exposing the chigger to the sun. IN
addition, dust the grass and othei
plants, after cutting, with Mowers Oh
sulphur or spray with diluted kerosene
emulsion mixed with sulphur. Inc
sulphur makes the chigger sneeze him
self to death.
The entomologist further states tina!
II sheep are kept in the mite infested
regions they will disappear.