Chiggers in Wisconsin? Mosquito bites have company

Nov 12, 2018

Low angle of someone walking through woods, leaves - Chiggers in Wisconsin — Chiggers are tiny mites that cause lesions on your skin when they bite. You can find them in grasses and weeds.

For most Wisconsinites, mosquitos are the first thing that comes to mind when getting bit by a bug outside. However, another pesky and often overlooked bug called a chigger can be just as frustrating.

Chiggers are a tiny mite found in grasses and weeds growing in forests, fields, parks, gardens and around lakes or rivers. They cannot fly, so chigger bites typically cluster around shoe and sock margins.

Typically you find chiggers in the Southern U.S., but you can also find them in Wisconsin.

“Individual lesions caused by chigger bites can look very similar to mosquito bites,” said Dr. Erik Stratman, a dermatologist with Marshfield Clinic Health System. “However, mosquito bites tend to occur on any skin that is exposed and are less likely to be clustered like chigger bites.”

With many similarities to a mosquito bite, chigger bites can:

Be very itchy
Cause red spots on your skin that can be raised or flat
Cause red spots that may look like blisters or pimples

How to treat

“Using over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream or ointment applied twice daily can help decrease the inflammatory reaction that makes them itch,” said Stratman.

He also recommends anti-itch cooling lotions, such as Sarna^®, to help with the urge to scratch. If the bites are itchy, you should take care to not dig and scratch at the areas.

“The trouble people get into with these bites is with secondary infections from scratch sores,” said Stratman.

These sores and possible infection could lead to needing medical attention. However, most chigger bites do not require a medical visit. Typically the lesions heal within 1-2 weeks.

For more information about how to treat chigger bites, talk to your primary care provider.

For questions about bug bites, talk to a Marshfield Clinic Health System provider.

Schedule appointment Message your provider

8 responses to “Chiggers in Wisconsin? Mosquito bites have company”

Proxies For Gsa Ser

Jul 17, 2023

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Reply
Beth

May 13, 2020

My mother visited southeastern U.S. in February. She has been dealing with chiggers ever since. She has tried everything by washing and scrubbing the whole house with thyme oil. Could her house be infested with them? If so what can she do to eradicate them. Or could it be a different big that is very similar? Thank you for any help you can give. It have been 16 weeks!

Reply
1. Jacob Zipperer
  
  May 14, 2020
  
  Hi Beth – we reached out to Dr. Stratman and here is what he had to say:
  
  "It is less likely that the patient is dealing with ongoing chiggers, and more likely that she is dealing with persistent chigger bite reaction. Chiggers are a real type of biting mite that can lead to very itchy skin bumps. These mites live on grasses and weeds, particularly in the South. Chigger bites tend to cluster right around the sock margins on the legs because this is the first area available to the mite to bite when it climbs up the shoes and socks to feed on an unsuspecting host. Chiggers do not typically infest homes, nor do they live on the body of individuals, so it is highly unlikely that there is a chigger infestation in the patient's home in Wisconsin. When a person experiences insect bites from a new type of insect, many times the person’s immune system creates an inflammatory response that is very vigorous. This can lead to very itchy bumps that take weeks to resolve. When the patient scratches at these bumps, unfortunately this often leads to the itching bumps persisting and becoming more itchy with time. What started as a simple mite bite slowly turns into a chronic itchy bump condition. We see this commonly in dermatology clinics. The condition that results is called prurigo nodularis, lichen simplex chronicus, and several other names as well. The itch is like a snowball rolling downhill. The more it gets scratched, the more the itchy nerve fibers proliferate, the more itchy each bump becomes, the more it gets scratched, and so on. Treatment of this condition usually requires 2 things: A prescribed topical steroid and a self imposed "timeout" to avoid rubbing and scratching at any of the itchy lesions when the urge to scratch arises. By putting yourself in a timeout, it brings the rubbing and scratching of the lesions to the conscious mind. By being more consciously aware of when you scratch, you will tend to scratch at the area less. That, plus the application of topical steroids twice daily, should help to slowly resolve the lesions. Even when the itch is subsiding, the discoloration from the lesions can last for months, so do not be alarmed, this is normal.
  
  If the patient is noticing brand new bites rather than persisting old bites, and lesions are present all over the body or areas other than the lower legs, it may not be chigger bites at all. If there are animals in the home, check them for fleas. Fleas will bite humans when hungry and often live in carpeted areas waiting for their next host. If there is a newly purchased used mattress or recent stay in a hotel, it is possible the patient is instead dealing with bedbugs. Bedbugs are a type of biting insect that you could transport home from a stay in a hotel room where bedbugs were present. There are many signs of bedbug infestation 1 can look for at the edge of their mattress. This often takes an exterminator examination and treatment to rid the house of bedbugs. If none of this seems to fit, the patient can always have the eruption reviewed by a dermatologist or provider comfortable in assessing and managing skin disorders."
  
  Thanks and hope that helps,
  Jake
  
  Reply
  1. Betg
    
    May 14, 2020
    
    Thank you so much for the thorough response! I will pass this all on to my mother and pray for the best 🙂
Sara

Jan 26, 2019

I have them now and it's JANUARY SOMEONE HELP!!! ITS causing problems. For me!! I've HAD THEM FOR MONTHS NOW NOBODY WILL HELP ME and I think bed bugs are wherever I go it seems is this a plague !! What did I do to deserve this

Reply
1. Kirsten Shakal, Shine365 Editor
  
  Jan 28, 2019
  
  I'm sorry to hear that, Sara.
  
  Dr. Stratman suggests over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream or ointment applied twice daily to decrease the inflammation that is causing itching.
  
  He also recommends anti-itch cooling lotions, such as Sarna®, to help with the urge to scratch.
  
  As he mentions, it's important to resist scratching as this can cause sores and infection.
  
  Best,
  Kirstie
  
  Reply
Ginna A Glass

Nov 15, 2018

What do they look like, a photo would be most helpful.

Reply
1. Kirsten Shakal, Shine365 Editor
  
  Nov 16, 2018
  
  Hi, Ginna. They're quite small. WebMD describes them as "bugs so small you need a magnifying glass to spot them." You can learn more about chiggers and what their bites look like here: https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/prevent-treat-chigger-bites
  
  -Kirstie
  
  Reply