Welcome to Natural Wonders, where I try to find out the answers to random questions that pop into my head while I’m out in the woods. This week’s question is near and dear to my heart (as you’ll read below), but it’s also in response to a subscriber’s request to research chiggers — if you have a question you’d like me to dig up answers for, please leave a comment at the bottom of the newsletter. If someone forwarded you this email, you can subscribe below:
Another fascinating article, thank you. I've never heard of chiggers in New Zealand, and if they occur, they must be rare. I've spent a heap of time working in the outdoors and never encountered anything which could be them. It's possible that we don't have a lot of mammal-biting beasties because of our lack of native land mammals. However, that didn't prevent us getting some pretty fierce sandflies, not to mention our lethal nettles (literally lethal, but only in rare circumstances).
It's good news that the chiggers mite doesn't burrow into your skin and lay eggs there, but in the process of trying to find out whether chiggers occur in New Zealand I found that there is a mite that does that - the scabies mite. Fortunately I've never encountered that either.
Another fascinating article, thank you. I've never heard of chiggers in New Zealand, and if they occur, they must be rare. I've spent a heap of time working in the outdoors and never encountered anything which could be them. It's possible that we don't have a lot of mammal-biting beasties because of our lack of native land mammals. However, that didn't prevent us getting some pretty fierce sandflies, not to mention our lethal nettles (literally lethal, but only in rare circumstances).
It's good news that the chiggers mite doesn't burrow into your skin and lay eggs there, but in the process of trying to find out whether chiggers occur in New Zealand I found that there is a mite that does that - the scabies mite. Fortunately I've never encountered that either.
So glad the temp is getting down to 60 degrees, at least in the morning!
I see chiggers in a whole new light now! Chigger Slurpee is a great term.
Fascinating article about chiggers! Really appreciate the info and suggestions.