Can Chiggers Live in your Bed – Signs & Getting Rid of Them from Bed & Coach
Are you finding yourself waking up in your bed with small, red blistering bumps that come in clusters and leave you in torment due to itching?
The culprit may be Chiggers in your Bed!
Chiggers are proud members of the Trombiculidae family, and are very closely related to spiders & ticks .Chiggers are 1/60 inch long, which is microscopic.
Meaning it is almost impossible to see chiggers in your bed with naked eye. They have small bodies that are bright red to orange-reddish.
Their body is covered in hair-like prickles.A chigger will have six legs, while an adult chigger mite will have eight. They develop through multiple stages which are: Egg ,Larvae ,Nymph phases ,Adult.
The larval stage is where they primarily feed on human skin ,this is when they can attack you in your bed.
The process includes inserting their stylostome in a skin pore or hair follicle and injecting a digestive fluid containing enzymes that ruptures the skin cells, and the enzymes are then consumed as food.
Can Chiggers Live in your Bed?
Chiggers can definitely live in your bed, but not for long. After the larvae have finished eating, they move onto the next phase of their life which requires different conditions.
The most likely reason chiggers are residing in your bed can be simply:
By trekking chiggers in your bed from your outdoor clothes,
By allowing pets to introduce chiggers into your bed from being outside.
By recreating their perfect habitat where they will thrive, such as bedwetting.
Tip #1: Always be sure to cover vulnerable areas with thick clothing to avoid getting bit.
Tip #2: Restrict pets’ access to your bed and certain parts of the yard until the problem is solved.
Tip #3: Consistently wash bedding, sheets, and outdoor clothes with soap on the hottest setting for both washer and dryer.
Tip #4: Keep grassy areas outside to a short length, and use pesticides to rid of chiggers outdoors.
While yes, in most cases chiggers will not live or survive in your bed due to moving on in their life phases, the chances grow when their environment is mimicked; examples include bedwetting.
Chiggers tend to feel secure, especially during their larva feeding period. Creating this shady, warm, moist environment ensures a healthy area for chiggers to thrive in your bed.
This could result in a female mite laying eggs, which will produce more chiggers in your bed!
When first discovering bites from a chigger, it is very common to mistake them for bed bug bites; how do you know which one you are dealing with?
Chiggers and bed bugs live in very different conditions. Although their bites do look the same and are both irritating and uncomfortable; your overall health isn’t at risk.
Chiggers attach to your body from outdoors, and they feast for several hours or days depending if affected areas are cleaned in a timely manner. Due to their microscopic size, you can get bit and not feel the chiggers in your bed.
Now that you know it is possible to have chiggers in your bed, and you know how to identify it. It is now time to locate the chiggers so you can know what you are dealing with.
While it is true that you are most likely unable to see chiggers with the bare eye, I am confident that following these steps can help you determine if you have chiggers in your bed.
Steps on how to locate chiggers in your bed.
Gather a dark, small piece of cardboard and a magnifying glass.
Place the cardboard in your bed, at an angle, and pay close attention.
If you happen to notice small red polka-dots swiftly moving, grab the magnifying glass to identify if it is a chigger using the guidelines shown in this article.
How long can Chiggers live in your Bed?
Thankfully, chiggers will not live in your bed for too long. Chiggers only take shelter in your bed during their larvae period, which requires a three to four day feast on the skin enzymes.
After this process is complete they move onto the next stage of their life, an adult mite.
Adult mites are not suitable for your bed, as they require more specific conditions and eat soil, not human skin.
In Bedsheets:
Chiggers will live on bedsheets depending entirely on how you keep the area. Meaning if certain requirements are met, examples include how bedwetting provides a moist location.
This could result in the female mite to feel comfortable enough to lay up to 15 eggs a day, which will then hatch into chiggers.
This is entirely why it is very important to sanitize and clean bed sheets, blankets, and clothes when dealing with chiggers.
Will Chiggers Always Bite you if They Are in your Bed?
This will most likely depend if the chiggers have already become full from previous hosts.
Examples include if a beloved pet has brought chiggers into your bed; they could latch on as soon as you enter your bed. Which will ultimately result in bites.
Signs of Chigger Bites
While Chiggers don’t actually “bite” you, they insert their mouthparts injecting enzymes to liquify the skin.
They tend to prey on very thin skin, examples include wrinkles or the groin area.
When Chiggers bite you, they do it in multiples, resulting in large patches of red, textured bumps that leave the victim in itching agony for up to two weeks.
A few signs to look for
Itching is the most common symptom with chigger bites.
Red, blister-like clusters.
Intense scratching can cause bleeding and infection.
Irritability is the second symptom.
Chigger bite treatment
The only good news about getting chigger bites is that they don’t spread to other parts of your body, but you should still be looking for any more clusters so they can be properly cleaned.
At any time if you feel the bites seem to be persistently getting worse, contact a professional physician to help and guide you professionally through this situation.
Once you’ve noticed the bite, the best route is to:
Clean the affected area quickly,
Apply itching cream.
Resist the urge to itch.
Doing this will allow the intense itching to settle so the urge will disappear.
If continuously itched, the bites could result in intense bleeding as well as higher chances of infections.
How to get Rid of Chiggers In your Bed
A step by step guide
Begin by finding the origin of the chiggers, whether it is you bringing them in or your beloved pet. Once you know where they are coming from, you can eliminate the source.
Wash all blankets, bed sheets, clothing, and even pillows with a strong soap, as well as disinfectant. Using the hottest setting for both washer and dryer will ensure the materials to be properly cleaned.
Vacuum bedroom and any carpeting surrounding the bed. Specifically using a steamer on the carpet will ensure the chiggers are eliminated. Use a carpet safe disinfectant.
The use of pesticides will help keep chiggers away from your bed and house. Ones containing the ingredients bifenthrin and cyfluthrin will be most productive.
Lastly, sprinkling sulfur powder in chigger infested parts of the yard can easily repel them. It is also known to repel various spiders, ticks, and many other insects.
Preventing Chiggers from Infesting your Bed – In the Future
In conclusion, the most important step for dealing with chigger infestations is prevention.
When preparing for the warm weather, it is smart to include prevention against chiggers on your list which can eventually get in your bed.
This will save you in the future from intense itching, and a risk for infection.
A few prevention tips you should follow:
Always cover up when going outside. You should never leave bare skin vulnerable, especially if trekking through grassy areas.
Always keep the lawn, or outside grass to a shorter height.
If gone outside, check for any bugs or bites on the body. This could catch the Chiggers before they do any damage.
Use pesticides around the yard consistently through the warm months, this will give you a step up from the Chiggers.
Chiggers in Coach
Can chiggers live on your couch?
For a short time yes, chiggers prefer to have a warm host and a couch can eventually provide that. With a couch having more traffic than a bed, they have more opportunities to find their next meal.
Can an old couch inhabit chiggers?
If the old couch provides a similar environment to their habitat; a moist and damp area; then yes the couch can carry chiggers as well as provide a secure place to lay eggs.
How to remove chiggers from a couch?
If your couch is infested with chiggers, vacuum all areas containing suspected chiggers.
It’s best to clean all cushions, pillows, and all fabric with a steamer on the hottest setting and disinfect appropriately.
What can be sprayed to eliminate chiggers on the couch?
If you want to eliminate chiggers on a couch, it’s best to find pesticides that are safe for indoor use and won’t affect you or any pets you may have within the household. While spraying the couch, be sure to read all instructions and labels.
Are you finding yourself waking up in your bed with small, red blistering bumps that come in clusters and leave you in torment due to itching?
