Trombiculidae

Trombiculidae (/trɒmbᵻˈkjuːlᵻdiː/ (also called berry bugs, harvest mites, red bugs, scrub-itch mites and aoutas) are a family of mites. The best known of the Trombiculidae are the chiggers. The two widely recognized definitions of "chigger" are the scientific (or taxonomic) definition and the common definitions found in English and medical dictionaries. According to most dictionaries, the several species of Trombiculidae that bite their host in their larval stage and cause "intense irritation" or "a wheal, usually with severe itching and dermatitis," are called chiggers. The scientific definition seemingly includes many more, but not all species of Trombiculidae.

Trombiculidae live in forests and grasslands and are also found in the vegetation of low, damp areas such as woodlands, berry bushes, orchards, along lakes and streams, and even in drier places where vegetation is low, such as lawns, golf courses, and parks. They are most numerous in early summer when grass, weeds, and other vegetation are heaviest. In their larval stage, they attach to various animals, including humans, and feed on skin, often causing itching. These relatives of ticks are nearly microscopic, measuring 0.4 mm (1/60 of an inch) and have a chrome-orange hue. There is a marked constriction in the front part of the body in the nymph and adult stages. The best known species of chigger in North America is the hard-biting Trombicula alfreddugesi of the southeastern United States, humid Midwest and Mexico; in the UK, the most prevalent chigger, called the "harvest mite", is Trombicula autumnalis, with distribution through Western Europe to Eastern Asia.