Probably not. http://www.ehow.com/about_4566530_chiggers.html "Chiggers range from Central Mexico to Canada. They prefer fields that are filled with grass or weeds. There is a species of chigger in the Pacific Islands and in Eastern Asia that is a vector for Japanese River Fever."
You will know them if you ever run across them. http://insects.suite101.com/article.cfm/chiggers_parasitic_mites "What are chigger mites? The group of mites collectively known as chigger mites includes a wide range of genera and species distributed over the tropical and temperate regions of the globe. In North America, the species most commonly encountered is Trombicula alfreddugesi. Like spiders and scorpions, mites are arachnids; adults have four pairs of legs. The adults of the various chiggers feed on invertebrates (worms, snails etc.) and are seldom noticed, but the larvae are parasitic on mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, and cause great discomfort when they feed on humans. How do people get chiggers? Chigger mite larvae hatch from eggs deposited in the environment, usually in tall grasses, brushy areas, swamps and bogs, and other localities where plant growth is low and thick. The microscopic larvae wait in the low vegetation and climb onto any animal or human moving through the area near them. On people, the larvae tend to migrate to areas where the clothing is snug - under waistbands, under the tops of socks, or where a backpack presses against the skin, for example. Chigger bites Chigger mites neither burrow under the skin nor suck blood. Instead, they attach to the skin and inject a substance that creates a pool of liquid nutrients by dissolving and liquefying the skin cells. The host's immune system responds by trying to create a barrier between the affected cells and healthy cells - a tiny tubular hole called a stylostome forms in the skin with the larva in the center, still drawing liquefied food from the tissues below the bite as though sucking through a straw. Most people have no idea they've been invaded by microscopic mite larvae while they were out in the woods and fields. For the lucky few, there will be no after-effects: not all chigger mites cause discomfort and not all individuals react to the bites. For many however, days of suffering are just beginning. About twenty-four hours after the initial bite, a red raised lesion appears, often with a fluid filled blister-like center. The mite is still present; it will eventually drop off if allowed to finish its meal but many are killed at this stage when the host scratches. The intensely itchy bite progresses over the next few days, becoming larger, turning slightly bluish like a bruise and crusting over. Scratching may lead to secondary infection of the lesions. The agony of chigger bites is usually limited to the unbearable discomfort and occasional secondary infection; however, some chiggers are known to carry diseases. Leptotrombidium sp. chiggers in Japan, Southeast Asia, and nearby countries carry an organism that causes scrub typhus, or tsutsugamushi disease, a serious infection that is occasionally fatal." - Steve N Read more at Suite101: Chiggers - Parasitic Mites: Chigger Mites have Parasitic Larvae that Inflict Intense Discomfort http://insects.suite101.com/article.cfm/chiggers_parasitic_mites#ixzz0rahYqU4J From: Jane MacRoss [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 6:34 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: CS>chiggers Is there an Australian chigger equivalent? I don't know what they are. Jane http://www.eamega.com/HighFieldHealth ~The Highest Field of Energy Healing you now!~ My husband came home from a trip with a nasty bunch of chigger bites all over. Anyone know of a remedy? Thanks, Paula -- The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. Rules and Instructions: http://www.silverlist.org Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html Off-Topic discussions: <mailto:[email protected]> List Owner: Mike Devour <mailto:[email protected]>
