Chiggers, those small red pests, have the uncanny ability to ruin your outdoor adventures with their itchy bites. But what about their presence in your bed? Can these bothersome bugs infiltrate your sanctuary and turn your peaceful slumber into a nightmare of constant itching? In this all-inclusive article, we will delve deep into the world of chiggers to explore whether they can invade your sleeping haven. Our team of experts will provide valuable insights, essential tips, and reliable information, ensuring you can rest easy without the fear of chigger bites. So let’s lay the myths to rest and uncover the truth about chiggers and their potential relationship with your bed.
If you’ve ever experienced the distressing itchiness and irritation caused by chigger bites, you know just how unpleasant they can be. These tiny, red bugs commonly inhabit grassy or wooded areas, particularly during the warm weather months in the United States. But amidst the discomfort, the question lingers: Can chiggers make their home in your bed? The mere thought of chiggers living in your bed may send shivers down your spine, but let’s ascertain whether this is indeed a legitimate concern. In this article, we’ll explore the possibility of chiggers residing in your bed and also provide you with effective measures to protect yourself from these pesky bugs.
Can Chiggers Live in Your Bed?
The short answer is no, chiggers cannot live in your bed. Chiggers belong to the arachnid family and have a lifecycle that involves four stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. The larval stage is the one that causes the notorious itching by attaching to a host and injecting enzymes into the skin to feed on the dissolved tissues. However, these larvae are not adapted to survive in bedding or indoor environments.
The reason chiggers cannot live in your bed lies in their specific habitat requirements. They thrive in moist, grassy areas, such as forests, meadows, and overgrown vegetation. Your bed lacks the ideal environment for their survival, as it is dry and unsuitable for their life cycle.
Can Chiggers Live In Your Bed and Bed Sheets?
This question has been worrying a lot of people lately. Most people are concerned about chiggers’ ability to dwell in their bedsheets and couches. Because being bitten by chiggers anytime you sit or sleep is not a nice experience. So, without further ado, let us try to have a better grasp of the problem.
Chiggers can get into your bed linens, but only for a brief period. They will then try to locate a host, either a pet or a human, and attach themselves to the skin. However, you may get bitten by chiggers during that one or two days.
When a chigger connects to a host, it usually lingers on the skin for three days before crawling away and moving on to the next stage of its existence. However, because of the stinging and scratching caused by their bites, they usually only stay on people for 1-2 days.
Chiggers can only live for a few days in your bed sheets. This is because your bedroom is not like its normal shaded, green, damp surroundings.
Chiggers like to live outside, and once they’ve done feeding on your flesh, they need certain conditions to complete their life cycle.
Because these settings are so dissimilar to those in your bed, they will only stay in your room for a few days.
If you continue to get bitten in your sleep, the most likely culprits are bed bugs, which, unlike chiggers, are perfectly at ease in the bedroom.
Can Chiggers Live In Your House?
The simple and unsavory answer is yes. Chiggers can enter your home.
The most typical way for a chigger to enter your house is via hitching a ride on you or your pets.
Humans are typically unaware that they have picked up these small hitchhikers at first, making it simpler for chiggers to effectively enter your home.
Chigger larvae can survive in your home for more than two months (typically 50 to 70 days).
They will be able to develop into adults if they feed by biting you, your family, or your pets.
The adults do not bite humans and do not linger. If they do not feed throughout that early period, they will perish.
How Long Can Chiggers Live In Your Bed?
Chiggers will linger on your bed for a few days at most, depending on the type of preventive action you use. Chiggers love green, moist, and gloomy settings in the wild, however, your bed is not at all suited for them.
That’s why, after a few days, the chiggers will start looking for a way out of your bed via a host body.
Chiggers, like spiders, are arachnids. They are available in a variety of warm-toned colors such as orange and red. They can be difficult to detect with the naked eye, and many people notice the rash they produce before the insect itself.
Because of this, the only method to tell whether you have chiggers in your bed is to look for bite marks and rashes.
How to Prevent Chiggers in Your Bed?
The perfect way to prevent chiggers in your bed is to avoid the bed to moist areas that are prone to chiggers. Chiggers travel to your home through your skin as they attach to it. So you have to be careful when you return from outside.
Cover up When Hiking: When you are going hiking, never leave any part exposed. Cover all the skin with clothing. The perfect way to avoid chigger bites is to wear long pants and sleeves outdoors. This is especially important if you plan to venture into grassy or wooded areas, where chiggers (and other biting insects) are most abundant.
Avoid Walking Through Long Grass: Chiggers love a shady, damp environment, and are most abundant in the long grass. You can reduce your risk of bites by avoiding grassy areas, and instead sticking to paths and mowed trails.
Wear Insect Repellent: Double down on your insect protection by covering any exposed skin with an insect-repellent spray. The most effective of these contains DEET, though there are plenty of natural alternatives to choose from. Insect-repellent spray can keep you safe from chiggers, ticks, mosquitoes, gnats, and more.
Shower as Soon as You Get Home: As soon as you get home from a place where chiggers reside, get a proper shower with soap. This will remove any chiggers that are attached to your body.
Wash Your Clothes in Hot Water: Wash your clothes as soon as you return home from any wooded or grassy area. This will kill any chiggers (or other bugs) that are lurking in your garments before they get a chance to latch to your skin. It will also prevent them from being transferred to other parts of your home.
How to Get Rid of Chiggers in Bed and Mattress?
4 simple methods to get rid of chiggers in bed, mattress, and bedsheets –
- Using hot water to wash: Wash all of your cushions and sheets, as well as any fabric that has been exposed to chiggers, thoroughly at the highest temperatures possible. Only use bleach when required. All fabrics should be dried at the maximum possible temperature.
- Cleaning using Steam: All chiggers should be killed by combining steam and soap water. You should consider utilizing a pest-killing steam cleaner. Apply the steam cleaner with caution to your sheets, pillow, and any other locations where chiggers may be present.
- Sulfur application: Sulfur is a well-known insect and spider repellent that also works well against chiggers. Sulfur powder is available for purchase and may be sprayed on chigger-infested regions. Be cautious since sulfur might irritate the eyes, skin, and throat of certain persons.
- Essential Oils: If you are sensitive to sulfur, essential oil mixes can be used in their place. Essential oils that naturally repel pests include lemongrass, lemon eucalyptus, citronella, and lavender. Many commercial repellents contain essential oils as an active ingredient.
Before sleeping in your bed, you can also do the following:
- Remove all linens, and immediately wash them in the washer with detergent.
- Thoroughly dry them in your dryer in the highest heat setting.
- While the linens are washing and drying, spray your mattress, box spring, and floor with a Chigger Spray – We highly recommend EcoRaider’s spray, which is all-natural and green.
- Let the spray dry, then vacuum the mattress, box springs, and carpet – Preferably with a HEPA vacuum or HEPA filter.
Can Chiggers Live on Your Couch?
Chiggers may survive on your sofa for a short time (2-3 days). However, chiggers can only reach your sofa if a host, such as humans or animals, transports them there. Chiggers can’t stay on the couch or any other furniture for long since they require nutrition to thrive.
How Long Can Chiggers Live on Furniture?
Chiggers can’t live on furniture for more than a few days since they prefer a moist and gloomy habitat outside rather than indoors. Chiggers obtain their nourishment from the host’s skin, and without it, they will be unable to complete their life cycle.
Chiggers live between 50 and 70 days. They can survive inside the home on carpets, clothing, and furniture, but if they are not fed, they will die within a month.
They develop into adults who do not bite people after eating. The adults do not live in the house.
How to Get Rid of Chiggers on Your Couch?
To get rid of chiggers on your sofa, simply follow the methods outlined below –
- Vacuuming the couch: Chiggers will infest your couch’s crevices and fissures, as well as the cushions. To remove the chiggers, thoroughly vacuum the couch. Pour boiling water into the vacuum bag to kill the mites.
- Scrubbing: Take hot soapy water to scrub the couch to eliminate the chiggers. Machine-wash the pillows and cushions. After rinsing with hot water, let the soap air dry.
- Using pesticide: Spray a pesticide that is safe for indoor use on your couch. Spray all over the sofa to get rid of chiggers. While most insecticides are sprayed directly onto the sofa, for most efficacy, follow the product label’s instructions.
- Cleaning and washing: If your sofa is washable, you should steam-clean the complete set. Because chiggers may crawl, it’s also a good idea to wash and disinfect the floor and carpet surrounding your sofa.
Closing Thoughts on Chiggers in Bed and BedSheets
In conclusion, the idea of chiggers infesting your bed is simply a myth. Chiggers cannot survive in the dry and unsuitable conditions of indoor spaces. Their preferred habitats are outdoor areas with tall grass and overgrown vegetation. However, it’s crucial to take preventive measures to avoid chigger bites during outdoor activities.
Remember to wear protective clothing, use insect repellents, and stick to designated trails to minimize contact with these tiny pests. In case of chigger bites, resist the urge to scratch and apply anti-itch creams for relief.
Now that you’re well-informed about chiggers and their habits, you can enjoy your outdoor adventures without fear. So go ahead, explore the beauty of nature, and leave the chiggers to their grassy homes.
Finally, prevention is the most crucial strategy in dealing with chigger infestations. When preparing for the warmer season, it is a good idea to consider prevention against chiggers, which can eventually creep into your bed.
Here are some preventative measures you should take:
- When going outside, always wear a cover-up. Never leave naked flesh exposed, especially while hiking through grassy regions. Also, if Chiggers commonly plague you, always wear a Chigger Repellent, like ChiggAway. Additionally, always wear boots, long pants, and long sleeves when going into areas that may have chiggers.
- Keep the lawn or outdoor grass as short as possible.
- After coming from outdoors, check for any bugs and bites on your body. This can help you detect the chiggers before they cause any harm.
- Use insecticides throughout the yard regularly during the summer months to get a leg start on the chiggers. If you suspect you have chiggers in your yard, you’ll want to follow the steps to kill chiggers.
I hope that by now you might have got the answer to the question, “Can chiggers live in your bed?” which has been haunting most people when they sleep.
If you found this article helpful, then share it with your peers who are unaware of the different ways of getting rid of chiggers in bed.
Have you ever faced a chigger infestation in your home? Comment down below to let us know what remedy worked perfectly for you to get rid of chiggers!
People also search for –
