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Life cycle

Harvest mite larvae are small, tiny, irritating, red immatures between the egg and nymph stages, which have not yet become adult mites. They are usually microscopic. The larvae often live in berry patches, tall grass and weeds, woodland edges, pine straw, leaves, and treebark, or in typical habitats of their hosts (especially rodents).

The larval mites feed on the skin cells, but not blood, of animals, including humans. The six-legged parasitic larva feeds on a large variety of creatures including humans, rabbits, toads, box turtles, quail, and even some insects. After crawling onto their host, they inject digestive enzymes into the skin that break down skin cells. They do not actually "bite," but instead form a hole in the skin and chew up tiny parts of the inner skin, thus causing severe irritation and swelling. The severe itching is accompanied with red pimple-like bumps (papules) or hives and skin rash or lesion on a sun-exposed area. For humans, itching usually occurs after the larvae detach from the skin. Chiggers are known for never spreading from host to host.

After feeding on their hosts, the larvae drop to the ground and become nymphs, then mature into adults which have 8 legs and are harmless to humans. In the post larval stage, they are not parasitic and feed on plant materials. The females lay 3-8 eggs in a litter, usually on a leaf or under the roots of a plant, and die by autumn.

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PinheadX said:

itchy red spots all along your underwear elastic

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So you wear tighty whiteys? 

GoodbyeOrb said:

Yeah deepwoods OFF will keep chiggers and ticks away, so always spray it around your ankles and shit. One or two always seem to find their way onto me though, and, in that instance, this works great. You are right tho, that shit never works for winged bugs, except MAYBE mosquitoes.

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