Frequently Asked Questions About Insects - Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University

Frequently Asked Questions

Topic:	Chiggers
Question:	We are researching a question on chiggers, and our research is inconsistent. Do chiggers have 6 or 8 legs? Some say 6, others say 8. Any light on the subject?
Answer:	They have both! Chiggers, like ticks, have four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, adult. Strangely, larva have six legs, nymphs and adults have eight. The larval stage of chiggers is usually the one that bites humans. Chiggers are in the mite family, are also commonly called "redbugs" and related to ticks and spiders. So, that may explain the inconsistency in your research. You can read more about chiggers by clicking on the link below. There are illustrations with an explanation in the difference in the number of legs.
Related Link:	http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/L-1223.html
Related Link:
Image Link: **
Response by:	John A. Jackman
Title:	Professor and Extension Specialist
** Most of the Related Links above also contain images.