Do Chiggers Live in Spanish Moss?

When I was a little girl growing up in Waresboro, Georgia, I was taught- as most kids here are- to never touch Spanish moss or play with it, or else I’d get chiggers from it. And once you’ve had chigger bites, you never want to have them again! While not deadly, they are irritating as all get out. They can be SO horribly itchy that I’ve made myself bleed from scratching them when I was younger. And the more you scratch, the worse it gets!

So, what is a chigger after all? Chiggers, also known as redbugs, are tiny mites belonging to the Trombiculidae family. These mites are well known in the South for their ability to cause intense itching from their bites. And man are they hated and feared! Lots of folks here are taught to avoid Spanish moss because that’s where chiggers live. But… is this fact, or fiction?

Spanish moss drapes nearly every cypress tree in the grand Okefenokee Swamp - but don’t fear the moss!

While chiggers are commonly found in grassy and wooded areas, they do not typically live in Spanish moss (there are lots of other creatures that do live in Spanish moss!). Chiggers are a ground-dwelling parasite- that’s why you’re likely to get their bites around your ankles, the backs of your knees, and around your waistband! Spanish moss is an epiphyte- an air plant.

Unless Spanish moss is laying on the ground or is hanging low and brushing the ground or plants, you most likely won’t have to worry about getting chiggers from it because they can’t reach it (and certainly not Spanish moss hanging over swamp or river water). In fact, I touch Spanish moss in the Okefenokee Swamp all the time while leading my guided tours and never have I gotten chiggers from touching it. Now, picking it up off the ground, that’s a different story! I don’t recommend that. So, while they CAN be found in Spanish moss, it has to be on or at least touching the ground for that to be a potential problem.

If you're spending time in areas where chiggers are prevalent, it's advisable to take precautions: wear long sleeves and pants, use insect repellent (especially around your ankles), and avoid sitting directly on the ground.

chiggers often like to stop and feed around ankles

One more myth to debunk while we’re on the topic… chiggers burrow into your skin to feed on blood. In reality, chiggers do not burrow into the skin. They use their specialized mouthparts to pierce skin and inject enzyme-laden saliva. These enzymes break down skin cells in a way that forms a hollow feeding tube, from which they can extract fluids. Yes… they turn us into human juice boxes!

The intense itching that people experience after being bitten by chiggers is often a result of an allergic reaction to the enzymes in the chigger's saliva. Some people mistakenly believe that chiggers bury themselves under the skin, leading to practices such as applying nail polish or other substances in an attempt to smother the imagined invader. However you treat the bites, try your best not to scratch! Scratching makes it worse. Try patting instead!

If you’d like to see the beautiful curtains of Spanish moss up close and personal (chigger free!) in the Okefenokee Swamp with a local professional Naturalist, consider taking an Okefenokee & Satilla Expeditions guided tour. You’ll learn all kind of amazing things about Spanish moss, like how there once was a historic moss industry, how the native Timucuan people used it for clothing and decoration, and what creatures you might encounter in the moss (like a Seminole bat or rough green snake!).