Chigger (Red bug/Berry bug)

Found in tall grass, weeds, berry patches, and woodland edges with high humidity.

Larvae feed on skin cells and lymph fluid; adults feed on insect eggs and small arthropods in the soil.

The larval stage is parasitic on vertebrates. They do not burrow but attach to skin, inject digestive enzymes to liquefy cells, and drop off after feeding.

Causes intense itching and red welts in humans; in some regions outside the US, they can transmit scrub typhus. Generally considered a nuisance pest.