Chiggers attack!

Chiggers are microscopic larvae of a type of mite that lurk in unkempt areas of park or garden. They are related to ticks and are about 1/150th of an inch in size. They basically jump on when you walk nearby and then crawl up until they can't go further and then dig in.
Only problem is they can't handle human blood and skin so they die and drop off, leaving their drinking tube in the skin and causing itching worse than mosquito bites.

A popular method for getting rid of chiggers is to put nail polish on the bites. The only problem with this is that the chiggers are already gone.

The successful defences are:
1. Make sure all lawn areas are mowed and garden areas constantly maintained. Then it is too busy for chiggers to stay.
2. Put your pants in your socks so they can't get on.
3. Once home after a walk in the woods or unkempt areas throw all your clothes into the wash and have a shower.
4. Buy a supply of anti itching cream when this all fails.
This is a good site for more information on Chiggers. That's where the lovely photo has been obtained - it is of a friendly chigger enlarged about 1500 times. The larval form is barely visible to the human eye.
This information has been shared because some chiggers got me at Cooper's Creek. Bother!