Are you itching at the ankles soon after hiking, picnicking or walking on a lawn? You may have chigger bites.
Chiggers found in North Carolina, also known as red bugs, are the immature form of a mite. The bites can cause small, red bumps or welts on the skin and intense itching.
Chiggers occur most frequently in areas of thick vegetation where the animals they normally bite (small mammals, birds, and reptiles) live. Although chiggers are more common in damp, shady areas, they also occur on golf courses or lawns.