Had no idea what they were until I visited relatives in Indiana - horrible. Chiggers too, which we do not have in California.
Will not be visiting if there is a “super bloom” of these little monsters.
We had a bad year for chiggers this past summer in KY.
I quit weeding the beds around the house this summer because I got so tired of getting chewed up. Damn itchy welts last for several weeks with me. They always get up into my upper thighs and groin. Nothing alleviates the itching.