Its official name is Trombiculida, but we call them redbugs. Others refer to them as chiggers.

No matter its name, the tiny mite has brought misery to our household. Not long after we began exploring the woods surrounding our house, we began noticing the red, itchy spots. A couple here and there was no big deal. We’ve had a few run-ins with redbugs in the past, so we thought we were prepared to defend ourselves.

But those bites here and there slowly turned into dozens. Now, all of us but the baby are covered in redbug bites. And it’s torture. We don’t sleep, we scratch. We can’t sit still, we scratch. We can’t think straight, we scratch. And of course, we apply plenty of anti-itch creams, ointments and lotions. None of them work.

The redbug itself is almost microscopic. It’s actually a mite that feeds on the skin cells of animals.

“After crawling onto their hosts, they inject digestive enzymes into the skin that break down skin cells. They do not actually ‘bite’ but instead form a hole in the skin called a stylostome and chew up tiny parts of the inner skin, thus causing severe irritation and swelling,” according to Wikipedia. It sounds quite disgusting, and it’s every bit as irritating as it is gross.

We’ve tried soaking ourselves in bug spray before heading out and we’ve tried applying pesticides to the yard. But the redbugs remain. They have become my nemesis and I’ll stop at nothing to get rid of them. If burning off the lawn and surrounding woods would guarantee their death, I would light a match today. But I’m afraid they’ll only laugh at my futile attempt to dislodge them and come at me with more reinforcements.

At this point, I’m not sure there’s a postage-stamp size piece of earth on our five acres that’s safe from the tiny terrors. They are in the flower beds, the lawn, the woods, the edge of the ponds. They are everywhere.

I would have never guessed I would trade fire ants for anything, but at this point I would rather have a yard full of ant hills than redbugs. At least you can see ants and avoid them. The tiny chigger is all but invisible. The only sign of their presence is the swollen, itchy red spots they leave behind.

The name “redbug” or “chigger” doesn’t come close to capturing their potential to torment their victims. I’ve taken to calling them “devil bugs.” Anything that causes this much discomfort must be of Satan himself. I can’t imagine a loving God creating such a horrendous beast — unless they are the little-known 11th plague of the Old Testament. I can’t imagine locusts, frogs, lice or boils being any worse.

If any of you dear readers know how to extinguish the tormentors, please stop by The Daily Leader office and enlighten me. I’ll be easy to find — I’m the one sitting behind the desk scratching myself crazy.

Luke Horton is the Publisher of The Daily Leader. You may contact him at luke.horton@dailyleader.com.