During the summer months, many of us sport our seasonal bug bites along with a tan. The chigger is one of the most annoying this time of year, a microscopic insect that leaves behind itchy red welts when it bites you.

Chris Thomsen, Virginia Department of Forestry - "I've probably had chigger bites two or three times already this summer."

Forester Chris Thomsen spends about half of his workday in the woods. So before he goes out, he takes some precautions.

Thomsen - "When I go out into a forest, especially if I know there's going to be tall grass and weeds, I always spray myself down."

But insect repellent doesn't always help. Sometimes those areas that chiggers love, like here with the high grass, just can't be avoided. And the bugs are microscopic. So you never see them coming. But what they leave behind, can stay with you for days, even weeks.

Thomsen - "Usually it's those areas that are around your belt line, down around your ankle line where your boots meet, under your armpit, behind your legs, your knees."

Robert Parker, Virginia Department of Health - "There's a misconception about it. The welts themselves are not places where eggs have been laid. They're not places where a chigger has buried itself into your skin. The animal, by the time the welt appears has more than likely left your body."

And unlike mosquitoes which can carry things like West Nile Virus, chiggers don't pose any serious health risk in this country. But, nonetheless, you don't want to get bitten.

Thomsen - "Truly, of all the things I encounter in the woods, chiggers are probably the least pleasant because they stay with you the longest."

If you do get bit, the best treatment is an over-the-counter anti-itch cream. The Department of Forestry says chiggers and ticks are most prevalent on the Southside and the lower elevations.